Following the conclusion of the Champions Cup pool stage, the four highest-ranked clubs in each pool have secured their places in the Round of 16 and the two highest-ranked clubs in each pool will have home advantage for the matches which will be played on the first weekend of April.
From a South African perspective, there was some positive news as the Stormers and Bulls did enough to progress, but the Sharks missed out despite a big win over Clermont this past weekend, and they now drop down to the EPCR Challenge Cup
The Stormers comfortably overcame an understrength Leicester Tigers at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, ultimately finishing third in Pool 3 after Harlequins upset La Rochelle.
The Bulls only won a solitary game during the pool phase, which came in the form of a narrow victory over Pau on Friday night, and yet they still managed to qualify when the Scarlets lost away to Northampton on Sunday.
In accordance with the tournament rules, the pool winners have been ranked 1 to 4, the second-placed clubs have been ranked 5 to 8, the third-placed clubs have been ranked 9 to 12, and the fourth-placed clubs have been ranked 13 to 16.
The exact dates and kick-off times of the Round of 16 fixtures will be announced as soon as possible. You can CLICK HERE for the updated tables with confirmation of the clubs which have qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament.
CHAMPIONS CUP PLAYOFF FIXTURES
Round of 16 – 3/4/5 April
R16 1: Union Bordeaux Bègles (1) v Leicester Tigers (16)
R16 2: Glasgow Warriors (2) v Bulls (15)
R16 3: Leinster Rugby (3) v Edinburgh Rugby (14)
R16 4: Bath Rugby (4) v Saracens (13)
R16 5: Northampton Saints (5) v Castres Olympique (12)
R16 6: Harlequins (6) v Sale Sharks (11)
R16 7: RC Toulon (7) v Stormers (10)
R16 8: Stade Toulousain (8) v Bristol Bears (9)
NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home venue advantage
Quarter-finals – 10/11/12 April
QF 1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 8
QF 2: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 7
QF 3: Winner R16 3 v Winner R16 6
QF 4: Winner R16 4 v Winner R16 5
NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage
Semi-finals – 1/2/3 May
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 4
SF 2: Winner QF 2 v Winner QF 3
NB The matches will be played in Europe and where relevant the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home country advantage
2026 Champions Cup Final – Saturday 23 May; San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao
