The 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage was the first stage of the 31st season of the pan-European professional club rugby union competition, and the twelfth under the European Rugby Champions Cup format. Twenty-four clubs from three major domestic and regional leagues competed over four rounds of pool fixtures, with 16 teams progressing to the knockout stages.
Structure The pool stage draw took place on 1 July 2025, with the complete fixture list later announced on 15 July 2025. The fixtures will be played out across four weekends between 5 December 2025 and 18 January 2026.
Teams played other teams in the same pool, except the other team from their own league, with two games at home and two away. The top four teams in each pool later progressed to the round of 16, whilst the teams ranked 5th progress to the knockout stages of the 2024–25 EPCR Challenge Cup.
Teams were awarded points based on match performances; four points for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.
If two or more clubs in the same pool are equal on match points, their ranking will be determined as follows: the best aggregate points difference from the pool stage; or if equal, the number of tries scored in the pool stage; or if equal, the club with the fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents in the pool stage; or if still equal, by drawing lots.
Pool 1
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Pool 2
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Pool 3
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Pool 4
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Notes
References