Top 14 play-offs: dates, kick off times, how to watch and every Scottish player involved
The regular season has concluded in French rugby’s top flight as eight teams begin the race to the Championship title.
We are now in the final stages of domestic rugby across Europe for the 2025/26 season.
England’s Gallagher Premiership semi-finals take place this weekend while the URC final has been decided with Leinster hosting the Bulls later this month. French rugby’s top flight has also advanced to the final stages for the campaign.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 Top 14 play-offs including how they work, when they will take place and which Scottish players are set to be involved:
How does French Top 14 play-offs work?
At the end of the regular 26-game league season, where teams have played each other home and away, the top six clubs advance to the play-offs. These begin with the quarter-finals where the teams who finished third to sixth play each other while the teams who finished first and second receive a bye directly to the semi-finals.
The higher ranked teams receive home advantage with third hosting sixth and fourth hosting fifth. The team who wins the fourth vs fifth match takes on the team who finished in first place and the team who finished second plays the team who wins the third vs sixth quarter-final tie.
The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final which will be played at the Stade de France later this month. Here are the top six teams at the end of the 2025/26 regular season:
- Toulouse
- Montpellier
- Stade Français
- Pau
- Racing 92
- La Rochelle
Top 14 play-offs 2026: fixtures dates and kick off times
The first quarter-final will see Pau host Racing 92 on Saturday, June 13 with an 8:05pm kick off time at the Stade du Hameau. The second quarter-final sees Stade Français host La Rochelle at the Stade Jean-Bouin on Sunday, June 14 with an 8:05pm kick off time.
Both semi-finals will take place at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille with Toulouse playing the winner of Pau vs Racing 92 on Saturday, June 19 at with a 9:05pm kick off. Montpellier will play the winner of Stade Français vs La Rochelle on Sunday, June 20 with a 9:05pm kick off.
The final will then be played at the Stade de France one week later on June 27 with a 9pm kick off time currently scheduled.
How to watch Top 14 play-offs in the UK on TV and online
Premier Sports is the home of the Top 14 in the United Kingdom and will be showing al the action from the play-offs live. Customers can watch via the TV channel or the Premier Sports app online, on mobile devices and on Smart TVs.
Which Scottish players are involved in the Top 14 play-offs?
None of the four teams competing in the quarter-finals will have any Scottish player representing them. However, the semi-finals are a different story where a number of Scots could be in action across both games.
Here is a list of every Scottish player on the books at one of the six team who have qualified for the 2026 Top 14 play-offs:
Toulouse
- Blair Kinghorn - full-back
Montpellier
- Alex Masibaka - second row
- Ali Price - scrum-half
- Stuart Hogg - full-back
Other Scottish players who have featured in the Top 14 this season include: Ben White (Toulon), Ewan Johnson (Bayonne) and Jamie Ritchie (Perpignan), Meanwhile, Dave Cherry will be playing French top flight rugby next season after Vannes earned promotion from French D2.
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