The challenge cup will be run along the same lines as the Heineken Cup format and will involve 20 teams in five pools of four. The rest of the draw is as follows:
Pool two – Agen, London Irish, Parma, Pau
Pool three – Gloucester, Bayonne, Bucuresti, Toulon
Pool four – Borders, Brive, Newcastle Falcons, l’Aquila
Pool five – Connacht, Montpellier, Worcester, Catania
The winners of the pools, and the three best runners-up, will qualify for the quarter-finals. The semi-finals will be one-off matches played at home venues and the final will be at a neutral venue.
The new pool format will replace the previous season's knockout structure and the European Sheild tournament.
"After lengthy ERC Board consultations involving the views of both unions and clubs, it became evident that there were strong requirements for guaranteed fixtures and higher quality contests," said ERC chairman Jean-Pierre Lux.
"The view was that the pool format we have followed in the Heineken Cup is the best way to meet those needs.
"There will be 20 teams instead of 32 and 67 matches instead of the 86 we had last season in the European Challenge Cup and European Shield.
"Part of the reason for these reductions are the facts that there is no team from Wales, Italy have requested they have just six instead of 10 teams playing in Europe - two of them in the Heineken Cup - and France will have 14 and not 16 teams playing in Europe as from next season, seven of those in the 2005 Heineken Cup."
Seven French, six English, four Italian and one team from each of Ireland, Scotland and Romania went into the draw. The top teams from France (Agen), England (Gloucester), Italy (Viadana), Ireland (Connacht) and Scotland (The Borders) were seeded and drawn in separate pools.
Head coach Budge Pountney said: "Narbonne and Bristol are going to be tough games. I do not know much about Viadana, but playing away in Italy will be a new experience for us.
"The new pool structure makes the competition much more meaningful. It will be on the same weekends of the Heineken Cup and will feel like the Heineken Cup, if it isn't!"
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