2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup

2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Countries	England France Ireland Italy Scotland Wales South Africa
Tournament format(s)	Round-robin and knockout
Date	9 December 2022 — 30 May 2023
Tournament statistics
Teams	18
Final
Venue	Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Champions	TBD
Runners-up	TBD

The 2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup will be the eighth edition of the EPCR Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Including the predecessor competition, the original European Challenge Cup, this will be the 27th edition of European club rugby's second-tier competition.

The tournament will commence in December 2022, and conclude with the final on 30 May 2023 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

This will be the first year that teams from South Africa can qualify, following the inaugural United Rugby Championship season, with Johannesberg-based Lions making their inaugural appearance in European club rugby. In addition, another South African team, the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs franchise, formerly of the URC predecessor competition the Pro14, have been invited to enter, having been excluded from European competition during their Pro14 tenure.

Teams

Seventeen teams will qualify for the 2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup from Premiership Rugby, the Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship as a direct result of their domestic league performance having not qualified for the Heineken Champions Cup. Plus one invited sides making 18 teams.

The distribution of teams are:

• England: three teams
  • Remaining teams in the Premiership that do not qualify for the 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup. Worcester Warriors and Wasps had previously been announced as the fourth and fifth teams from the premiership but now aren’t included due to entering administration.
• France: six teams
  • Teams taking part in the 2022–23 Top 14 season that did not qualify for the Champions Cup
• Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales, South Africa: nine teams
  • The bottom 8 teams in the United Rugby Championship that do not win their URC Regional Shield
  • Cheetahs (invited to participate)

Round	Premiership	Top 14	United Rugby Championship					Invited
	England	France	Ireland	South Africa	Italy	Scotland	Wales	South Africa
Preliminary stage	Bristol Bears Newcastle Falcons Bath	Toulon Pau Stade Français Brive Bayonne Perpignan	Connacht	Lions	Benetton Zebre	Glasgow	Scarlets Cardiff Dragons	Cheetahs

See also

• 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup