The stage is set for another blockbuster Investec Champions Cup campaign, with the draw producing four mouth-watering pools packed with champions, historic rivals and European heavyweights.
Tier 1 clubs, defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles, TOP 14 winners Stade Toulousain, Gallagher PREM champions Northampton Saints and United Rugby Championship winners Leinster Rugby were each drawn into separate pools, laying the foundations for a thrilling race to the knockout stages.
Four-time champions and last season's runners-up, Leinster Rugby, were the first club out of the draw and headline a fiercely competitive Pool 1. They will renew their rivalries against Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers, alongside Section Paloise and ASM Clermont Auvergne. Fellow URC powerhouse Glasgow Warriors completes the Pool.
Record six-time champions Stade Toulousain lead the way in Pool 2, where they'll be joined by competition newcomers Lions, three-time champions Saracens, two-time winners Stade Rochelais, 2020 champions Exeter Chiefs and Connacht Rugby, who return to the premier club competition for the first time since the 2023/24 season.
Fresh from lifting their second Investec Champions Cup title, defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles top Pool 3. They are joined by DHL Stormers, Racing 92, Munster Rugby, Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby in another stacked group.
Pool 4 promises no shortage of drama, with Northampton Saints leading the way alongside last season’s semi-finalists, fellow Gallagher PREM club Bath Rugby. Cardiff Rugby, reigning EPCR Challenge Cup champions Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Stade Français Paris and the Vodacom Bulls complete a pool loaded with quality and knockout-stage ambitions.
2026/27 INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP
Pool 1: Leinster Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Section Paloise, Sale Sharks, Leicester Tigers, ASM Clermont Auvergne.
Pool 2: Stade Toulousain, Lions, Saracens, Stade Rochelais, Exeter Chiefs, Connacht Rugby.
Pool 3: Union Bordeaux Begles, DHL Stormers, Racing 92, Munster Rugby, Bristol Bears, Gloucester Rugby.
Pool 4: Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Stade Français Paris, Vodacom Bulls.