{"id":233414,"date":"2025-10-22T21:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/233414\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T21:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:22:09","slug":"investec-champions-cup-2025-2026-fixtures-here-are-5-must-watch-matches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/233414\/","title":{"rendered":"Investec Champions Cup 2025-2026 Fixtures: Here Are 5-Must Watch Matches"},"content":{"rendered":"

The closest thing professional club rugby has to a Kumite is the Investec Champions Cup<\/a>, and the battle for European dominance begins on Dec. 5.<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s the case for now.<\/p>\n

The Club Rugby World Cup in 2028, which will stream on FloRugby, will feature eight teams from the Champions Cup, six from Super Rugby Pacific, and likely two teams from Japan Rugby League One.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be an event rugby fans have never seen before and could answer the question FloRugby tries to every week with the Club Rankings: Who is the best club team in the world?<\/p>\n

But even that competition likely won\u2019t have quite the grueling nature of 48 pool matches and a 16-team playoff culminating with a grand final.<\/p>\n

For now, the closest thing rugby has to a professional club world cup is the Champions Cup \u2014 especially after South African clubs joined to form what is now the United Rugby Championship.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, it\u2019s the matches and the level of play that make the Champions Cup the top competition in the world, and of those 48 pool-play matches, there are, as the kids say, some real bangers.<\/p>\n

Of the 48 matches over the two weeks in December and two weeks in January, here are our favorite fixtures.<\/p>\n

Bath Rugby vs. Munster Rugby, Round 1, Pool 2 | 3 p.m. ET, Dec. 6<\/p>\n

How can you be romantic about the Champions Cup?<\/p>\n

Bath Rugby \u2014 the EPCR Challenge Cup, Gallagher PREM Rugby, and PREM Cup winners a year ago \u2014 against the men of Munster? The only thing Bath needs to complete its 18-month Infinity Gauntlet of titles is a Champions Cup. Leicester Tigers\u2019 loss in Round 4 of the Gallagher PREM season aside, they have looked like the best team in PREM Rugby this season.<\/p>\n

And Munster has looked like the best team in the United Rugby Championship through four rounds.<\/p>\n

When the Champions Cup started more than 30 years ago, this is the type of matchup they envisioned.<\/p>\n

Pau vs. Northampton Saints, Round 1, Pool 4 | 8 a.m. ET, Dec. 7<\/p>\n

The winds are changing fast in France this Top 14 season, so there\u2019s no telling if Section Paloise, or Pau, will still be at the top of the table come November, let alone December. But a matchup of the current table toppers in the Top 14 and Gallagher PREM playing Round 1 on the first Sunday of the competition is, well, an early Christmas gift. Both clubs look like they could win it all.<\/p>\n

Others from Round 1:Toulouse vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks: Antoine Dupont return? Please? Could happen. Imagine the star power in this match if it does\u2026 oh my.\u00a0Vodacom Bulls vs. Bordeaux: This should be one of the five games\u2026 if UBB weren\u2019t eighth on the Top 14 table, it would be.\u00a0Edinburgh vs. Toulon: Edinburgh has been playing lights out of late, and Toulon has a championship history.Glasgow Warriors vs. Toulouse Rugby, Round 2, Pool 1 | 3 p.m. ET, Dec. 13<\/p>\n

These clubs have not played often. The Warriors, the 2024 URC Champions, last beat Toulouse in 2009 in the Champions Cup. They last met at all in 2014, a 12\u20139 Toulouse win. While a home match in Round 1 on Dec. 5 may seem like a more obvious return game for Dupont \u2014 the No. 2 player in the world recovering from a torn ACL he suffered against Ireland in the Six Nations \u2014 this match in Scotland is one where he could seriously be needed. The Warriors are as tough of an out as there is in rugby, especially in Scotland, where they hardly ever lose. Plus, Blair Kinghorn, arguably the third \u2014 and maybe even second \u2014 best Scottish player in the world, plays for Toulouse.<\/p>\n

Others from Round 2:Leicester Tigers vs. Leinster Rugby: Leinster Rugby seemingly plays the same clubs every year in the Champions Cup. They\u2019ve met Leicester four times since 2022. Keep reading, Leinster fans.Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Saracens: The South African captains vs. the English captains. I love it.Bristol Bears vs. Pau: Louis Rees-Zammit will be needed to beat the best team in France so far.Toulon vs. Bath Rugby: One of the best home grounds in rugby hosts the PREM Rugby leaders.\u00a0Leinster Rugby vs. La Rochelle, Round 3, Pool 3 | 12:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 10<\/p>\n

How on Earth do we get this matchup again? Leinster has played La Rochelle every year in the Champions Cup since 2020. This will be the seventh La Rochelle-Leinster match in the champions cup in that span. Seven! La Rochelle has been, without a doubt, the most disappointing team in the Top 14 this season. Shoot, I picked them to win the Top 14! But here they are sitting with a 3-0-3 record and 11th on the Top 14 table. However, if there\u2019s one team that can pull off a 2025 Northampton Saints \u2014 being bad domestically but making the Champions Cup Final \u2014 it would be Ronan O\u2019Gara\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

Others from Round 3:Clermont vs. Glasgow Warriors: Clermont at home is like the French version of the Warriors at home.\u00a0Leicester Tigers vs. Bayonne: These two teams could be solidly on top of their domestic tables by January.\u00a0Bordeaux vs. Northampton Saints: A rematch of the Champions Cup Final probably should be one of the five matches. Here\u2019s to UBB working out their issues by January.Bayonne vs. Leinster Rugby, Round 4, Pool 4 | 10:15 a.m. ET, Jan. 17<\/p>\n

There will undoubtedly be a lot of can\u2019t-miss matches in Round 4 as teams fight to make the knockout rounds. But as we\u2019ve learned over the years, sometimes this round isn\u2019t very dramatic because we already know who\u2019s in. Still, this matchup will be can\u2019t-miss because Bayonne has already beaten Bordeaux and Toulouse this season and are legit Champions Cup contenders. Could a team beat UBB, Toulouse, and Leinster all in the same season? For Leinster, a struggling URC season won\u2019t matter if they take care of business in the Champions Cup.<\/p>\n

Others from Round 4:Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls: The Bulls are always good. Will they care about the Champions Cup is the big question. They\u2019ll need to beat Pau.Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont: Please, just once, Sharks, take the Champions Cup seriously.DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers: The Stormers say they will take the Champions Cup seriously. \u2026 Notice a trend?Here\u2019s A Side Not On The Investec Champions Cup Matches<\/p>\n

\u00a0If the South African clubs decide the Champions Cup is truly important to them, this competition becomes so much more interesting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year I had high hopes for all three South African clubs, but it was clear they were more focused on the URC. And news flash: none of them won the URC \u2014 the Bulls got close. The clubs are even more tied to the URC now, and what better way to help the URC than have a URC team win the Champions Cup?<\/p>\n

Investec Champions Cup 2025-2026 Fixtures<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at each round:<\/p>\n

Investec Champions Cup Round 1\u00a0Friday, Dec. 53 p.m. ET: Sale Sharks vs. Glasgow Warriors, Salford Community Stadium3 p.m. ET: Bayonne vs. DHL Stormers, Stade Jean DaugerSaturday, Dec. 68 a.m. ET: Saracens vs. Clermont Auvergne, StoneX Stadium10:15 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles, Loftus Versfeld12:30 p.m. ET: La Rochelle vs. Leicester Tigers, Stade Marcel Deflandre12:30 p.m. ET: Leinster Rugby vs. Harlequins, TBD3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Bristol Bears, Parc y Scarlets3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Munster Rugby, The RecSunday, Dec. 78 a.m. ET: Pau vs. Northampton Saints, Stade du Hameau10:15 a.m. ET: Toulouse vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Stade Ernest Wallon10:15 a.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, KingsholmDec. 7\u20139 (TBD)Edinburgh Rugby vs. Toulon, TBDInvestec Champions Cup Round 2\u00a0Friday, Dec. 123 p.m. ET: Leicester Tigers vs. Leinster Rugby, Mattioli Woods Welford RoadSaturday, Dec. 138 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. La Rochelle, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium10:15 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Saracens, Hollywoodbets Kings Park10:15 a.m. ET: Clermont Auvergne vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Marcel-Michelin12:30 p.m. ET: Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles vs. Scarlets, Stade Chaban-Delmas12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, SuperValu P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh3 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Toulouse, Scotstoun StadiumSunday, Dec. 148 a.m. ET: Harlequins vs. Bayonne, Twickenham Stoop8 a.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Edinburgh Rugby, Stade Pierre-Fabre10:15 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Bath Rugby, Stade F\u00e9lix Mayol10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Vodacom Bulls, cinch Stadium @ Franklin\u2019s Gardens12:30 p.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Pau, Ashton GateInvestec Champions Cup Round 3\u00a0Friday, Jan. 93 p.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Bath Rugby, Stade Pierre-Fabre3 p.m. ET: Edinburgh Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, TBDSaturday, Jan. 108 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bristol Bears, Loftus Versfeld10:15 a.m. ET: Clermont Auvergne vs. Glasgow Warriors, Stade Marcel-Michelin12:30 p.m. ET: Leinster Rugby vs. La Rochelle, TBD12:30 p.m. ET: Sale Sharks vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Salford Community Stadium3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Pau, Parc y Scarlets3 p.m. ET: Leicester Tigers vs. Bayonne, Mattioli Woods Welford RoadSunday, Jan. 118 a.m. ET: Harlequins vs. DHL Stormers, Twickenham Stoop8 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Munster Rugby, Stade F\u00e9lix Mayol10:15 a.m. ET: Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles vs. Northampton Saints, Stade Chaban-Delmas12:30 p.m. ET: Saracens vs. Toulouse, StoneX StadiumInvestec Champions Cup Round 4\u00a0Friday, Jan. 163 p.m. ET: Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls, Stade du Hameau3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby, The RecSaturday, Jan. 178 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Kings Park10:15 a.m. ET: Bayonne vs. Leinster Rugby, Stade Jean Dauger10:15 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers, DHL Stadium12:30 p.m. ET: Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Ernest Wallon12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, Thomond Park3 p.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon, KingsholmSunday, Jan. 188 a.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles, Ashton Gate10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets, cinch Stadium @ Franklin\u2019s Gardens10:15 a.m. ET: La Rochelle vs. Harlequins, Stade Marcel Deflandre12:30 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens, Scotstoun StadiumInvestec Champions Cup Fixtures By Pool<\/p>\n

Here’s a breakdown of the schedule by pool:<\/p>\n

Investec Champions Cup\u00a0Pool 1Round 1Friday, Dec. 5 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Sale Sharks vs. Glasgow Warriors, Salford Community StadiumSaturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Saracens vs. Clermont Auvergne, StoneX StadiumSunday, Dec. 7 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Toulouse vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Stade Ernest WallonRound 2Saturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Saracens, Hollywoodbets Kings ParkSaturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Clermont Auvergne vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Marcel-MichelinSaturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Toulouse, Scotstoun StadiumRound 3\u00a0Saturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Clermont Auvergne vs. Glasgow Warriors, Stade Marcel-MichelinSaturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Sale Sharks vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Salford Community StadiumSunday, Jan. 11 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Saracens vs. Toulouse, StoneX StadiumRound 4\u00a0Saturday, Jan. 17 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Kings ParkSaturday, Jan. 17 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks, Stade Ernest WallonSunday, Jan. 18 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens, Scotstoun StadiumInvestec Champions Cup\u00a0Pool 2Round 1\u00a0Saturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Munster Rugby, The RecSunday, Dec. 7 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, KingsholmDec. 7\u20139 (TBD): Edinburgh Rugby vs. Toulon, TBDRound 2\u00a0Saturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, SuperValu P\u00e1irc U\u00ed ChaoimhSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Edinburgh Rugby, Stade Pierre-FabreSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Bath Rugby, Stade F\u00e9lix MayolRound 3Friday, Jan. 9 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Castres Olympique vs. Bath Rugby, Stade Pierre-FabreFriday, Jan. 9 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Edinburgh Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, TBDSunday, Jan. 11 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Toulon vs. Munster Rugby, Stade F\u00e9lix MayolRound 4\u00a0Friday, Jan. 16 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby, The RecSaturday, Jan. 17 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique, Thomond ParkSaturday, Jan. 17 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon, KingsholmInvestec Champions Cup\u00a0Pool 3Round 1\u00a0Friday, Dec. 5 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Bayonne vs. DHL Stormers, Stade Jean DaugerSaturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: La Rochelle vs. Leicester Tigers, Stade Marcel DeflandreSaturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Leinster Rugby vs. Harlequins, TBDRound 2\u00a0Friday, Dec. 12 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Leicester Tigers vs. Leinster Rugby, Mattioli Woods Welford RoadSaturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. La Rochelle, Nelson Mandela Bay StadiumSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Harlequins vs. Bayonne, Twickenham StoopRound 3\u00a0Saturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Leinster Rugby vs. La Rochelle, TBDSaturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Leicester Tigers vs. Bayonne, Mattioli Woods Welford RoadSunday, Jan. 11 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Harlequins vs. DHL Stormers, Twickenham Stoop<\/p>\n

Round 4<\/p>\n

Saturday, Jan. 17 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Bayonne vs. Leinster Rugby, Stade Jean DaugerSaturday, Jan. 17 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: DHL Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers, DHL StadiumSunday, Jan. 18 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: La Rochelle vs. Harlequins, Stade Marcel DeflandreInvestec Champions Cup\u00a0Pool 4Round 1\u00a0Saturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles, Loftus VersfeldSaturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Bristol Bears, Parc y ScarletsSunday, Dec. 7 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Pau vs. Northampton Saints, Stade du HameauRound 2Saturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles vs. Scarlets, Stade Chaban-DelmasSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Vodacom Bulls, cinch Stadium @ Franklin\u2019s GardensSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Pau, Ashton GateRound 3\u00a0Saturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bristol Bears, Loftus VersfeldSaturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Pau, Parc y ScarletsSunday, Jan. 11 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles vs. Northampton Saints, Stade Chaban-DelmasRound 4Friday, Jan. 16 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls, Stade du HameauSunday, Jan. 18 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles, Ashton GateSunday, Jan. 18 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets, cinch Stadium @ Franklin\u2019s GardensHow To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby<\/p>\n

The URC will stream all its matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:\u00a0<\/p>\n

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Join The Rugby Conversation On FloRugby Social<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The closest thing professional club rugby has to a Kumite is the Investec Champions Cup, and the battle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233415,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-233414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}