The four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 1, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 2, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 3 and the fifth-ranked clubs from each of the four Investec Champions Cup pools will qualify for the Round of 16.
All clubs will thereafter be ranked in descending order based firstly on their ranking in their pool and subsequently on the number of match points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16.
The pool winners will be ranked 1 to 3, the second-placed clubs will be ranked 4 to 6, the two highest-ranked third-placed clubs will be ranked 7 and 8, the qualifying Investec Champions Cup clubs will be ranked 9 to 12, the remaining third-placed club will be ranked 13, and the fourth-placed clubs will be ranked 14 to 16.
The Round of 16 will thereafter be played over one match as follows:
R16 1: Number 1-ranked club v Number 16-ranked club
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club v Number 15-ranked club
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club v Number 14-ranked club
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club v Number 13-ranked club
R16 5: Number 5-ranked club v Number 12-ranked club
R16 6: Number 6-ranked club v Number 11-ranked club
R16 7: Number 7-ranked club v Number 10-ranked club
R16 8: Number 8-ranked club v Number 9-ranked club
NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home venue advantage in the Round of 16.
Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals will be played over one match with the following pairings:
QF 1: winner R16 1 v winner R16 8
QF 2: winner R16 2 v winner R16 7
QF 3: winner R16 3 v winner R16 6
QF 4: winner R16 4 v winner R16 5
The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage.
Semi-finals
The semi-finals will be played in Europe with the following pairings:
SF 1: winner QF 1 v winner QF 4
SF 2: winner QF 2 v winner QF 3
The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage.
Final
The 2026 EPCR Challenge Cup final will be played at San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao on Friday, 22 May.
