The stage is set for the Champions Cup quarter-finals, with the draw revealing four compelling matchups for the 2025-26 knockout phase. The last eight features a mix of domestic rivalries and cross-border showdowns, promising high-stakes rugby across the weekend of 10-12 April.
Three English clubs remain in contention after a record seven advanced to the knockout stage. Northampton Saints, who secured their quarter-final spot first, will face fellow Premiership side Bath in an all-English opener on Friday night. Sale Sharks, the only team to win away from home in the last 16, travels to Dublin to take on Irish powerhouse Leinster on Saturday.
France also boasts three representatives in the quarter-finals, continuing their recent dominance of the competition. Defending champions Bordeaux Begles, who have won all five of their matches this season, host six-time winners Toulouse in a heavyweight French derby on Sunday. This marks the sixth consecutive year a French club has lifted the trophy, with Exeter Chiefs' 2020 victory being the last non-French success.
Scotland's sole representative, Glasgow Warriors, welcomes French side Toulon to Murrayfield on Saturday afternoon. Like Bordeaux and Leinster, Glasgow enters the quarter-finals with a perfect five-win record this campaign.
"The quarter-final line-up showcases the competitive balance across European rugby," noted one analyst. "With three teams from both England and France, plus strong contenders from Ireland and Scotland, any of these eight could realistically challenge for the title."
The semi-finals are scheduled for the first weekend of May, with the final set for Saturday, 23 May in Bilbao, Spain. As the tournament narrows to its elite contenders, each quarter-final promises to deliver drama worthy of Europe's premier club rugby competition.
Quarter-Final Schedule (BST):
- Friday, 10 April: Bath v Northampton Saints (20:00)
- Saturday, 11 April: Glasgow Warriors v Toulon (15:00); Leinster v Sale Sharks (17:30)
- Sunday, 12 April: Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse (15:00)