​Cardiff are set to return to the upper tier of European competition with a trip to English champions Northampton Saints in the first round of their Champions Cup pool action. The Blue and Blacks booked their place in the Champions Cup by reaching the United Rugby Championship play-offs, earning a place in the top-tier European competition for the new season. They will travel to the Premiers’ title-winning Saints on Sunday, 18 October (17:30 BST) before welcoming Bath to Cardiff on Saturday, 12 December (20:00 GMT). The venue for that Pool 4 game is not yet confirmed, though it is likely to stay at the Arms Park given the late kick-off.
Cardiff’s European journey includes a January double-header in France, starting with a trip to Paris to face Stade Français, followed by the group’s finale against Montpellier, who are the Challenge Cup winners and finished as Top 14 runners-up. In this six-team pool, Cardiff do not face their URC rivals, the Bulls. The pool format guarantees that the three best teams in each group advance to the last 16, alongside the four clubs with the next highest points totals overall.
The Welsh region’s focus isn’t limited to Cardiff, as the other Welsh sides are also in European action this season, competing in the Challenge Cup. The Dragons, who reached the semi-finals last season, kick off their campaign by welcoming Perpignan to Rodney Parade on Friday, 16 October (20:00 GMT). Filo Tiatia’s side then head to the Cheetahs, with a venue to be confirmed after the South African side played in the Netherlands in 2025-26, before hosting Bayonne and finishing their pool campaign away to Ulster.
The Ospreys begin their Challenge Cup path at the Black Lion in Georgia, with the venue to be confirmed, before a high-profile return to revamped St Helen’s in Swansea for a European visit from Harlequins. Mark Jones’ team will travel to Toulon in January and finish their pool with a home game against Vannes.
The Scarlets open their Challenge Cup adventure with a fixture against Newcastle Red Bulls at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli before heading to South Africa to take on the Sharks. They also face two French opponents in January, welcoming Lyon and visiting Castres. In the Challenge Cup format, the top three teams from each pool progress to the last 16, together with the three teams with the best remaining records and four clubs dropping down from the Champions Cup.
Cardiff’s Champions Cup fixtures are as follows: Sunday, 18 October — Northampton Saints v Cardiff (kick-off 17:30 BST); Saturday, 12 December — Cardiff v Bath (20:00 GMT); Sunday, 9 January — Stade Français v Cardiff (20:00 GMT); Friday, 15 January — Cardiff v Montpellier (20:00 GMT).
Dragons’ Challenge Cup fixtures include: Friday, 16 October — Dragons v Perpignan (20:00 BST); Sunday, 13 December — Cheetahs v Dragons (venue TBC); Friday, 8 January — Dragons v Bayonne (20:00 GMT); Saturday, 16 January — Ulster v Dragons (15:15 GMT).
Ospreys’ Challenge Cup fixtures include: Saturday, 17 October — Black Lion v Ospreys (venue TBC); Saturday, 12 December — Ospreys v Harlequins (13:00 GMT); Saturday, 9 January — Toulon v Ospreys (13:00 GMT); Saturday, 16 January — Ospreys v Vannes (20:00 GMT).
Scarlets’ Challenge Cup fixtures include: Saturday, 17 October — Scarlets v [opponent TBC] in Llanelli; Saturday, 28 October — [opponent TBC] in Llanelli; additional January ties include matches against Lyon and Castres as they navigate their European schedule.
This expanded slate highlights a busy winter and spring for Welsh regions in Europe, with Cardiff’s return to the Champions Cup at the forefront as they aim to make an impact against top-tier European clubs, while the Dragons, Ospreys, and Scarlets bid to advance from the Challenge Cup pools and pursue silverware in a revamped European competition structure.