CHAMPIONS CUP ORGANISERS could continue to take its flagship finals weekend to non-traditional rugby cities, with the EPCR having fielded interest from 23 venues in 10 countries as they prepare to decide where the 2028, 2029 and 2030 deciders will be held.

EPCR is also understood to be open to changing the Champions Cup format, with prominent figures in France calling for fewer teams to be allowed into the competition.

The 2027 Champions and Challenge Cup finals will be held in Lyon, with the home ground of Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais playing host.

Dublin venues Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium are seen as viable options, albeit the hosting of a finals weekend at Lansdowne Road in 2023 could see the possibility of an Irish final pushed further back.

It is understood that venues in Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands are among those under consideration.

EPCR has shown a willingness to take its flagship weekend – featuring both Challenge and Champions Cup finals – to non-traditional rugby countries, including the most recent edition which was in Bilbao.

Italy is believed to be a preferred venue at some point, albeit the traditional finals date in May clashes with the Serie A football season. Stadio Olimpico in Rome is one of the few Italian stadia that fulfils EPCR’s requirement for a minimum capacity of 50,000, but the presence of two major football clubs in Rome renders it unlikely that the city will be free for a whole weekend.

European organisers are believed to be willing to change the competition’s format after recent comments from the head of France’s Top 14. “We are in favour of having a more elite European competition, maybe by coming down to 16 clubs rather than 24, so we have only very high-level matches,” said Yann Roubert this week, the head of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby.

According to the French suggestion, such a reduction in teams would see the Champions Cup pool stages scrapped, instead moving to a two-legged last-16 and quarter-final stage before a semi-final and final.

The current Champions Cup format, featuring four weekends of pool action and then single legs from the last-16 onwards, is locked in until the end of the 2029/30 season.

Aware that teams qualifying from their pool with just one win is not good for the optics of the competition, not least as some sides therefore pick weaker sides for away matches and provide one-sided fixtures that leave fans and broadcasters unsatisfied, EPCR is believed to be open to discussing changes with stakeholders, with the calendar, number of teams and format all up for discussion.

This season has already seen the calendar change with two one-off weekends of European action in October and December instead of back-to-back weekends before Christmas. In January, the calendar once again allows for a return to consecutive European weekends.

Another change that is already in place this season is a new bonus point rule akin to the Top 14 and Super Rugby. Instead of banking a bonus point when scoring four tries, teams will secure an extra point for scoring three or more tries than their opponent in a bid to ensure matches remain competitive for longer.