Champions Cup 2026/27: key dates for Glasgow Warriors including pool stage draw and possible opponents

Franco Smith’s side had a strong start to the campaign which saw them finish top of the league standings while also coming second in the Champions Cup seedings following the conclusion of the Pool Stage. They will be back in European rugby’s top competition next season and will hope they can go even further.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2026/27 Champions Cup including when the Pool Stage draw will be made, other key dates and the format:

When is the draw for the 2026/27 Champions Cup Pool Stage?

The draw for the Pool Stage of the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup will be made on Wednesday, July 1. The competition gets under way on Friday, October 16.

The 2027 final will return to France next year with Lyon chosen as the host city. The 59,186-seat OL Stadium will be the venue, marking the second time it has hosts the fixture following on from 2016’s showpiece event.

Which teams have qualified for the 2026/27 Champions Cup?

The 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup will feature 24 clubs and will be made up of the top eight teams from each of the BKT United Rugby Championship (URC), England’s Gallagher Premiership and France’s Top 14.

Here is the 24 team line-up for the 2026/27 Champions Cup:

Top 14

• Union Bordeaux Bègles
• Stade Toulousain
• Montpellier Hérault Rugby
• Stade Français Paris
• Section Paloise
• Racing 92
• Stade Rochelais
• ASM Clermont Auvergne

URC

• Glasgow Warriors
• Leinster Rugby
• DHL Stormers
• Vodacom Bulls
• Munster Rugby
• Cardiff Rugby
• Fidelity Securedrive Lions
• Connacht Rugby

Gallagher Premiership

• Northampton Saints
• Bath Rugby
• Leicester Tigers
• Exeter Chiefs
• Saracens
• Bristol Bears
• Sale Sharks
• Gloucester Rugby

Champions Cup 2026/27 format

The 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup will follow the same format as previous seasons with the 24 teams divided into four pools of six. The top two teams in each group will advance to the Round of 16 where they will have a home tie.

The teams who finish third and fourth in their respective pools advance to the knockout stage where they will play away from home in the Round of 16. The teams who finish fifth in their respective groups will drop into the EPCR Challenge Cup and have an away tie in that tournament's Round of 16 and the teams who finish bottom of their respective pools are eliminated from European competition entirely.

The seeding’s for the knockout stages are sorted first by a team’s ranking in their pool, and subsequently on the number of points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16. The team who finishes top of that table hosts the team ranked 16th in the Round of 16 while the team who comes second hosts 15th, third place hosts 14th and so on.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals see home advantage given to the higher ranked side from the ranking table at the end of the Pool Stage. The final is held at a neutral venue.

How Glasgow Warriors qualified for the 2026/27 Champions Cup

Glasgow Warriors qualified for the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup by being one of the top eight teams at the end of the regular 2025/26 URC Season. Franco Smith’s side topped the league table after 18 matches but were eliminated in the semi-finals after losing to to the Vodacom Bulls.

The clubs who finished ninth to 16th in the 2025/26 URC standings, which included Edinburgh, will play in the EPCR Challenge Cup next season.

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