Your Sharks will face URC giants Leinster Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, and French Top14 sides Pau and Clermont Auvergne in the pool stage of the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup.
The draw in Dublin today (Wednesday 1st July) saw Alex Sanderson’s men drawn in Pool One alongside fellow Gallagher PREM side Leicester Tigers.
Competition rules mean two sides from the same domestic league can’t face each other in the pool stage, meaning Sharks will face two teams from the URC and two from the French top flight.
Sharks will be familiar with three of their pool opponents having lost to Glasgow and beaten Clermont in last season’s pool stage. They eventually went out to Leinster in the quarter-finals.
Each team will play two home game and two away with fixtures to be confirmed in the coming weeks and the best way to make sure you don’t miss a moment at the CorpAcq Stadium is with a Sale Sharks season ticket.
All Champions Cup home pool stage games are included in a Sharks season ticket, and for 2026/27, almost 90 per cent of prices are frozen! Get yours now!
The 2026/27 Champions Cup kicks off on the weekend of October 16th/17th/18th with the competition concluding with the final in Lyon, France, on Saturday 22nd May, 2027.
2026/27 Match Weekends
Round 1 – 16/17/18 October 2026
Round 2 – 11/12/13 December 2026
Round 3 – 8/9/10 January 2027
Round 4 – 15/16/17 January 2027
Round of 16 – 2/3/4 April 2027
Quarter-Finals – 9/10/11 April 2027
Semi-Finals – 30 April / 1/2 May 2027
Lyon 2027 Finals Weekend, OL Stadium
EPCR Challenge Cup Final: Friday 21 May 2027
Investec Champions Cup Final: Saturday 22 May 2027
Rule changes for 2026/27 season
EPCR has confirmed two tournament rule changes that will be introduced from the 2026/27 season following the regular review of the competition rules.
The review process involved extensive consultation with EPCR stakeholders, including the three leagues – the Gallagher PREM, United Rugby Championship and TOP 14.
The changes are designed to enhance the competitiveness and intensity of the Pool stage fixtures by enhancing the battle for qualification to the Round of 16, and ensuring matches stay competitive for longer.
While these changes will be implemented from the 2026/27 season, the overall eight-week structure and format of both competitions will remain unchanged.
Rule change 1: Qualification into the Round of 16
In a change to previous seasons, in which the four highest-ranked clubs in each pool all automatically qualified for the Round of 16, only the top three teams from each Pool will automatically qualify.
From 2026/27:
- The three highest-ranked clubs in each pool will automatically qualify.
- The remaining four Round of 16 places will go to the four clubs with the highest number of match points across all pools, regardless of which Pool they are in.
- The four places in the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 will be awarded to the next four clubs with the highest number of match points, also regardless of which pool they are in.
This means clubs finishing below fourth place in their respective pool can still qualify, but only if they have enough points compared to clubs from other pools.
In a change to how ranking will be determined, if two clubs are tied on match points, the club with the greatest number of wins will be awarded higher ranking, before best points difference is taken into consideration.
Rule change 2. Try Bonus Points
EPCR is changing the system by which Offensive Bonus Points are awarded, awarding bonus points for attacking performance if a team scores three or more tries more than their opposition.
The purpose of this change is to reward teams who continue to play attacking rugby AND who remain resolute in defence once victory appears certain, effectively ensuring tournament matches stay competitive for longer.
The change will also enable teams to deny their opponents an offensive bonus point if their defensive intensity drops, the status of the offensive bonus will remain uncertain until the conclusion of each fixture.
Unchanged to previous seasons, the defensive bonus point will remain available if a defeated team can limit the margin of defeat to seven points or fewer.
