The Vodacom Bulls will begin their 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup journey against Saracens in the opening round of this season’s campaign. The following weekend the Tshwane-based outfit will host 2023/24 Quarterfinal opponents, Northampton Saints on home turf. The herd will then travel up North [France] to take on Top14 side, Castres Olympique before returning home to host Stade Francais Paris in the final group game.

2024/25 FIXTURES
Round 1 – 7 December 2024 | 17h30
Saracens vs Vodacom Bulls, StoneX Stadium
Round 2 – 14 December 2024 | 15h00
Vodacom Bulls vs Northampton Saints, Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Round 3 – 11 January 2025| 21h00
Castres Olympique vs Vodacom Bulls, Stade Pierre Fabre
Round 4 – 18 January 2025| 15h00
Vodacom Bulls vs Stade Francais Paris, Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
EPCR Challenge Cup Final – Friday 23 May 2025, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Investec Champions Cup Final – Saturday 24 May 2025, Principality Stadium, Cardiff

EPCR has announced the full fixtures schedule for pool stages of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, which marks the 30th season of the elite international club competitions.

The Investec Champions Cup will get underway on Friday 6 December as two-time winners Stade Rochelais kick off their campaign against 1998’s victors Bath Rugby at The Rec, with a 20.00 kick-off (local time) under Friday night lights.

Investec Champions Cup winners Stade Toulousain will host 1999 champions Ulster Rugby as their bid for a seventh title gets underway on Sunday 8 December at 16.15 (local time), while EPCR Challenge Cup winners Hollywoodbets Sharks welcome 2020 champions Exeter Chiefs to Durban on Saturday 7 December, kick-off 14.00 (local time).

Six-time winners Stade Toulousain will then travel to Exeter Chiefs for Round 2, before heading to Durban for the club’s first trip to South Africa in the Investec Champions Cup to face the Hollywoodbets Sharks. They complete the pool stage by hosting two-time holders Leicester Tigers at Stade Ernest Wallon.

Gallagher Premiership champions, also Investec Champions Cup winners in 2000, Northampton Saints welcome Castres Olympique in the French side’s return to the Investec Champions Cup in their Round 1 opening match on Saturday 7 December at cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Garden kick-off 15.15 (local time).

Meanwhile Vodacom United Rugby Championship winners Glasgow Warriors will host Sale Sharks at Scotstoun on Saturday 7 December (20.00 kick-off local time) in Round 1 before travelling to take on triple champions RC Toulon at Stade Félix Mayol. For Rounds 3 and 4 in January, the VURC champions will host Racing 92 and then head to Harlequins and the Twickenham Stoop.

Three-time runners-up Leinster Rugby open their bid for a fifth star at Bristol Bears on Sunday 8 December at 17.30 (local time) and will then host ASM Clermont Auvergne before reigniting their rivalry with two-time winners Stade Rochelais at Stade Marcel Deflandre. Their final pool stage match will see them welcoming Bath Rugby to Dublin.

INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP
• 24 elite clubs, 11 previous tournament winners, 26 Champions Cup titles
• Four pools of six
• Four pool stage rounds, four knockout stage rounds
• Four highest-ranked clubs from each pool qualify for the knockout stage
• Fifth-ranked club in each pool qualifies for the EPCR Challenge Cup

INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP POOLS
Pool 1: Stade Toulousain, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers, Ulster Rugby
Pool 2: Leinster Rugby, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Stade Rochelais, Bristol Bears, Benetton Rugby, Bath Rugby
Pool 3: Northampton Saints, Munster Rugby, Vodacom Bulls, Stade Français Paris, Saracens, Castres Olympique
Pool 4: Glasgow Warriors, Racing 92, Sale Sharks, DHL Stormers, RC Toulon, Harlequins

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, Kingsholm Stadium hosts the first match of the season as Gloucester Rugby welcome Edinburgh Rugby on Friday 6 December (20.00 kick-off local time), before travelling to last season’s PRO D2 winners RC Vannes for Round 2.

The Cherry and Whites then welcome Scarlets to Kingsholm before rounding off the pool stage with a trip to the French Basque country to face Aviron Bayonnais.

RC Vannes will make their EPCR debut in Tbilisi to take on invited club Black Lion on Saturday 7 December at 17.00 (local time) in Round 1.

Fellow invited club Toyota Cheetahs will welcome USAP and Zebre Parma in Rounds 1 (Sunday 8 December, 14.00 local time) and 3 (Sunday 12 January, 14.00 local time) to the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam, their home venue for the EPCR Challenge Cup. The Cheetahs also play Cardiff Rugby at Cardiff Arms Park in Round 2 (Saturday 14 December) and Lyon Olympique Universitaire at Lyon’s Matmut Stadium de Gerland in Round 4 (Saturday 18 January).

EPCR Chairman Dominic McKay said: “We are delighted to confirm the full fixture schedule for the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, and I’d like to extend my thanks to the clubs, leagues and broadcast partners for their collaboration.”

“This will be the 30th season of this great competition which will see us celebrating incredible memories and witnessing the special moments these world-class fixtures continue to deliver.”

“Following the Pool Draws last week, the Road to Cardiff is very much underway and we look forward to seeing who will progress through the season to the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals at the Principality Stadium in May next year.”

“We will build on an exceptional season last year, including record growth on TV, digital platforms and in stadia, with scintillating fixtures lined up for the pool stages.”

EPCR CEO Jacques Raynaud added: “With input from the clubs, leagues and our broadcast partners, and following the EPCR Pool Draws just 10 days ago, we have again finalised the schedule in a short turnaround time.”

“Fans will no doubt be hugely excited to begin planning their EPCR weekends well in advance, for both home games and away weekends in Europe and South Africa.”

“We can expect world-class sporting action from these 42 elite clubs, and we very much look forward to the action getting underway on Friday 6 December.”

The fixture schedules were determined by using an algorithm which took into consideration the new, improved tournament formats, the outcome of the pool draws, league calendar restrictions, individual club calendar restrictions and broadcast requirements.

EPCR CHALLENGE CUP
• 18 clubs in three pools of six
• RC Vannes makes EPCR debut
• Four pool stage rounds, four knockout stage rounds
• Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the knockout stage