Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories The Crusaders and Munster could meet again at a Club World Cup.Ben Brady/INPHO EPCR confirm inaugural Club World Cup to take place in 2028 The four-week tournament will consist of the eight Champions Cup quarter finalists, the top seven from Super Rugby, and one Japanese side. 12.30pm, 24 May 2025 Share options CLUBS FROM THE Champions Cup and Super Rugby will compete at a first ever Club World Cup in 2028, EPCR chairman Dominic McKay has confirmed. The new tournament, which will be contested between 16 major clubs from both hemispheres, will take place again in 2032 with the intention of running every four years into the future. Speaking in Cardiff in advance of Saturday’s Champions Cup final between Bordeaux Bègles and Northampton Saints, EPCR chairman McKay said than there was a unanimous desire among stakeholders in European rugby’s three professional leagues — the URC, the French Top 14, and the English Premiership — to compete in a World Cup alongside opposition from New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The 42 understands that the inaugural tournament in 2028 will take place on four back-to-back weekends in early summer across a series of European cities. It will follow a straight-knockout format, beginning with a round-of-16 stage. Advertisement The eight Champions Cup quarter-finalists from the 2027/28 season will qualify from the tournament, as will the top seven sides from the 2028 Super Rugby table and one club from Japan’s 2027/28 Rugby League One (formerly Top League). Big news from EPCR 👀 Chairman Dominic McKay confirms Rugby World Club Cup for 2028 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GDNkvXjN5K— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 24, 2025 “To elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this World Club Cup competition in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the south,” said EPCR chairman McKay. “So, once every four years, starting in 2028, we’re going to bring the greatest clubs from the southern hemisphere to battle it out against the greatest clubs in the northern hemisphere. And who wouldn’t love to find out who the greatest club is as a consequence of that? “We’re so excited about the project. Our stakeholders, our leagues, our unions, are so excited about delivering a Club World Cup. “We’ll share a bit more information over the course of the summer and we’ll do that with our friends from the southern hemisphere.” It’s not yet clear how the four-week competition, which will likely stretch the club season into June, will impact on rugby’s already congested calendar, or whether the Champions Cup or Super Rugby would be abbreviated to facilitate an additional workload for players. However, McKay insisted that “we’ve thought about this from a players’ perspective”, and stressed that the competition is partly the wish of players and their clubs. “Over the last few days we’ve had great meetings and everyone is unanimous about delivering a Club World Cup through EPCR,” he said. “The Champions Cup is the greatest club competition in the world and we’re going to continue to protect that and nurture it, and to elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this Club World Cup and bring in those teams from Australia, New Zealand and Japan. “We’ve thought about this from the players’ perspective, the fans’ perspective, and a future fan’s perspective. It promises to be absolutely box-office.” Gavan Casey Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “EPCR confirm inaugural Club World Cup to take place in 2028”. 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