- EPRC reveals new 24-team tournament for next season
- Little rest for international players involved in tight schedule
European Professional Club Rugby officials have revealed the format of a revised 24-team tournament for next season, with two-leg quarter-finals and a final in Marseille on 22 May 2021 now scheduled as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The top eight sides from the three main European leagues will all qualify for the tournament, which will consist of two pools of 12 rather than the usual five pools of four. In an effort to fit the competition into the tightly packed fixture calendar, each club will have a reduced number of four pool games – two home and two away – against opponents drawn solely from rival leagues. The Champions’ Cup quarter-finals, previously sudden-death affairs, will now be contested on a home-and-away basis.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/sep/02/champions-cup-rugby-union-to-kick-off-week-after-eight-nations-tournament-in-2021 under the title “Champions Cup squeezes schedule to kick off week after eight nations”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
