Format for EPCR pool draws for 2024/25 season unveiled

The draws for the upcoming 2024/25 season of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will be picked in Cardiff on 2nd July.

The top six teams from the regular season of TOP 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship will be divided equally in the four Pools of the Champions Cup.

Clubs from the same URC Shield cannot be in the same pool which means Munster, Ulster and Leinster will be in separate pools and similarly Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks will not be grouped in same Pool.

There will be no matches between clubs from the same league. To organize the pool stage fixtures, each club will play four matches against four different clubs from other leagues, either at home or away.

Meanwhile, for the Challenge Cup, the 18 teams will be divided equally into three Pools. Each group will have two teams apiece from Top 14 and Gallagher Premiership and a maximum of three clubs from the United Rugby Championship. Ospreys, Cardiff Rugby, Scarlets and Dragons RFC will be joined by Edinburgh Rugby and Zebre Parma in the Welsh representatives.

The Emirates Lions along with newly invited clubs Black Lion and the Toyota Cheetahs cannot be in the same group.

Clubs will play four different opponents home or away during the pool stage and a limited number of same-league fixtures will be unavoidable.