What changed in the Champions Cup for 2026/27
The format looks the same: 24 clubs in four pools, and each club plays four matches. Qualification has changed. Only the top three in each pool now go through automatically. The last four Round of 16 places are wildcards. They go to the clubs with the most match points from across all four pools.
EPCR confirmed the changes before the 2026/27 pool draw. The competition keeps its eight-week shape, and two rules are different: who reaches the Round of 16, and how a try bonus is earned. The full details are on the Investec Champions Cup rules page.
What stayed the same
- 24 clubs in four pools of six. Eight come from the Gallagher Premiership, eight from the TOP 14 and eight from the United Rugby Championship.
- Four pool matches each. Each club plays two at home and two away, all against clubs in its own pool. Clubs from the same league don’t meet in the pool stage.
- Match points. A win is worth four points and a draw two. A losing bonus point is still awarded for a defeat by seven points or fewer.
The try bonus
Until last season, a club earned a bonus point for scoring four tries, regardless of what the opposition scored. From 2026/27, the bonus goes to a club that scores at least three more tries than its opponent. Four tries against a side that scores two no longer earns the bonus. Three tries more than the opposition does.
As BBC Sport reported, the aim is to stop a comfortable winner from easing off while the losing side snatches a try bonus in the final quarter. Either side can still change the gap until the final whistle, so the bonus stays in play for the whole match.
How clubs in the same pool are ranked
Match points still come first. What changed is the order of the tie-breaks. Last season, points difference was the first tie-break. Now wins come first.
From 2026/27, clubs level on match points are separated by:
- Wins. The club with more pool wins ranks higher.
- Points difference. Points scored minus points conceded across the pool stage.
- Tries scored in the pool stage.
- Drawing lots, if the clubs are still level.
The same order also ranks the wildcard list described below, so it applies beyond ties within a pool.
Round of 16 Wildcards
Last season, the top four in each pool qualified, and all sixteen Round of 16 places were decided inside the pools. Finishing fourth was enough, even with a poor record, and finishing fifth meant elimination, even with a better one. BBC Sport gave last season as the example. Leicester and the Bulls both finished fourth with one win and went through. The Sharks won twice, finished fifth, and went out.
This season, the top three in each pool still qualify automatically. That accounts for 12 clubs. The other 12 clubs are everyone who finishes fourth, fifth or sixth. They go into a single cross-pool list, whichever pool they played in.
The cross-pool list changes who can go through:
- Fourth is no longer a guaranteed place. A fourth-placed club qualifies only if it ranks among the four best clubs outside the automatic places.
- Fifth and sixth can still qualify. A club low in its own pool goes through if it has more match points than the lower-placed clubs in the other pools.
- One win in fourth is no longer enough if a fifth-placed club in another pool has more points and more wins. That rules out a repeat of the Leicester, Bulls and Sharks case.
Seeding
The 16 qualifiers are seeded in bands, and each band is ranked by the same criteria:
- Pool winners: seeds 1–4
- Runners-up: seeds 5–8
- Third-placed clubs: seeds 9–12
- Round of 16 Wildcards: seeds 13–16
Seeds 1 to 8 play at home. The Round of 16 pairs 1 v 16, 2 v 15, and so on down to 8 v 9.
In Blitz, all 12 clubs on the list appear under Round of 16 Wildcards, in ranked order. The top four rows are the clubs currently in line for the Champions Cup Round of 16.
Challenge Cup Wildcards
Four Champions Cup clubs still drop into the Challenge Cup Round of 16. They are the next four clubs on the same list, directly below the Round of 16 Wildcards. EPCR calls them the Investec Champions Cup Challenge Cup Wildcards.
Last season, the club that finished fifth in each pool dropped into the Challenge Cup. The cross-pool list replaces that rule. A sixth-placed club can now drop into the Challenge Cup, and a fifth-placed club with fewer match points can miss out on both knockout competitions. Positions 5 to 8 on the wildcard table take the four Challenge Cup places. The bottom four are out of both competitions.
Rugby365 notes that the Challenge Cup uses the same idea, adapted to its own pools. The top three in each Challenge Cup pool qualify, and three more places are filled from across the pools. The four clubs coming down from the Champions Cup also join that Round of 16.
Questions
Who are the Round of 16 Wildcards?
They are the four clubs with the most match points among those that finish outside the top three in their pool. They take the last four Champions Cup Round of 16 places and are seeded 13 to 16.
Can a club that finishes fifth or sixth still reach the Champions Cup knockouts?
Yes. Every club outside the top three goes into one cross-pool list. A fifth- or sixth-placed club qualifies if it finishes in the top four of that list.
Does finishing fourth still guarantee a place?
No. Fourth is the first position outside automatic qualification. A fourth-placed club goes through only if it is one of the four best clubs on the wildcard list.
How is the try bonus awarded now?
A club earns the try bonus by scoring at least three more tries than its opponent. Scoring four tries is no longer enough on its own.