The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals will return to the extraordinary Principality Stadium in Cardiff in 2025, with rugby’s premiere club competitions having broken new territory in 2024 at the superb Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Cardiff 2025 is set to be yet another weekend of top-level club rugby you will not want to miss, with the Welsh capital having hosted some of the most memorable moments in rugby history.
Cardiff is one of the finest cities in the world to watch rugby, with the Principality Stadium one of the game’s truly historic grounds, and a fitting venue to crown the successor to either Stade Toulousain or Leinster Rugby in the Champions Cup and Gloucester Rugby or Hollywoodbets Sharks in the Challenge Cup.
From the thrilling atmosphere of match day in the 74,500-seater stadium, to the opportunity of exploring one of Europe’s most underrated cities for tourism, Cardiff 2025 is set to be one of the highlights of the sporting year.
And, for a limited time, a number of ‘early bird’ tickets are available for those who act fast to secure their seats at both the 2025 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals.
The EPCR Challenge Cup final is scheduled for Friday 23 May 2025, with the showpiece Investec Champions Cup final set for the following day, Saturday 24 May 2025.
It will be the 30th final of EPCR’s elite competition, with the trophy returning to the Welsh capital for the eighth time since the inaugural 1995/96 season when Stade Toulousain lifted the trophy.
Dominic McKay, Chairman of EPCR, said: “In returning to Cardiff 30 years on from the iconic first Final means a great to deal to us and our friends here in the city, and we will celebrate the milestone appropriately.
“We know this rugby heartland will not only be proud to host this historic weekend, but will welcome rugby fans from across the world to join us in Cardiff for our EPCR Finals Weekend in 2025.”
Here are some classic Principality Stadium memories to get you excited for Cardiff 2025 ahead of our Golden Tickets window, opening May 17…
Cardiff Rugby vs Leicester Tigers, 2009
Who could forget the first-ever penalty shootout in knockout rugby in 2009?
It was thought that it might be Cardiff Blues’ year in the Champions Cup; they had won all of their pool games and had already used the Principality Stadium in the quarter-final, with Ben Blair’s boot giving them a 9-6 win over Stade Toulousain.
They found themselves back at what was then called the Millennium Stadium for the semi-final against Leicester Tigers, and after Cardiff had secured an extraordinary comeback in the final ten minutes of normal time thanks to quickfire tries from Jamie Roberts and Tom James, the teams went into extra-time tied at 26 apiece – but neither could add to their tally over the next 20, lung-busting minutes.
It went to penalties, with each team shooting at the posts. The Blues thought they had the advantage when Leicester Tiger’s Johne Murphy missed, but try hero Tom James then missed the Blues’ fifth shot, allowing Scott Hamilton to equalise.
That meant sudden death, with the forwards starting to become involved. In the end it was one of Wales’ most decorated internationals, Martyn Williams, who pulled his kick left and allowed Leicester Tigers number eight Jordan Crane to kick the winner in front of 44,000 disbelieving fans.
Leicester Tigers vs Munster Rugby, 2002
Leicester Tigers have a happy history of getting away with things at the Principality Stadium.
Seven years prior to Crane’s penalty, they were facing Munster Rugby in the 2002 Final, and this time it was their turn to put on the late show, bouncing back from a 9-5 half-time deficit with a try by Austin Healey and five points from the boot of Tim Stimpson to give them a 15-9 lead.
But Munster Rugby were pressing hard with moments to go and had a midfield scrum close to the 5m line in the English club’s half. With the referee distracted on the other side of the scrum, Leicester Tigers openside flanker Neil Back knocked the ball from Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer’s hands before the put-in and scooped it into the Leicester Tigers side of the scrum.
The incident was dubbed the “Hand of Back” after the match by the press, referencing Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal scored in the 1986 soccer World Cup, and was named by The Daily Telegraph in 2022 as “rugby’s most famous act of gamesmanship”.
Munster Rugby vs Biarritz Olympique and Stade Toulousain, 2006 and 2008
Fortunately there are also happier memories of the Principality Stadium for Munster Rugby.
After several heart-breaking misses, the Munstermen finally claimed their cherished inaugural crown in EPCR’s elite competition there in 2006, beating Biarritz Olympique 23-19 in the Final.
Two years later they repeated the feat, downing Stade Toulousain 16-13 at the same venue.
Leinster Rugby vs Northampton Saints, 2011
It is not just Munster Rugby who have flown the flag for Ireland in Cardiff; Leinster Rugby also staged a remarkable Champions Cup Final comeback at the Principality Stadium in 2011, bouncing back from 22-6 down at the break to win 33-22 over Northampton Saints.
It was fly-half Jonny Sexton who led by example, scoring two tries in minutes 44 and 53, knocking over a penalty in minute 56 to give his side the lead.
Nathan Hines crashed over in minute 64 for the coup de grace, and Leinster Rugby claimed the title.
RC Toulon vs Saracens, 2014
The most recent Champions Cup final at the Principality Stadium was a decade ago, when RC Toulon won the second of their three-peat series by beating Saracens 23-6 in a dominant performance.
The pride of Welsh rugby, it is a stadium fit to host any Final; and in 2025, 11 years after it was last in the Welsh capital, the Investec Champions Cup trophy will return to the ground, with 75,000 gathering to watch Europe’s showpiece rugby match once again.
It will be an occasion no rugby fan will want to miss – so sign up for the exclusive opportunity to get the best seats and lowest prices for Cardiff 2025 with Golden Tickets.
>>>Story courtesy of https://www.epcrugby.com/champions-cup/news<<<
