Dec 6, 8:00 PM UTC
Gloucester Rugby vs Edinburgh
Dec 6, 8:00 PM UTC
Bath Rugby vs Stade Rochelais
Dec 6, 8:00 PM UTC
Dragons vs MHR
Dec 7, 1:00 PM UTC
Sharks vs Exeter Chiefs
Dec 7, 1:00 PM UTC
ASM-Rugby vs Benetton
Dec 7, 1:00 PM UTC
Black Lion vs RC Vannes
Dec 7, 1:00 PM UTC
Aviron Bayonnais vs Scarlets
Dec 7, 3:15 PM UTC
Lyon OU vs Cardiff
Dec 7, 3:15 PM UTC
Northampton Saints vs Castres Olympique
Dec 7, 3:15 PM UTC
DHL Stormers vs RC Toulonnais
Dec 7, 5:30 PM UTC
Saracens F.C. vs Vodacom Bulls
Dec 7, 5:30 PM UTC
Munster vs Stade Francais
Dec 7, 8:00 PM UTC
Connacht vs Zebre Parma
Dec 7, 8:00 PM UTC
Racing 92 vs Harlequin F.C.
Dec 7, 8:00 PM UTC
Glasgow Warriors vs Sale Sharks
Premiership Rugby

Ultimate 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup Rugby Preview: A Fan's Guide

Ultimate 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup Rugby Preview: A Fan's Guide

Here's everything to know about the Investec Champions Cup starting on Dec. 6.

Dec 4, 2024 by Joe Harrington
What's The Best Stadium In the Champions Cup?

The final month of the 2024 is here and that means one thing in the world of rugby: The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup season is here. 

Yes, December is full of gifts and so is the sport of rugby. Not only does the month include some of the best derby matches the professional sport has to offer in the final two weeks of the year, but the first two weeks bring us the sport's biggest professional competition. 

The Top 14, arguably the best domestic league in the world at the moment, the United Rugby Championship, the deepest domestic league in the world, and the Gallagher Premiership, one of the oldest domestic leagues in the world, compete for the European Championship starting on Friday, Dec. 6. 

The field includes the eight best teams from the Top 14 and Gallagher Premiership from last season, plus the seven best teams from the United Rugby Championship and the reigning EPCR Challenge Cup winner from the URC, the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

Every team in the Champions Cup field made the FloRugby Top 50 clubs in the world list and it's quite simply the largest showcase of the best professional clubs in the world. It's also a unique competition in that there is no similar tournament to the Champions Cup or the EPCR Challenge Cup. Super Rugby, Japan League One and Major League Rugby do not have a Champions Cup tournament, at least not yet. 

The Investec Champions Cup includes the top-two players in the world in Toulouse's Antoine Dupont, who just led France to the Olympic gold medal in Rugby 7s  and Caelan Doris, the 26-year-old Irish Rugby and Leinster Rugby captain. There's loads of Springboks playing for teams in all three leagues, and that includes Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, who both play for the Hollywoodbets Sharks. 

Fans will also get to see one of the best modern day rivalries in the spot (Leinster vs. La Rochelle), matchups we don't often get (Vodacom Bulls vs. Saracens and DHL Stormers vs. Harlquins) and so many superstars going to head-to-head. 

Here's the ultimate Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 preview. 

How To Watch The Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Season In The US And Canada

Every minute of the Investec Champions Cup is streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.

Investec Champions Cup Team Previews

Here everything to know on each team in the Investec Champions Cup:

Pool 1: 

Investec Champions Cup Pool 1 Preview
Pool 2:

Investec Champions Cup Pool 2 Preview
Pool 3:

Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 Preview

Pool 4:

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Rugby Player Rankings: Here Are The Best Players In The Investec Champions Cup 

Here are the players how made the FloRugby Top 100 players list playing in the Champions Cup. Overall rank parentheses.  

  • Antoine Dupont – Toulouse & France (1)
  • Caelan Doris – Leinster & Ireland (2)
  • Jamison Gibson-Park – Leinster & Ireland (6)
  • Eben Etzebeth – Hollywoodbets Sharks & South Africa (7)
  • Damian Penaud – Bordeaux-Begles & France (8)
  • Dan Sheehan – Leinster & Ireland (9)
  • Tadhg Beirne – Munster & Ireland (10)
  • Sione Tuipulotu – Glasgow Warriors & Scotland (11)
  • RG Snyman – Leinster & South Africa (12)
  • Maro Itoje – Saracens & England (13)
  • Hugo Keenan – Leinster & Ireland (14)
  • Ox Nche – Hollywoodbets Sharks & South Africa (16)
  • Juan Cruz Mallia – Toulouse & Argentina (17)
  • Damian Willemse – DHL Stormers & South Africa (18)
  • Handre Pollard – Leicester Tigers & South Africa (19)
  • Finn Russell – Bath Rugby & Scotland (20)
  • Jordie Barrett – Leinster & New Zealand (21)
  • Romain Ntamack – Toulouse & France (23)
  • Sam Underhill – Bath Rugby & England (24)
  • Andrew Porter – Leinster & Ireland (25)
  • Blair Kinghorn – Toulouse & Scotland (26)
  • Jack Willis – Toulouse & England (27)
  • Kurt-Lee Arendse – Vodacom Bulls & South Africa (28)
  • Josh van der Flier – Leinster & Ireland (30)
  • Garry Ringrose – Leinster & Ireland (31)
  • Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – DHL Stormers & South Africa (32)
  • Tadhg Furlong – Leinster & Ireland (33)
  • Will Skelton – La Rochelle & Australia (35)
  • James Lowe – Leinster & Ireland (36)
  • Owen Farrell – Racing 92 & England (37)
  • Gregory Alldritt – La Rochelle & France (38)
  • Tommy Freeman – Northampton Saints & England (40)
  • Thomas Ramos – Toulouse & France (41)
  • Julian Montoya – Leicester Tigers & Argentina (43)
  • James Ryan – Leinster & Ireland (44)
  • Siya Kolisi – Hollywoodbets Sharks & South Africa (45)
  • Ben Earl – Saracens & England (47)
  • Cyril Baille – Toulouse & France (49)
  • Marcus Smith – Harlequins & England (50)
  • Jack Crowley – Munster & Ireland (51)
  • Tom Curry – Sale Sharks & England (53)
  • Tommaso Menencello – Benetton Rugby & Italy (54)
  • Ronan Kelleher – Leinster & Ireland (55)
  • Jack Conan – Leinster & Ireland (57)
  • Grant Williams – Hollywoodbets Sharks & South Africa (58)
  • Henry Slade – Exeter Chiefs & England (59)
  • Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh Rugby & Scotland (60)
  • Immanuel Feyi-Waboso – Exeter Chiefs & England (63)
  • Rory Darge – Glasgow Warriors & Scotland (64)
  • Ange Capuozzo – Toulouse & Italy (66)
  • George Furbank – Northampton Saints & England (68)
  • Peter O'Mahony – Munster & Ireland (69)
  • Levani Botia – La Rochelle & Fiji (71)
  • Louis Bielle-Biarrey – Bordeaux-Begles & France (72)
  • George Martin – Leicester Tigers & England (73)
  • Michele Lamaro – Benetton & Italy (74)
  • Robbie Henshaw – Leinster & Ireland (75)
  • Aphelele Fassi – Hollywoodbets Sharks & South Africa (76)
  • Manie Libbok – DHL Stormers & South Africa (77)
  • Huw Jones – Glasgow Warriors & Scotland (80)
  • Jamie George – Saracens & England (81)
  • Joe McCarthy – Leinster & Ireland (82)
  • Peato Mauvaka – Toulouse & France (83)
  • Elrigh Louw – Vodacom Bulls & South Africa (84)
  • Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors & Scotland (85)
  • Alex Mitchell – Northampton Saints & England (86)
  • Marcos Kremer – Clermont & Argentina (87)
  • Ellis Genge – Bristol Bears & England (88)
  • Jamie Osborne – Leinster & Ireland (89)
  • Ollie Lawrence – Bath Rugby & England (91)
  • Julian Marchand – Toulouse & France (92)
  • Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors & Scotland (95)
  • Caleb Clarke – Blues & New Zealand (96)
  • Ignacio Brex – Benetton Rugby & Italy (97)
  • Thibaud Flament – Toulouse & France (98)
  • Ciaran Frawley – Leinster & Ireland (99)
  • Charles Ollivon – Toulon & France (100)

Investec Champions Cup Club Rankings

Here are the top clubs in the Investec Champions Cup. Overall rank in parentheses. 

  • Toulouse (1)
  • Leinster Rugby (2)
  • Northampton Saints (3)
  • Union Bordeaux Begles (4)
  • Glasgow Warriors (6)
  • La Rochelle (7)
  • Munster Rugby (8)
  • Bath Rugby (10)
  • Vodacom Bulls (11)
  • Saracens (13) 
  • Harlequins (14)
  • DHL Stormers (15)
  • Stade Francais (16)
  • Sale Sharks (18)
  • Toulon (19)
  • Exeter Chiefs (20)
  • Benetton (22)
  • Racing 92 (23)
  • Ulster Rugby (24)
  • Bristol Bears (26)
  • Castres Olympique (27)
  • Clermont Rugby (28)
  • Leicester Tigers (29)
  • Hollywoodbets Sharks (32)

10 Can't Miss Matches In The Investec Champions Cup

Read the full article here, but here 10 matches you don't want to miss on FloRugby: 

Investec Champions Cup Fixture and Rugby Schedule

Here is the complete Investec Champions Cup schedule.

Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 1

Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025  Round 2

Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 3

Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 4

Investec Champions Cup Format 

Key points of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup:

  • A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023/24 season
  • 24 elite clubs - eight each from the Gallagher Premiership, URC and TOP 14 - in four pools of six
  • sporting jeopardy with each club playing against four different opponents home or away in the pool stage
  • Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the Round of 16
  • The Investec Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends with four pool stage rounds and four knockout stage rounds culminating in the 2025 final which will be staged at Cardiff's Pincipality Stadium on Saturday, 24 May

Investec Champions Cup Weekends

  • Round 1 – 6/7/8 December 2024
  • Round 2 – 13/14/15 December 2024
  • Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025
  • Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025
  • Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
  • Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
  • Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
  • 2025 Investec Champions Cup final – Saturday 24 May, Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Champions Cup Qualifications 

Twenty-four clubs have qualified for the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup as follows:

  • United Rugby Championship (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
  • TOP 14 (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
  • Gallagher Premiership Rugby (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
  • If not already qualified, the winner of the 2024 Investec Champions Cup will take the place of the eighth-ranked club in its league.

Investec Champions Cup Qualifiers 

  • TOP 14 – Stade Toulousain, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Stade Français Paris, RC Toulon, Stade Rochelais, Racing 92, Castres Olympique, ASM Clermont Auvergne
  • GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP – Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers
  • UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP – Glasgow Warriors, Vodacom Bulls, Munster Rugby, Leinster Rugby, DHL Stormers, Ulster Rugby, Benetton Rugby, Hollywoodbets Sharks

When Does The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup Begin? When Is The Champions Cup Final?

The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin on Dec. 6 and the four-round pool play action ends on Jan. 19, 2025. The Round of 16 starts on April 4, while the quarterfinals are April 11-13 and the semifinals are May 2-4. 

The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff, Wales at Principality Stadium. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup). 

How To Watch Rugby Matches In the United States On FloRugby

FloRugby and FloSports also are the US home to: 

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays. 

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