The EPCR Challenge Cup: Europe’s Second Tier and Harlequins in London

How the Challenge Cup works

Eighteen clubs contest the pool stage, drawn into three pools of six. They come from the same three leagues that feed the tier above — Premiership Rugby in England, the Top 14 in France and the United Rugby Championship — along with invited clubs from Georgia and South Africa, which gives the tournament a wider geographic spread than the Champions Cup.

As in the top tier, clubs do not play every side in their pool. The pool stage runs to four rounds and is followed by a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, which shares its weekend and its venue with the Champions Cup showpiece.

The competition then absorbs four more clubs. The four highest-ranked sides that fail to reach the Champions Cup knockout stage drop down and enter the Challenge Cup at the Round of 16, which means the knockout bracket is stronger than the pool stage alone would suggest and a club can meet a tier-one side without ever having played one in the pools.

The route in, and the route up

Entry is mostly a function of domestic league position. Clubs that finish outside their league’ Champions Cup allocation land here, which is why the field turns over from season to season and why the competition regularly features clubs with substantial European pedigree going through a lean spell domestically.

The prize at the other end is more than a trophy. Under EPCR regulations a Challenge Cup winner that has not already qualified for the Champions Cup through its league position earns a place in the following season’ top tier. That turns the back half of the tournament into a qualification campaign, and it is the main reason clubs take the knockout rounds seriously even after a disappointing league season.

The same rule changes EPCR introduced for 2026/27 apply here. The attacking bonus point now requires finishing at least three tries clear of the opponent, and where clubs are level on match points the first tie-break is the number of wins rather than points difference.

The Challenge Cup in London

London’ entrant for 2026/27 is Harlequins, who host their European fixtures at the Stoop in south-west London. They were drawn in a pool alongside Ospreys, Edinburgh, Black Lion, Toulon and Vannes, a group that combines Welsh and Scottish regional sides with French opposition and the Georgian entrant.

Toulon are the name to look for on the fixture list. They are among the most decorated clubs in European rugby and bring a travelling support that changes the character of a match considerably, which makes their visit the standout home date of the pool stage for London supporters.

The Stoop is a compact ground and a very different experience from the international stadium a few hundred metres away. Sight lines are close to the pitch throughout and there is no bad end, which suits European nights better than a large half-full bowl would. The capital’ other Premiership club, Saracens, are in the Champions Cup this season, so the two London clubs are in different European competitions.

Tickets and matchdays

Challenge Cup pool fixtures are among the more accessible rugby tickets in London. Demand sits below both Premiership derbies and Champions Cup ties, and because the ground is compact the difference between the cheapest and most expensive seats is far smaller than at a stadium built for eighty thousand. For anyone wanting to watch top-level club rugby in London without planning months ahead, this is the straightforward way in.

That changes in the knockouts. Once the Champions Cup drop-ins arrive at the Round of 16 the opposition quality rises sharply, and a home quarter-final or semi-final is a different ticket proposition entirely. European fixtures are also normally sold separately from domestic league packages, so check the club’ sales windows rather than assuming a season ticket covers them.

Getting to the Stoop

The Stoop sits beside Twickenham Stadium in south-west London, and the two share their approach routes and their nearest stations. On a Challenge Cup night the crowd is a fraction of an international matchday, so the walk in and out is comfortable and the stations cope easily.

The exception is a fixture that coincides with something larger next door, or a knockout tie that draws a big travelling support. Our Twickenham transport guide covers the routes and the timings for the area in detail, and is the one to consult if you are travelling on a busy weekend rather than a quiet European Friday night.

Where it sits in the rugby calendar

The Challenge Cup runs on the same weekends as the Champions Cup, slotted into the domestic season rather than replacing it. Premiership Rugby continues around it and the Premiership Rugby Cup fills the windows when internationals take players away.

Because the stakes in the pool stage are lower than in the tier above, this is the competition where squad rotation is most visible, and where academy players tend to get their first serious European minutes. The international calendar shapes that too, with the Six Nations and the Nations Championship both taking players out in their own windows. On the women’ side, Premiership Women’s Rugby runs separately, with Harlequins Women and Saracens Women both competing.

Frequently asked questions