EPCR has today confirmed that the EPCR Challenge Cup final will be played on Friday 23 May next year while the showpiece Investec Champions Cup final is set to go ahead the following day on Saturday 24 May – with the finales set to be hosted at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in the spring of 2025.
Cardiff has a long and illustrious connection with the tournaments having staged high-profile Heineken Cup/Champions Cup deciders on seven previous occasions – the last being in 2014, when Saints lifted the Challenge Cup – and next year’s event at the 74,000-capacity stadium will celebrate the 30th edition of the elite final.
The Challenge Cup decider has been held in the Welsh capital on two previous occasions – 2011 and 2014 – and 2025 will be the first time that the two Cardiff finals are played at the same venue. Tickets for the matches are currently on sale via EPCRugby.com.
The 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will continue with the same pool stage format as last season and will kick off in December with two consecutive rounds of action, followed by Rounds 3 and 4 on consecutive weekends in January 2025 (See dates below).
The pool draws for the 2024/25 tournaments will take place in Cardiff on Tuesday 2 July and will be live streamed on EPCRugby.com. The broadcast will start with the draw for the EPCR Challenge Cup pools at 11am UK time and will be followed at approximately 11.20am UK time by the draw for the Investec Champions Cup pools.
2024/25 INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP QUALIFIERS
Gallagher Premiership: Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers
TOP 14: Stade Toulousain, Stade Français Paris, Union Bordeaux-Begles, RC Toulon, Stade Rochelais, Racing 92, Castres Olympique, ASM Clermont Auvergne
United Rugby Championship: Munster Rugby, Vodacom Bulls, Leinster Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, DHL Stormers, Ulster Rugby, Benetton Rugby, Hollywoodbets Sharks
2024/25 EPCR weekends
- Round 1 – 6/7/8 December 2024
- Round 2 – 13/14/15 December 2024
- Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025
- Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025
- Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
- Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
- Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
- EPCR Challenge Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Friday 23 May 2025
- Investec Champions Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Saturday 24 May 2025
*The four Tier 1 clubs in the Investec Champions Cup and the full list of EPCR Challenge Cup clubs will be confirmed in advance of the pool draws.
** Invited clubs to be announced shortly
