# 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup

The 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the 2024–25 Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the eleventh season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) for professional clubs. It is the 30th season of the pan-European professional club rugby competition and the second season in which Investec are named as title sponsors.
For the first time since its 1995 founding (as the Heineken Cup), no Welsh teams are playing in the ERCC, as none of them finished in the top seven of the 2023–24 United Rugby Championship.
The final will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

## Teams

Twenty-four clubs from the three major European domestic and regional leagues will qualify to compete in the 2024–25 edition of the Champions Cup.
The distribution of teams is:
* England: eight clubs
** The top eight clubs from the 2023–24 Premiership.
* France: eight clubs
** The top eight clubs from the 2023–24 Top 14.
* Ireland, Italy, Scotland and South Africa: eight clubs
** The top seven sides from the 2023–24 United Rugby Championship.
** The champions of the 2023–24 Challenge Cup (Sharks), who displaced the eighth-placed side in the URC (Ospreys) to take the final qualification spot.
| Premiership | Top 14 | United Rugby Championship | United Rugby Championship | United Rugby Championship | United Rugby Championship | United Rugby Championship |
| England | France | Ireland | Italy | Scotland | South Africa |
| Bath Bristol Bears Exeter Chiefs Harlequins Leicester Tigers Northampton Saints Sale Sharks Saracens | Bordeaux Castres Clermont La Rochelle Racing 92 Stade Français Toulon Toulouse | Leinster Munster Ulster | Benetton | Glasgow Warriors | Bulls Sharks Stormers |

### Team details

Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.
Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown through CH for Champions, RU for Runner-up, SF for losing Semi-finalist, and QF for losing Quarter-finalist.
| Team | Coach(es)/ Director of Rugby | Captain(s) | Stadium | Capacity | Method of qualification |
| Bath | Johann van Graan | Ben Spencer | Recreation Ground | 14,509 | Premiership top 8 (2nd) (RU) |
| Benetton | Marco Bortolami | Michele Lamaro | Stadio Comunale di Monigo | 5,000 | URC top 8 (7th) (QF) |
| Bordeaux | Yannick Bru | Jefferson Poirot | Stade Chaban-Delmas | 34,694 | Top 14 top 8 (3rd) (RU) |
| Bristol Bears | Pat Lam | Fitz Harding | Ashton Gate | 27,000 | Premiership top 8 (5th) |
| Bulls | Jake White | Marcell Coetzee | Loftus Versfeld | 51,762 | URC top 8 (2nd) (RU) |
| Castres | Jeremy Davidson | Mathieu Babillot | Stade Pierre-Fabre | 12,500 | Top 14 top 8 (7th) |
| Clermont | Christophe Urios | Baptiste Jauneau | Stade Marcel-Michelin | 19,022 | Top 14 top 8 (8th) |
| Exeter Chiefs | Rob Baxter | Dafydd Jenkins | Sandy Park | 13,593 | Premiership top 8 (7th) |
| Glasgow Warriors | Franco Smith | Kyle Steyn | Scotstoun Stadium | 7,351 | URC top 8 (4th) (CH) |
| Harlequins | Billy Millard | Alex Dombrandt | Twickenham Stoop | 14,800 | Premiership top 8 (6th) |
| La Rochelle | Ronan O'Gara | Grégory Alldritt | Stade Marcel-Deflandre | 16,700 | Top 14 top 8 (5th) (SF) |
| Leicester Tigers | Michael Cheika | Julián Montoya | Welford Road Stadium | 25,849 | Premiership top 8 (8th) |
| Leinster | Leo Cullen | Caelan Doris | Aviva Stadium | 51,700 | URC top 8 (3rd) (SF) |
| Munster | Ian Costello | Tadhg Beirne | Thomond Park | 25,600 | URC top 8 (1st) (SF) |
| Northampton Saints | Phil Dowson | George Furbank | Franklin's Gardens | 15,200 | Premiership top 8 (1st) (CH) |
| Racing 92 | Stuart Lancaster | Henry Chavancy | Paris La Défense Arena | 32,000 | Top 14 top 8 (6th) (QF) |
| Sale Sharks | Alex Sanderson | Ben Curry | Salford Community Stadium | 12,000 | Premiership top 8 (3rd) (SF) |
| Saracens | Mark McCall | Maro Itoje | StoneX Stadium | 10,500 | Premiership top 8 (4th) (SF) |
| Sharks | John Plumtree | Lukhanyo Am | Kings Park Stadium | 52,000 | Challenge Cup Champions |
| Stade Français | Laurent Labit | Paul Gabrillagues | Stade Jean-Bouin | 20,000 | Top 14 top 8 (2nd) (SF) |
| Stormers | John Dobson | Salmaan Moerat | Cape Town Stadium | 55,000 | URC top 8 (5th) (QF) |
| Toulon | Pierre Mignoni | Charles Ollivon | Stade Mayol | 17,500 | Top 14 top 8 (4th) (QF) |
| Toulouse | Ugo Mola | Antoine Dupont | Stade Ernest-Wallon | 19,500 | Top 14 top 8 (1st) (CH) |
| Ulster | Richie Murphy | Iain Henderson | Ravenhill Stadium | 18,196 | URC top 8 (6th) (QF) |

## Pool stage

Teams were drawn into pools in Cardiff on 2 July 2024. Teams are awarded four points for a win, two for a draw, one for scoring four tries in a game, and one for losing by less than eight points.
The format is, once again, a modified round robin. Each pool consists of six teams, two from each of the three contributing leagues. Each team plays the four teams not from its own league once, with one game away to each league and one game at home. Teams do not play their league partners at this stage. The top four teams go to the first knock out round, where the top two teams in each group are given home advantage. The fifth placed teams 'drop' into the Challenge Cup knockout rounds, joining twelve clubs from that competition's pool stages in the knockout stage as the ninth to twelfth seeds, earning away ties with the fifth-to eighth-ranked sides from the Challenge Cup's pool stage. The sixth placed team in each group is eliminated.

### Pool 1

European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 1 :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Bordeaux (1) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 217 | 76 | +141 | 33 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 20 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 2 | Toulouse (5) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 225 | 62 | +163 | 33 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 19 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 3 | Leicester Tigers (10) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 134 | 149 | −15 | 20 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 11 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 4 | Ulster (16) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 102 | 163 | −61 | 15 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 5 | Sharks (12CC) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 76 | 163 | −87 | 10 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Away Challenge Cup round of 16. |
| 6 | Exeter Chiefs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 83 | 224 | −141 | 13 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |

### Pool 2

European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 2 :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Leinster (2) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 54 | +59 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 2 | La Rochelle (8) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 75 | +23 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 11 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 3 | Benetton (11) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 83 | 109 | −26 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 4 | Clermont (14) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 81 | +8 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 5 | Bath (10CC) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 102 | 114 | −12 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 7 | Away Challenge Cup round of 16. |
| 6 | Bristol Bears | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 80 | 132 | −52 | 12 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |

### Pool 3

European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 3 :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Northampton Saints (3) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 137 | 106 | +31 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 16 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 2 | Castres (6) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 105 | 86 | +19 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 14 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 3 | Munster (9) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 96 | 69 | +27 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 12 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 4 | Saracens (13) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 91 | 71 | +20 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 11 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 5 | Bulls (11CC) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 84 | 113 | −29 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Away Challenge Cup round of 16. |
| 6 | Stade Français | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 76 | 144 | −68 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |

### Pool 4

European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 4 :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toulon (4) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 94 | 94 | 0 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 2 | Glasgow Warriors (7) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 103 | 92 | +11 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 12 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 3 | Sale Sharks (12) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 81 | 92 | −11 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 10 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 4 | Harlequins (15) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 110 | 79 | +31 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 5 | Racing 92 (9CC) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 92 | −12 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 9 | Away Challenge Cup round of 16. |
| 6 | Stormers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 108 | −16 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |

## Knockout stage

The knockout stage follows the same format as used in previous years, which begins with a single-leg round of 16, starting on 4 April 2025. This round is followed by the quarter-finals and semi-finals, before the tournament concludes with the final at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 24 May 2025.
All clubs are thereafter ranked in descending order, based firstly on their ranking in their pool, and subsequently on the number of competition points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16. The pool winners are ranked 1 to 4, the second-placed clubs are ranked 5 to 8, the third-placed clubs are ranked 9 to 12, and the fourth-placed clubs are ranked 13 to 16.
Whilst the round of 16 follows a pre-determined format, the quarter-finals see home advantage given to the higher ranked team, based on a pre-determined match-up. As such the teams seeded 1 to 4 are guaranteed home advantage in they reach the quarter-final, and teams seeded 13 to 16 are guaranteed an away fixture if they do so. Whether a team ranked from 5 to 12 will play home or away will depend on other results in their section of the bracket.
The semi-finals are played at a 'neutral' venue, with the higher ranked team having home country advantage.

### Seeding

| Rank | Team | Pts | Diff | TF |
| Pool leaders |||||
| 1 | Bordeaux | 20 | +141 | 33 |
| 2 | Leinster | 18 | +59 | 18 |
| 3 | Northampton Saints | 16 | +31 | 20 |
| 4 | Toulon | 13 | 0 | 12 |
| Pool runners-up |||||
| 5 | Toulouse | 19 | +163 | 33 |
| 6 | Castres | 14 | +19 | 13 |
| 7 | Glasgow Warriors | 12 | +11 | 16 |
| 8 | La Rochelle | 11 | +23 | 12 |
| Pool third place |||||
| 9 | Munster | 12 | +27 | 13 |
| 10 | Leicester Tigers | 11 | –15 | 20 |
| 11 | Benetton | 11 | –26 | 11 |
| 12 | Sale Sharks | 10 | -11 | 12 |
| Pool fourth place |||||
| 13 | Saracens | 11 | +20 | 11 |
| 14 | Clermont | 10 | +8 | 13 |
| 15 | Harlequins | 9 | +31 | 16 |
| 16 | Ulster | 5 | –61 | 15 |

### Bracket

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 |
| 1 | Bordeaux |
| 16 | Ulster |
| 8 | La Rochelle |
| 9 | Munster |
| 4 | Toulon |
| 13 | Saracens |
| 5 | Toulouse |
| 12 | Sale Sharks |
| 2 | Leinster |
| 15 | Harlequins |
| 7 | Glasgow Warriors |
| 10 | Leicester Tigers |
| 3 | Northampton Saints |
| 14 | Clermont |
| 6 | Castres |
| 11 | Benetton |

### Round of 16

* 4 April 2025 20:00
| Northampton Saints (3) | v | (14) Clermont |
* Franklin's Gardens, Northampton Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
* 5 April 2025 13:30
| Toulon (4) | v | (13) Saracens |
* Stade Mayol, Toulon Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
* 5 April 2025 15:00
| Leinster (2) | v | (15) Harlequins |
* Croke Park, Dublin Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
* 5 April 2025 16:00
| Castres (6) | v | (11) Benetton |
* Stade Pierre-Fabre, Castres Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
* 5 April 2025 18:30
| La Rochelle (8) | v | (9) Munster |
* Stade Marcel-Deflandre, La Rochelle Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
* 5 April 2025 20:00
| Glasgow Warriors (7) | v | (10) Leicester Tigers |
* Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
* 6 April 2025 13:30
| Bordeaux (1) | v | (16) Ulster |
* Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
* 6 April 2025 15:00
| Toulouse (5) | v | (12) Sale Sharks |
* Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)

### Quarter-finals

* 11 / 12 / 13 April 2025
* v
* (Higher-ranked team home venue)
* 11 / 12 / 13 April 2025
* v
* (Higher-ranked team home venue)
* 11 / 12 / 13 April 2025
* v
* (Higher-ranked team home venue)
* 11 / 12 / 13 April 2025
* v
* (Higher-ranked team home venue)

### Semi-finals

* 2 / 3 / 4 May 2025
* v
* (Higher-ranked team home country)
* 2 / 3 / 4 May 2025
* v
* (Higher-ranked team home country)

### Final

* 24 May 2025 14:45 BST (UTC+01)
* v
* Principality Stadium, Cardiff

## Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

## Discipline
### Citings/bans

| Player | Match | Citing date | Law breached | Result | Refs |
| Pierre-Henri Azagoh | Munster vs. Stade Français (Round 1 – 7 December 2024) | 10 December 2024 | 9.13 – Dangerous Tackling (Red card) | 3-match ban | [13] [14] |
| Baptiste Pesenti | Munster vs. Stade Français (Round 1 – 7 December 2024) | 10 December 2024 | 9.13 – Dangerous Tackling (Red card) | 2-match ban | [13] [15] |
| Yannick Youyoutte | Stormers vs. Toulon (Round 1 – 7 December 2024) | 11 December 2024 | 9.13 – Dangerous Tackling (Red card) | 5-match ban | [13] [16] |
| Sekou Macalou | Stade Français vs. Saracens (Round 2 – 15 December 2024) | 17 December 2024 | 9.13 – Dangerous Tackling (Red card) | To be determined | |
| Stafford McDowall | Toulon vs. Glasgow (Round 2 – 15 December 2024) | 19 December 2024 | 9.12 – Contact with Eye Area (Citing) | To be determined | |
Notes:
* ↑ The cited player's club is listed in bold italics.
* 1 2 The ban is reduced by one match, subject to the player's completion of the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme.