The last few years, the start of the Investec Champions Cup coincided with the holidays, and rugby fans could sit back, drink eggnog and be jolly for the start of the best club rugby tournament in the world.
We still get December Champions Cup matches, but the season has a spookier feel in 2026.
Moving back to a more traditional October start date, the Champions Cup begins a few weeks before the international teams reconvene to finish the Nations Series. While domestic leagues will play for another two weeks after Round 1, this weekend could be the last we see these club teams with peak rosters until December as stars join their national team camps soon.
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And, of course, it's always important to start the Champions Cup pool stages off strong. Only the top three finishers in each pool are guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage. The rest of the spots will be decided by points.
Round 1 features several games that could come back and haunt or propel clubs by Round 4. Here are five matches we absolutely would die for this weekend.
They're ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! Yes Gloucester at Bordeaux Is A Big Match
Gloucester Rugby barely made the Champions Cup field. They were eighth on the PREM table and qualified over the Harlequins by one horrified point.
BUT THAT WAS LAST YEAR. The Cherry & Whites went shopping in Wales this transfer season and reloaded. They now lead the PREM by one stinking point after three matches and a league-leading 62 point differential.
However, Gloucester fans, don't look now, but that creature you thought was struggling is actually back with a vengeance. Union Bordeaux Begles is the reigning back-to-back champion of this competition, and while it has struggled in the Top 14 and already has two losses, it is now third on that table. Like it matters, though, because Bordeaux didn't even make the Top 14 playoffs last year despite being the champion of Europe.
What this match says: This match isn't about Bordeaux. No one is worried about UBB. This match will say more about the road team. If Gloucester can win this match, it will have proven that its additions of players like Jac Morgan and its three-match start in the PREM have made it a legitimate domestic favorite and a team that can reach the semifinals.
What a match to start the competition with when these clubs meet at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 16.
The Match of the Living Dead: Leinster vs Clermont
Leinster Rugby is 1-0-2 in the URC and 10th — TENTH — on the URC table. Scary. The back-to-back URC champions at least have an honest excuse: They started the season in South Africa, always a brutally difficult stretch for European teams. Clermont, meanwhile, seems to be in a cursed time period. After a down season a year ago, Clermont is now 11th on the Top 14 table with a minus-29 point differential.
These are two clubs really struggling, but if ASM Clermont Auvergne can beat Leinster, that will give it a ton of momentum and really put a damper on Leo Cullen's final season as Leinster coach. But if Leinster wins, it'll be proof that the trip to South Africa may have been the reason for a slow start.
Can MHR Make It A Blood Bath? Montpellier vs Bath Rugby
The reigning EPCR Challenge Cup winners and Top 14 runners-up Montpellier Herault Rugby are not having a great Top 14 season so far. They are 3-0-3 and seventh on the table. But the European season gives them a fresh start and a good reset.
They also are catching Bath Rugby at a good time ... maybe? Bath is 2-0-1 in the PREM, but it is coming off a 71-48 loss to Northampton. That's right, 71 points. The last two weeks, it has allowed 78 and 34 points.
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Meanwhile, MHR is coming off a 30-22 road loss to SFP, but the last time it played at home, it allowed a grand total of 0 points. In three matches, it has allowed 40 points at home, with Pau scoring 27 in Round 1.
If the MHR defense shows up, we're not sure Bath's will be there. This could get ugly. Or Bath wins by two tries.
Pau Tangles With Tigers
One of the best matches rugby fans will see all pool play is the stalwart PREM club Leicester Tigers, 2-0-1 and fourth on the table and one point behind first-place Gloucester, taking on the Top 14's No. 2 team, Section Paloise, or Pau.
Don't miss this 8 a.m. ET match on Oct. 18.
Exeter Looks To Exorcize Toulouse
The last time Stade Toulousain came to Britain for a Champions Cup match, Saracens handed it a big loss. Now the tournament favorite and the No. 1 team in the Top 14 faces Rob Baxter's club, which was the PREM runner-up last season.
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Toulouse should be at full strength, something it wasn't a year ago, and the Exeter Chiefs have not started the season off strong in the Gallagher PREM at 1-0-2, with a loss to Bath and a minus-21 point differential. This is an uphill battle for the Chiefs.
This Week On FloRugby: Oct 12 - Oct 18, 2026
Here's everything happening on FloRugby this week.
Friday, Oct 16
Saturday, Oct 17
- 2026 Glasgow Warriors vs Sale Sharks
- 2026 Black Lion vs Ospreys Rugby
- 2026 Lyon vs Hollywoodbets Sharks
- 2026 Stade Francais vs Vodacom Bulls
- 2026 Leinster Rugby vs Clermont
- 2026 Zebre Parma vs Ulster Rugby
- 2026 Bristol Bears vs DHL Stormers
- 2026 Saracens F.C. vs Connacht Rugby
- 2026 Fidelity SecureDrive Lions vs La Rochelle
- 2026 Racing 92 vs Munster Rugby
- 2026 Montpellier vs Bath Rugby
- 2026 Scarlets vs Newcastle Red Bulls
Sunday, Oct 18
- 2026 Leicester Tigers vs Pau
- 2026 Harlequin F.C. vs RC Vannes
- 2026 Bayonne vs Cheetahs
- 2026 Exeter Chiefs vs Toulouse
- 2026 Cardiff vs Northampton Saints
- 2026 Castres vs Benetton Rugby
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 Bègles
- 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
When Is The Investec Champions Cup?
Round 1 of the Champions Cup starts on October 16, and continues into 2027. The playoffs start in April 2027, before the Final takes place in OL Stadium on May 22, 2027.
Investec Champions Cup is streaming live to audiences in the US exclusively on FloRugby.
What Rugby Competitions Are On FloRugby?
FloRugby streams a wide range of rugby competitions throughout the year, including major domestic leagues, international matches, European club competitions and select age-grade and collegiate events. Available competitions vary by region and broadcast rights, so check the FloRugby schedule for the latest listings.
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