2021–22 EPCR Challenge Cup

2021–22 EPCR Challenge Cup
2021–22 EPCR Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Countries	England; France; Ireland; Italy; Scotland; Wales
Tournament format(s)	Round-robin and knockout
Date	10 December 2021 — 27 May 2022
Tournament statistics
Teams	15
Final
Venue	Stade de Marseille
	← 2020–21 (Previous) (Next) →

The 2021–22 EPCR Challenge Cup is the eighth edition of the EPCR Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Including the predecessor competition, the original European Challenge Cup, this is the 26th edition of European club rugby's second-tier competition.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament format was changed for the previous season. A similar format will remain for this season. However, the number of teams will be increased from 14 to 15 and an additional six will join from the Champions Cup.^[1]

The tournament is scheduled to begin in December 2021, with the final, scheduled for 27 May 2022 at Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France.^[2]^[3]

Teams[]

Fifteen teams will qualify for the 2021–22 EPCR Cup from Premiership Rugby, the Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship as a direct result of their domestic league performance having not qualified for the Heineken Champions Cup.^[4]

The distribution of teams will be:

England: five teams
- Any teams finishing between 9th and 12th position in the Premiership that do not qualify for the 2020–21 European Champions Cup
- The champion of the Championship (Saracens)
France: six teams
- Any teams finishing between 9th and 12th position in the Top 14 that do not qualify for the 2020–21 European Champions Cup
- As Montpellier did not finish in the top 8, the 8th ranked team will also compete in the Challenge Cup
- The champion of the Pro D2 (Perpignan)
- The winner of the relegation playoff between the 13th placed team in the Top 14 and the runner-up of the Pro D2 (Biarritz)
Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales: four teams
- The bottom two sides in each conference from the Pro14

Round	Premiership	Top 14	United Rugby Championship
	England	France	Italy	Scotland	Wales
Preliminary stage	Gloucester London Irish Newcastle Falcons Saracens Worcester Warriors	Biarritz Brive Lyon Pau Perpignan Toulon	Benetton Zebre Parma	Edinburgh	Dragons

Pool stage[]

[[File:

Locations

|1300px|alt=Locations of teams of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Red: Pool A;

Blue: Pool B;

Green: Pool C.]]

[[:File: