The European Rugby Champions Cup follows a specific format that combines pool stages and knockout rounds. If you want to stream the competition securely, I’d highly recommend choosing one of our top-rated VPNs. With that in mind, here’s how the tournament progresses: Qualifying. 24 clubs qualify for the Champions Cup via their final positions in their respective national or regional leagues (Gallagher Premiership, French Top 14, and United Rugby Championship) or via winning the second-tier Challenge Cup. The clubs come from the Leagues and Unions of the six nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales) and South Africa. Pool stage. Teams from various European leagues are divided into four pools of six. Each team plays others in its pool home and away, earning points for wins, draws, and bonus performances. Knockout rounds. The top teams and the best runners-up from the pools advance to the knockout stages, which includes quarter-finals, and the semi-finals. The final. The winners of the semi-finals compete in a single match at a predetermined venue to determine the champion.