Champions Cup Format
The Champions Cup is structured as a pool and seeding stage followed by a straight knockout. Here is how it works, and what the format means when you bet.
Pool stage to final
The competition opens with a pool and seeding stage: clubs from the United Rugby Championship, the English Premiership and France's Top 14 are drawn into pools and play a set of cross-border fixtures to seed the knockout bracket. From there it is straight elimination — a round of 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and a one-off final at a neutral venue. Below it sits the EPCR Challenge Cup, the second-tier competition, where clubs that miss out on the Champions Cup play for their own European trophy.
What the format means for betting
The cross-border pool stage means clubs from different leagues meet for the first time, which throws up mismatches — and that is where the handicap and total points markets come into their own. The knockout rounds add 'to qualify' and extra-time markets, and each round can reshape the Champions Cup outright odds. See the Champions Cup guide for the full markets.
Frequently asked questions
What is the format of the Champions Cup?
A pool and seeding stage to set the bracket, then a straight knockout — round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a one-off final at a neutral venue.
What is the Challenge Cup?
The EPCR Challenge Cup is European club rugby's second-tier competition, sitting below the Champions Cup, contested by clubs that do not make the top tier.