CLUBS FROM THE Champions Cup and Super Rugby will compete in a first ever Club World Cup in 2028, the EPCR have confirmed.
The new tournament, which will be contested between 16 major clubs from both hemispheres, will take place again in 2032 with the intention of running every four years into the future.
The inaugural edition in 2028 will take place on four back-to-back weekends in June across a series of European cities. It will follow a straight-knockout format, beginning with a round-of-16 stage.
The last eight clubs standing in the 2027/28 Champions Cup will qualify for the tournament, as will the top seven sides from the 2028 Super Rugby table and one club from Japan’s 2027/28 Rugby League One (formerly Top League).
The EPCR have confirmed that the competition will effectively replace the knockout stages of the Champions Cup every four years.
From its quarter-final stage onwards, Europe’s premier competition will instead converge with Super Rugby to form the Club World Cup, meaning that there will be no explicitly crowned European champions in a Club World Cup year.
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Super Rugby’s play-off rounds are likely to be similarly supplanted, with the top seven sides from the regular-season table advancing to the Club World Cup.
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 24, 2025
Speaking in Cardiff in advance of Saturday’s Champions Cup final between Bordeaux Bègles and Northampton Saints, EPCR chairman Dominic McKay said than there was a unanimous desire among stakeholders in European rugby’s three professional leagues — the URC, the French Top 14, and the English Premiership — to compete in a World Cup alongside opposition from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and potentially Fiji.
McKay added that the new competition would “elevate the whole of professional club rugby”.
“We want to create this World Club Cup competition in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the south,” said the EPCR chairman.
“So, once every four years, starting in 2028, we’re going to bring the greatest clubs from the southern hemisphere to battle it out against the greatest clubs in the northern hemisphere. And who wouldn’t love to find out who the greatest club is as a consequence of that?
“We’re so excited about the project. Our stakeholders, our leagues, our unions, are so excited about delivering a Club World Cup.
“We’ll share a bit more information over the course of the summer and we’ll do that with our friends from the southern hemisphere.”
With the Club World Cup set to kick off in June, it’s likely that all three of the URC, Top 14 and Premiership will move forward their respective finals to facilitate the new end-of-season competition.
Addressing concerns in relation to player welfare and the already congested rugby calendar, McKay insisted that the EPCR have “thought about this from a players’ perspective”, stressing that the new competition is partly the wish of players and their clubs.
“Over the last few days we’ve had great meetings and everyone is unanimous about delivering a Club World Cup through EPCR,” McKay said.
“The Champions Cup is the greatest club competition in the world and we’re going to continue to protect that and nurture it, and to elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this Club World Cup and bring in those teams from Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
“We’ve thought about this from the players’ perspective, the fans’ perspective, and a future fan’s perspective. It promises to be absolutely box-office.”
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EPCR confirm inaugural Club World Cup to take place in 2028
CLUBS FROM THE Champions Cup and Super Rugby will compete in a first ever Club World Cup in 2028, the EPCR have confirmed.
The new tournament, which will be contested between 16 major clubs from both hemispheres, will take place again in 2032 with the intention of running every four years into the future.
The inaugural edition in 2028 will take place on four back-to-back weekends in June across a series of European cities. It will follow a straight-knockout format, beginning with a round-of-16 stage.
The last eight clubs standing in the 2027/28 Champions Cup will qualify for the tournament, as will the top seven sides from the 2028 Super Rugby table and one club from Japan’s 2027/28 Rugby League One (formerly Top League).
The EPCR have confirmed that the competition will effectively replace the knockout stages of the Champions Cup every four years.
From its quarter-final stage onwards, Europe’s premier competition will instead converge with Super Rugby to form the Club World Cup, meaning that there will be no explicitly crowned European champions in a Club World Cup year.
Super Rugby’s play-off rounds are likely to be similarly supplanted, with the top seven sides from the regular-season table advancing to the Club World Cup.
Speaking in Cardiff in advance of Saturday’s Champions Cup final between Bordeaux Bègles and Northampton Saints, EPCR chairman Dominic McKay said than there was a unanimous desire among stakeholders in European rugby’s three professional leagues — the URC, the French Top 14, and the English Premiership — to compete in a World Cup alongside opposition from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and potentially Fiji.
McKay added that the new competition would “elevate the whole of professional club rugby”.
“We want to create this World Club Cup competition in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the south,” said the EPCR chairman.
“So, once every four years, starting in 2028, we’re going to bring the greatest clubs from the southern hemisphere to battle it out against the greatest clubs in the northern hemisphere. And who wouldn’t love to find out who the greatest club is as a consequence of that?
“We’re so excited about the project. Our stakeholders, our leagues, our unions, are so excited about delivering a Club World Cup.
“We’ll share a bit more information over the course of the summer and we’ll do that with our friends from the southern hemisphere.”
With the Club World Cup set to kick off in June, it’s likely that all three of the URC, Top 14 and Premiership will move forward their respective finals to facilitate the new end-of-season competition.
Addressing concerns in relation to player welfare and the already congested rugby calendar, McKay insisted that the EPCR have “thought about this from a players’ perspective”, stressing that the new competition is partly the wish of players and their clubs.
“Over the last few days we’ve had great meetings and everyone is unanimous about delivering a Club World Cup through EPCR,” McKay said.
“The Champions Cup is the greatest club competition in the world and we’re going to continue to protect that and nurture it, and to elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this Club World Cup and bring in those teams from Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
“We’ve thought about this from the players’ perspective, the fans’ perspective, and a future fan’s perspective. It promises to be absolutely box-office.”
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