Would you like to boost your Champions Cup knowledge in time for the upcoming season? Whether you want to find out more about the tournament’s most successful sides or get to grips with this year’s teams, we’ve packed this page with information and answered all of your Champions Cup FAQs.
Our rugby gurus are experts on all things Champions Cup, so there’s no need to search Google or ask your Amazon Echo. We’ve looked for the most popular questions and listened to our rugby community, making sure we provide the Heineken Cup FAQs and information that you really care about.
Do you know the record for the highest scoring game in Champions Cup history? Are you familiar with the most capped players? Or which team has claimed the biggest number of titles? Explore this page to learn all of the most important and impressive facts about the Champions Cup.
The Champions Cup is an annual cup competition that features Europe and South Africa’s greatest domestic sides. Also known as the European Rugby Champions Cup, qualification for the tournament depends on national league standings.
The first edition of The Champions Cup was held during the 1995-96 season. The competition was devised by the Five Nations Committee and the inaugural year featured 12 teams from Ireland, France, Italy, Romania and Wales. Toulouse beat Cardiff 21-18 to win the first Heineken Cup.
Twenty four teams compete in the Champions Cup, including the winner of the previous season’s EPCR Challenge Cup. The remaining 23 teams qualify based on their national league standings. Here is the typical distribution on a league-by-league basis:
- Eight teams from the Premiership
- Eight teams from the Top 14
- Eight Irish, Italian, Scottish, South African and Welsh teams from the United Rugby Championship
Domestic teams from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales compete in the Champions Cup. Every year this includes eight teams from England, eight teams from France and eight teams combined from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.
Stade Toulouse holds the record for the most Champions Cup titles, with five wins to date. The club won the Champions Cup in 1995-96, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2009-10 and 2020-21. This is followed by Leinster with four wins, Saracens and Toulon with three, as well as Leicester, Munster and Wasps with two.
Clubs from France and England have been the most successful in the Champions Cup, with 10 wins apiece. This is followed by teams from Ireland with seven wins. Clubs from Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales have never won the Champions Cup.
The format of the Champions Cup utilises a pool stage and knock-out stage. Teams are arranged into four pools based on their league performance. Following the pools, sixteen qualifying teams then progress to the knock-out stage, which includes quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
The 2015 Heineken Cup final was controversial due to timing, location and ticket sales. First, the final was brought forward by three weeks due to the Top 14 playoffs. Second, it was moved from Milan to Twickenham Stadium in London. Third, with poor ticket sales, ‘free’ tickets mistakenly went live on Ticketmaster – fans just had to pay a £2 booking fee.
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