- It is believed that European bosses have signed an agreement for the tournament
- Domestic leagues have agreed to concessions to make room for competition
- The Champions Cup would go to the quarter-finals and serve as input for the World Club Cup
Plans for a World Club Cup have taken a huge step forward, with the first tournament set to take place in June 2028.
European rugby bosses are believed to have signed a memorandum of understanding that would see the likes of Leinster, Toulouse and Saracens take on southern hemisphere giants such as Hurricanes, Brumbies and Chiefs.
And in a huge concession, the domestic leagues are said to have agreed to move their finals to May, clearing tickets for the new tournament to be played as a standalone entity in June 2028.
That’s a huge shift, especially for the French, whose final this year will be played on June 28, while this season’s Premier League final is on June 8, with the URC final two weeks later.
A well-placed source said: “Those weekends have to go somewhere. That is very important for France. The French have been very protective of their Top 14 final, but there is a desire to do something different every four years.”
European rugby bosses are believed to have signed a deal for the Club World Cup
The likes of Leinster, Toulouse and Saracens could face opposition in the southern hemisphere
The Champions Cup would continue until the quarter-finals, with teams participating in the World Club Cup
EPCR, who organize the Champions and Challenge Cups, only have eight weekends available during the season, so they will use them for four rounds of pool matches plus this new tournament.
The Champions Cup normally runs until the quarter-finals, where European teams are diverted to the new competition so there will be no Champions Cup winner that year.
Instead, the eight clubs will be drawn against the top six Super Rugby teams, while two more from Japan will be added. Clubs that don’t make it will play in a Super Challenge Cup at the same time.
The competition will take place every four years, with the 2028 version taking place in the Northern Hemisphere. Organizers are open to bringing it to the Southern Hemisphere four years later, but that would be dependent on broadcast deals.
The source added, “We’re really driving that now.”
It should offer the chance to see Europe’s top players in club shirts face the stars of the southern hemisphere. Rugby league has had a World Club Challenge since 1976, but it is a one-off match between the Super League winners and the NRL victors.
Super Rugby champions the Crusaders could be among the Southern Hemisphere participants
Championship cup holder La Rochelle would have played if the tournament had taken place this season
Had the tournament taken place this season, Northampton, Harlequins, Exeter, South African team the Bulls, Irish giants Leinster, Antoine Dupont’s Toulouse, La Rochelle and Bordeaux-Begles would have qualified for the Champions Cup.
On the current Super Rugby rankings, New Zealand’s Blues, Hurricanes and Chiefs plus Australian outfits the Brumbies, Reds and Melbourne Rebels would advance, although Fiji’s Drua are making an increasing noise in the tournament.
It would then see the addition of two teams from Japan’s League One, currently led by Saitama Wild Knights, who have South African World Cup winners Damian de Allende and Lood de Jager on their books.
There are also plans for a women’s version of the Champions Cup to start in 2026, initially with four teams, including the winners of the Women’s Rugby Premiership, and to be expanded over time. A meeting is planned for June to work out the details of that new tournament.