European Rugby Champions Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Investec Champions Cup

Current season or competition: 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup
Sport	Rugby union
Inaugural season	1995–96 as Heineken Cup 2014–15 as Champions Cup
Chairman	Dominic McKay
Number of teams	24
Nations	England  France Ireland  Italy  Scotland  Wales  South Africa (2022–23 season onwards)  Romania (1995–96 only)
Holders	Bordeaux Bègles (1st title) (2024–25)
Most titles	Toulouse (6 titles)
Related competitions	European Rugby Challenge Cup (2nd tier) European Rugby Continental Shield

The European Rugby Champions Cup (also called the Investec Champions Cup because of its sponsor) is a big annual rugby union tournament. It is organized by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). This competition is for the best rugby clubs in Europe. Teams get to play in the Champions Cup by finishing high in their national leagues. These leagues are the English Premiership, French Top 14, and United Rugby Championship. If a team wins the second-tier Challenge Cup, they also get a spot. Teams that do not qualify for the Champions Cup can play in the Challenge Cup.

From 1995 to 2014, this tournament was known as the Heineken Cup. It was run by a different group called European Rugby Cup. Later, there were some disagreements about how the competition should be run. So, EPCR took over, and the name changed to the European Rugby Champions Cup. Heineken became a sponsor again in the 2018–19 season. This led to the name "Heineken Champions Cup." Even though they were run by different groups, both versions of the tournament are seen as one long chain of European club championships. Teams that won multiple times have their wins from both versions counted together.

French clubs have won the most titles, with 13 victories. English clubs are next with 10 wins, and Irish clubs have 7 wins. England has had the most different winning teams, with six clubs taking the title. Thirteen different clubs have won the competition. Eight of these clubs have won it more than once. Five teams have won the title two years in a row. Toulon even won it three times in a row from 2012–13 to 2014–15. Toulouse is the most successful club, winning 6 times. They won the very first season in 1995–96. Bordeaux are the current champions. They beat Northampton Saints 28–20 in the 2025 final in Cardiff, Wales. Toulouse has won both the European Cup and their national championship three times. This is a record in Europe.

Tournament History

Heineken Cup Era (1995–2014)

Early Years (1995–1999)

The Heineken Cup logo used until 2013

The Heineken Cup started in the summer of 1995. It was created by the Five Nations Committee to have a new professional competition between countries. Twelve teams from Ireland, Wales, Italy, Romania, and France played in the first tournament. English and Scottish teams did not join at first. The first game was in Romania, where Toulouse beat Farul Constanţa 54–10. Toulouse became the first European champions. They beat Cardiff in extra time in front of 21,800 fans.

Clubs from England and Scotland joined in 1996–97. The competition grew to 20 teams. Brive beat Leicester Tigers 28–9 in the final. About 35 million people watched this match on TV. In 1997–98, teams started playing each other home and away in the group stages. This meant each team played at least six games. Bath won the final against Brive. English clubs then decided to leave the competition for a short time.

Without English clubs, the 1998–99 tournament had teams from France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Ulster won the trophy. They beat Colomiers 21–6 in front of 49,000 fans in Dublin.

Growing Popularity (1999–2004)

English clubs returned in 1999–00. The group games were spread out over three months. This allowed the competition to fit better with national leagues. For the first time, clubs from four nations reached the semi-finals. Northampton Saints won their first major title. They beat Munster by just one point in the final.

In 2000–01, Leicester Tigers won the final against Stade Français 34–30 in Paris. Leicester then became the first team to win the title two years in a row in 2001–02. They beat Munster in the final. From 2002, the winner of the European Challenge Cup automatically qualified for the Heineken Cup. Toulouse won their second title in 2003.

In 2003–04, Welsh teams changed how they played. Instead of club teams, they started sending regional teams to European competitions. London Wasps won their first Heineken Cup. They beat defending champions Toulouse 27–20 in a thrilling final. Many people called it one of the best finals ever.

Later Years (2005–2014)

In 2005, Toulouse won their third Heineken Cup title. They became the first team to do so. In 2006, Munster finally won the cup. They had been close many times before. They beat Biarritz 23–19 in Cardiff.

London Wasps celebrate after winning the 2006–07 Heineken Cup.

The 2006–07 season saw London Wasps win their second title. They beat Leicester Tigers 25–9 in front of a record crowd of 81,076 fans. There was some worry about the tournament's future after this season. French clubs said they might not play because of too many games. But, a meeting confirmed that all six nations' top teams would continue to play.

In 2008, Munster won their second cup. They beat Toulouse in Cardiff. Leinster won their first title in 2009. They beat Leicester Tigers in the final. This season also had a record attendance for a club rugby match. Over 82,000 fans watched Leinster play Munster in the semi-final.

In 2010, Toulouse won their fourth title, a new record. In 2011, Leinster won their second title. They made an amazing comeback in the final against Northampton Saints. They were losing 22–6 at halftime but scored 27 points without reply to win 33–22. Johnny Sexton scored 28 of Leinster's points.

Leinster won again in 2012, beating Ulster 42–14. They became the second team to win back-to-back titles. They were also the only team to win three championships in four years. The 2012 final set several records, including the highest attendance for a final (81,774). The last Heineken Cup tournament was in 2014. Toulon won it for the second time.

Champions Cup Era (2014–Present)

New Beginnings (2014–2018)

The tournament started as the Champions Cup on October 17, 2014. Toulon won again, beating Clermont 24–18. They became the first club to win three European titles in a row.

Saracens won their first title in 2016, beating Racing 92 21–9. They won again in 2017, defeating Clermont 28–17. In 2017–18, Leinster won their fourth European title. They beat Racing 92 15–12 in the final. Leinster also won their domestic league, achieving a "Double" title.

Heineken Champions Cup (2018–2023)

Saracens won the 2018–19 competition. They beat Leinster 20–10 in the final. During this time, there were some issues with Saracens breaking rules about player payments in their domestic league. However, the European rugby organizers confirmed that this did not change their European titles.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 competition had a different format. Teams were split into two large groups. The top teams from each group moved to a knockout stage. The 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons also used similar changed formats.

Investec Champions Cup (2023–Present)

On August 31, 2023, Investec became the main sponsor. The tournament went back to a more traditional group stage format. There are now four groups of six teams. The top four teams from each group move on to the knockout rounds. The fifth-placed team in each group goes into the Challenge Cup. The last-placed team is out. The knockout rounds are single games. The higher-ranked team usually gets to play at home for the earlier knockout games. The semi-finals are played at a neutral venue in the higher-ranked team's country. The final is held in a big stadium chosen beforehand.

Finals Overview

Twickenham Stadium in London has hosted the final six times, more than any other venue. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has hosted five finals. Its older version, the National Stadium, hosted two more. So, the site in Cardiff has hosted the most finals overall (seven). The 2018 final was held in Bilbao, Spain, which is not part of the main competing nations. As of 2025, the final has never been held in South Africa or Italy. Nigel Owens from Wales has refereed the most finals, with seven.

Key

Match was won during extra time

Heineken Cup era
Season	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Att	Referee
1995–96	Toulouse	21–18	Cardiff	National Stadium, Cardiff	21,800	David McHugh
1996–97	Brive	28–9	Leicester Tigers	National Stadium, Cardiff	41,664	Derek Bevan
1997–98	Bath	19–18	Brive	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	36,500	Jim Fleming
1998–99	Ulster	21–6	Colomiers	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	49,000	Clayton Thomas
1999–00	Northampton Saints	9–8	Munster	Twickenham Stadium, London	68,441	Joël Dumé
2000–01	Leicester Tigers	34–30	Stade Français	Parc des Princes, Paris	44,000	David McHugh
2001–02	Leicester Tigers (2)	15–9	Munster	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	74,600	Joël Jutge
2002–03	Toulouse (2)	22–17	Perpignan	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	28,600	Tony Spreadbury
2003–04	London Wasps	27–20	Toulouse	Twickenham Stadium, London	73,057	Alain Rolland
2004–05	Toulouse (3)	18–12	Stade Français	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	51,326	Chris White
2005–06	Munster	23–19	Biarritz	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	74,534	Chris White
2006–07	London Wasps (2)	25–9	Leicester Tigers	Twickenham Stadium, London	81,076	Alan Lewis
2007–08	Munster (2)	16–13	Toulouse	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	74,500	Nigel Owens
2008–09	Leinster	19–16	Leicester Tigers	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	66,523	Nigel Owens
2009–10	Toulouse (4)	21–19	Biarritz	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	78,962	Wayne Barnes
2010–11	Leinster (2)	33–22	Northampton Saints	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	72,456	Romain Poite
2011–12	Leinster (3)	42–14	Ulster	Twickenham Stadium, London	81,774	Nigel Owens
2012–13	Toulon	16–15	Clermont	Aviva Stadium, Dublin	50,198	Alain Rolland
2013–14	Toulon (2)	23–6	Saracens	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	67,586	Alain Rolland
Champions Cup era
2014–15	Toulon (3)	24–18	Clermont	Twickenham Stadium, London	56,622	Nigel Owens
2015–16	Saracens	21–9	Racing 92	Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon	58,017	Nigel Owens
2016–17	Saracens (2)	28–17	Clermont	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	55,272	Nigel Owens
2017–18	Leinster (4)	15–12	Racing 92	San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao	52,282	Wayne Barnes
2018–19	Saracens (3)	20–10	Leinster	St James' Park, Newcastle	51,930	Jérôme Garcès
2019–20	Exeter Chiefs	31–27	Racing 92	Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol	0	Nigel Owens
2020–21	Toulouse (5)	22–17	La Rochelle	Twickenham Stadium, London	10,000	Luke Pearce
2021–22	La Rochelle	24–21	Leinster	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille	59,682	Wayne Barnes
2022–23	La Rochelle (2)	27–26	Leinster	Aviva Stadium, Dublin	51,711	Jaco Peyper
2023–24	Toulouse (6)	31–22	Leinster	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London	61,531	Matthew Carley
2024–25	Bordeaux Bègles	28–20	Northampton Saints	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	70,225	Nika Amashukeli

Finals by Club

Stade Ernest-Wallon, home of Toulouse, the most successful club

Club	Champions	Runners-up	Years as champions	Years as runners-up
Toulouse	6	2	1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2009–10, 2020–21, 2023–24	2003–04, 2007–08
Leinster	4	4	2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2017–18	2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Saracens	3	1	2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19	2013–14
Toulon	3	0	2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15	—
Leicester Tigers	2	3	2000–01, 2001–02	1996–97, 2006–07, 2008–09
Munster	2	2	2005–06, 2007–08	1999–00, 2001–02
La Rochelle	2	1	2021–22, 2022–23	2020–21
Wasps	2	0	2003–04, 2006–07	—
Northampton Saints	1	2	1999–00	2010–11, 2024–25
Brive	1	1	1996–97	1997–98
Ulster	1	1	1998–99	2011–12
Bath	1	0	1997–98	—
Exeter Chiefs	1	0	2019–20	—
Bordeaux Bègles	1	0	2024–25	—
Clermont	0	3	—	2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17
Racing 92	0	3	—	2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20
Stade Français	0	2	—	2000–01, 2004–05
Biarritz	0	2	—	2005–06, 2009–10
Cardiff	0	1	—	1995–96
Colomiers	0	1	—	1998–99
Perpignan	0	1	—	2002–03

Wins by Nation

Nation	Winners	Runners-up
France	13	16
England	10	6
Ireland	7	7
Wales	0	1
Scotland	0	0
Italy	0	0
South Africa	0	0

Player Records

These tables show some of the top players in the tournament's history.

Career Records

Up to date as of July 23, 2025

Most Tries

Chris Ashton playing for Saracens in 2015

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Games played	Tries	Try Ratio
1	Chris Ashton	Northampton Saints, Saracens, Toulon, Sale Sharks, Leicester Tigers	70	41	0.59
2	Vincent Clerc	Toulouse	83	36	0.43
3	Simon Zebo	Munster, Racing	68	35	0.51
4	Brian O'Driscoll	Leinster	87	33	0.38
	Juan Imhoff	Racing 92	63		0.52
6	James Lowe	Leinster	39	31	0.79
7	Tommy Bowe	Ulster, Ospreys	66	29	0.44
	Dafydd James	Pontypridd, Llanelli, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors, Harlequins, Scarlets	60		0.48
9	Andrew Trimble	Ulster	71	27	0.38
	Shane Horgan	Leinster	87		0.31
	Antoine Dupont	Castres, Toulouse	51		0.53
	Damian Penaud	Clermont, Bordeaux	33		0.82
13	Gordon D'Arcy	Leinster	104	26	0.25
14	Geordan Murphy	Leicester Tigers	74	25	0.34
	Naipolioni Nalaga	Clermont	37		0.68

• Players in BOLD are still playing for a team in the EPCR competition.

Most Points

Ronan O'Gara (background) playing for Munster in 2013

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Points
1	Ronan O'Gara	Munster	1,365
2	Owen Farrell	Saracens	874
3	Stephen Jones	Llanelli, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets	869
4	Johnny Sexton	Leinster, Racing Métro 92	784
5	Dimitri Yachvili	Biarritz	661
6	Diego Domínguez	Milan, Stade Français	645
7	Dan Biggar	Ospreys, Northampton Saints, Toulon	634
8	Morgan Parra	Bourgoin, Clermont Auvergne	569
9	David Humphreys	Ulster	564
10	Leigh Halfpenny	Cardiff Blues, Toulon, Scarlets, Harlequins	523

• Players in BOLD are still playing for a team in the EPCR competition.

Most Goals (Penalties and Conversions)

Ronan O'Gara playing for Munster in 2006

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Goals
1	Ronan O'Gara	Munster	488
2	Owen Farrell	Saracens, Racing Métro 92	352
3	Stephen Jones	Llanelli, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets	313
4	Johnny Sexton	Leinster, Racing Métro 92	294
5	Dimitri Yachvili	Biarritz	235
6	Diego Domínguez	Milan, Stade Français	231
7	Dan Biggar	Ospreys, Northampton Saints, Toulon	223
8	Morgan Parra	Clermont, Bourgoin	220
9	Leigh Halfpenny	Cardiff Blues, Toulon, Scarlets, Harlequins	176
	Neil Jenkins	Pontypridd, Cardiff RFC, Celtic Warriors	176

• Players in BOLD are still playing for a team in the EPCR competition.

Most Appearances

Cian Healy with Barbarian F.C., before his last professional rugby match, in 2025

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Games
1	Cian Healy	Leinster	114
2	Ronan O'Gara	Munster	110
3	Gordon D'Arcy	Leinster	104
4	John Hayes	Munster	101
	Peter Stringer	Munster, Saracens, Bath, Sale	101
6	Richard Wigglesworth	Sale Sharks, Saracens	99
7	Donncha O'Callaghan	Munster	97
8	Clément Poitrenaud	Toulouse	96
9	Leo Cullen	Leinster, Leicester Tigers	92
10	Benjamin Kayser	Stade Francais, Leicester Tigers, Castres Olympique, ASM Clermont Auvergne	90

• Players in BOLD are still playing for a team in the EPCR competition.

Most Titles Won by a Player

Up to date as of July 23, 2025

Rank	Titles Won	Player	Club(s)	Years Won
1	6	Frédéric Michalak	Toulouse (3) Toulon (3)	2003 2005 2010 2013 2014* 2015*
2	4	Cédric Heymans	Brive (1) Toulouse (3)	1997 2003 2005 2010
		Cian Healy	Leinster (4)	2009 2011 2012 2018
		Isa Nacewa	Leinster (4)	2009 2011 2012 2018
		Johnny Sexton	Leinster (4)	2009 2011 2012 2018
		Will Skelton	Saracens (2) La Rochelle (2)	2017 2019 2022 2023
		Devin Toner	Leinster (4)	2009 2011 2012 2018
8	3	Arthur Retière	La Rochelle (1) Toulouse (1) Bordeaux (1)	2022 2024 2025
*Titles include any season where a player played in the tournament, even if they did not play in the final.

• Players in BOLD are still playing for a team in the EPCR competition.

Single Season Records

Single season records up to date as of July 23, 2025

Most Tries in a Season

Rank	Player	Club	Season	Tries	Games played	Ratio
1	Damian Penaud	Bordeaux Bègles	2024–25	14	8	1.75
2	Chris Ashton	Saracens	2013–14	11	9	1.22
3	Sébastien Carrat	Brive	1996–97	10	7	1.43
	James Lowe	Leinster	2021–22
5	Matthew Robinson	Swansea	2000–01	9	7	1.29
	Tommy Freeman	Northampton Saints	2024–25		8	1.13
7	Louis Bielle-Biarrey	Bordeaux Bègles	2024–25	8	6	1.33
	Timoci Matanavou	Toulouse	2011–12
	Shane Horgan	Leinster	2004–05		7	1.14
	Sam Simmonds	Exeter Chiefs	2019–20		8	1
	Napolioni Nalaga	Clermont	2012–13		9	0.89

Most Points in a Season

Diego Domínguez at an Italy game in 2021

Rank	Player	Club	Season	Points
1	Diego Domínguez	Stade Français	2000–01	188
2	Tim Stimpson	Leicester Tigers	2000–01	152
3	Simon Mason	Ulster	1998–99	144
4	Johnny Sexton	Leinster	2010–11	138
5	Lee Jarvis	Cardiff	1997–98	134
6	Ronan O'Gara	Munster	1999–00	131
7	Jonathan Callard	Bath	1997–98	129
	Felipe Contepomi	Leinster	2005–06
	Ronan O'Gara	Munster	2001–02
10	Ronan O'Gara	Munster	2000–01	127
	Owen Farrell	Saracens	2015–16

European Player of the Year

The European Player of the Year award started in 2010. Ronan O'Gara was the first winner. The award was later renamed the Anthony Foley Memorial Award. This was to honor Munster Head Coach Anthony Foley after he passed away.

Year	Player	Club	Reference
2010	Ronan O'Gara	Munster
2011	Seán O'Brien	Leinster
2012	Rob Kearney	Leinster
2013	Jonny Wilkinson	Toulon
2014	Steffon Armitage	Toulon
2015	Nick Abendanon	Clermont
2016	Maro Itoje	Saracens
2017	Owen Farrell	Saracens
2018	Leone Nakarawa	Racing 92
2019	Alex Goode	Saracens
2020	Sam Simmonds	Exeter
2021	Antoine Dupont	Toulouse
2022	Josh van der Flier	Leinster
2023	Grégory Alldritt	La Rochelle
2024	Antoine Dupont	Toulouse
2025	Damian Penaud	Bordeaux Bègles

Title-Winning Coaches

Guy Novès, the only coach to have won the tournament four times

Bernard Laporte, the only coach to have won the tournament three times in a row

No. of wins	Coach	Club(s)
4	Guy Novès	Toulouse (1996, 2003, 2005, 2010)
3	Bernard Laporte	Toulon (2013, 2014, 2015)
	Mark McCall	Saracens (2016, 2017, 2019)
2	Dean Richards	Leicester Tigers (2001, 2002)
	Declan Kidney	Munster (2006, 2008)
	Joe Schmidt	Leinster (2011, 2012)
	Ronan O'Gara	La Rochelle (2022, 2023)
	Ugo Mola	Toulouse (2021, 2024)
1	Laurent Seigne	Brive (1997)
	Andy Robinson	Bath (1998)
	Harry Williams	Ulster (1999)
	John Steele	Northampton Saints (2000)
	Warren Gatland	London Wasps (2004)
	Ian McGeechan	London Wasps (2007)
	Michael Cheika	Leinster (2009)
	Leo Cullen	Leinster (2018)
	Rob Baxter	Exeter Chiefs (2020)
	Yannick Bru	Bordeaux Bègles (2025)

Sponsors and Equipment

Sponsors

When the Champions Cup was created, the old organizers were criticized for not making enough money from the Heineken Cup. The new organizers, EPCR, wanted to have several main sponsors. However, only Heineken signed on at first.

Main Partners

• Heineken (1995–2014; 2018–): Heineken was the first sponsor of the Champions Cup. They returned as the main sponsor in 2018, and the tournament was renamed the "Heineken Champions Cup." In France, it is called the "H Cup" due to rules about alcohol advertising.
• Turkish Airlines (2015–2017): This airline was announced as a main partner for three seasons.

Equipment Suppliers

Gilbert ball used in the 2015–16 season

• Webb Ellis – Provided match balls and officials' kit (2003–2009).
• Adidas – Provided match balls and officials' kit (2009–2014).
• Canterbury of New Zealand – Provided match officials' kit (2014–2016).
• Gilbert – Provides match balls (1998–2002; 2014–) and officials' kit (2016–2019).
• Kappa – Provides match officials' kit (2019–).
• Tissot – Official watch and timekeeper (2015–). Tissot also sponsors the match officials' kit.
• DHL – Official logistics partner (2021–). At all matches, the game ball is brought out on a special DHL stand.

The Trophy

The European Rugby Champions Cup trophy was shown for the first time in October 2014. It was made by Thomas Lyte. The trophy is made of different metals, including silver and 18-carat gold. The design looks like a star from above. This represents European rugby, including the 19 seasons of the old Heineken Cup.

The trophy weighs 13.5 kg and has five handles. The top looks like a crown, showing that the winners are "Kings of Europe." The bottom of the trophy has the badges of the 10 clubs that won the Heineken Cup. This connects the old and new European competitions.

Media Coverage

The Champions Cup games are shown on TV and radio around the world.

Radio partnerships:

• BBC Radio (United Kingdom)
• RTÉ Radio (Ireland)
• Off The Ball/Newstalk (Ireland)

For other places without official TV channels, games can be watched on EPCR's website, epcrugby.tv.

Attendance Records

This section shows how many people have attended the European Cup games each season. The final usually has the most fans because it is held in a very large stadium.

The 2009 semi-final between Leinster and Munster had 82,208 fans. This set a world record for a club rugby match at the time. Another big game was a pool match in 2009 between Stade Français and Harlequins. It drew 76,569 fans to Stade de France in Paris. In 2011, a quarter-final game between Perpignan and Toulon was held in Barcelona, Spain. It had a sold-out crowd of 55,000.

See also

In Spanish: Copa de Campeones Europeos de Rugby para niños

• List of European Rugby Champions Cup finals
• European Rugby Challenge Cup (Second-tier competition)
• Rugby Europe Super Cup (Third-tier competition)
• Premiership (England's top league)
• United Rugby Championship (League for teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales)
• Top 14 (France's top league)
• Club World Cup