The 2025/26 Champions Cup season kicked off this weekend just gone with the first of 4 rounds of pool fixtures. All of Europe’s best teams, and a few other English sides, plus the Scarlets, come together for the most prestigious competition in club rugby. The beauty of European rugby is that we get the opportunity to see fixtures we very rarely see and watch teams play against opponents from other leagues that they don’t usually get to play. And of course we get some evidence to support our heavily biased arguments in the annual debate of which league is best.
The answer being that in terms of quality, of course the Top 14 and their astronomical budgets (their TV rights deal is 3x the size of the others’) is best. Then the URC is overall higher quality than the PREM, although with 6 more sides it has greater variance and teams rotate their squads more.
With that in mind, I am now going to do the valuable task of ranking every side in the Champions Cup from 1 to 24. I am also going to split the rankings into tiers based on what I think the teams are capable of. Sadly with the disparity in budgets there are actually only 3 or 4 clubs that can win it each year. Although that doesn’t mean the other 20 can’t dream and make some magic moments for their fans. Just look at what Northampton did last year, making a final despite very much not fitting my definition of contenders.
I will update these power rankings after every round of the Champions Cup, as we learn more about each side.
The Favourites
I feel pretty confident that the winner will come from one of these teams.
1 Toulouse
Round 1 result: Beat the Sharks 56-19
In the last 2 years they’ve won the Top 14 twice and the Champions Cup. Now they get Antoine Dupont back just in time for the Champions Cup. They relinquished their title last year, they’ll be desperate to get it back. Toulouse have been the best team the last few seasons and they just keep getting stronger. They are the favourites for 2026.
2 Bordeaux
Round 1 result: Won away at the Bulls 46-33
Last season’s Champions, they’ll be keen to defend their crown. A star-studded roster, highlighted by the best wing duo in the world. They haven’t had the best start to the season domestically, but this is the competition where the big players and the big clubs step up. They have got their title defence off to an excellent start, winning in one of the toughest places to play. They are right up there with Toulouse in the list of favourites.
The Contenders
Whilst they are unlikely to usurp the favourites, these teams do have a genuine chance to win the competition. At the moment there’s only one team in this tier, but that can change.
3 Leinster
Round 1 result: Beat Harlequins 45-28
This is the trophy they really want. They didn’t do it last year, inexplicably losing at home to a team with half their budget. That comes after years of heartbreaking losses in finals and semifinals. They’ve brought in RG Snyman, Reiko Ioane and Jacques Nienaber over the last few seasons to help them get over the top. This though is the lowest they would have been in Champions Cup Power Rankings for a few years. They’ve started the season poorly but a good couple games in the cup could kickstart this season for the Dubliners.
Semi Final Hopefuls
I don’t think these teams can win the Champions Cup but they are good enough to make a semifinal provided they avoid a knockout fixture with one of the major contenders.
4 Stormers
Round 1 result: Beat Bayonne away 26-17
Now we come to the URC’s unbeaten table toppers. The Stormers have been mightily impressive to start the 2025/26 season and have done much of it without their Springbok internationals. They didn’t have Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu or Damian Willemse in Round 1, so getting a win away in Bayonne was a massive result. For the rest of this competition though they will get their stars back. That duo has dominated everything international rugby has thrown at them this year. Let’s see how South Africa’s starboys can do against the best French clubs.
I would put the Stormers as a genuine contender but they have a massive away disadvantage. I’d back them against almost anyone at home but if they have to go across hemispheres for semifinals then that’s a big disadvantage.
5 Bath
Round 1 result: Beat Munster 40-14
The champions of England have been absolutely brilliant over the last season or so. Last year they dominated everything in front of them and this season they have picked right back up. This is the best team that the PREM has produced since Exeter and Saracens were winning Champions Cups. It will be interesting to see if an English side, limited by the PREM’s salary cap, can seriously challenge the best of France and Ireland. So far so good, but their trip to Toulon this week will be the best barometer of whether this side can truly compete.
6 Toulon
Round 1 result: Lost away at Edinburgh 33-20
Beaten in a tight quarter final by Toulouse last year, a club with so much rich history in this competition will be eager to get back to the top. It’s now been a decade since Toulon’s three-peat winning team lifted the Champions Cup trophy. They have been one of France’s top teams over the last few seasons and if they can avoid a team like Toulouse, they could make a deep run in the knockouts. They’ll be disappointed with their loss in the opening round as it now makes a top seeding very hard. Next up a huge game at home to Bath which they need to win to get back on track.
7 La Rochelle
Round 1 result: Beat Leicester Tigers 39-20
They’ve certainly regressed from the team that claimed back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. At the same time though, many from those squads are still there. Stade Rochelais still have Ronan O’Gara devising gameplans to get their massive pack of ball carriers charging over the top of defences. It’s been a tricky start to the season, but like Leinster, they have pedigree in the Champions Cup and this will be a chance for them to get back on track. I’m not sure they can win it this year but if they can get a result in Cape Town this week, I may change my mind.
Quarter Final Hopefuls
These teams may make a semifinal if they get a favourable draw, although if they come up against a top side, I don’t think they have the firepower to make it to the latter stages of the Champions Cup.
8 Glasgow
Round 1 result: Won away at Sale 26-21
URC champions a couple years ago, Glasgow haven’t really been able to make a mark on the Champions Cup recently. They have the squad to do some damage and will be keen to prove that their embarrassing loss to the Scarlets 2 weeks ago was just an off day. Sale is a very tricky away day as they have an excellent home record. So it was a big win for Glasgow to get 5 points in the bag, with two more home pool games.
9 Munster
Round 1 result: Lost away at Bath 40-14
This club is just so good at knockout rugby. They have a tonne of pedigree in this competition, winning it twice, and they are always competitive. They don’t have the squad strength to challenge this year with the top French sides but they’ve started the season well in the URC and will expect to make the knockouts. From there, they are the sort of team that can throw an upset or two. You wouldn’t want to be drawn against them in a round 16 game or quarter final.
10 Bulls
Round 1 result: Lost to Bordeaux 46-33
Mixed start to the season for the Bulls, who have now lost back-to-back games at home. They have some world class players and a physical pack though. They may struggle away at Northampton in Round 2, especially if they choose not to send their starters. But I think they’ll win their final two pool games to sneak into the playoffs. Then that’s the challenge for them, great team but in the wrong hemisphere to be competitive in the later stages of this competition.
11 Saracens
Round 1 result: Beat Clermont Auvergne 47-10
They needed a rebound after a humbling loss at home to PREM leaders Bath. A reality check for a side that will be hoping to top the West Country team come the end of the season. They do though have an exceptionally talented full strength 23. I still think they are one of Europe’s premier sides and with Owen Farrell at the helm I trust them so much. They have some tricky fixtures coming up though and are unlucky that their other home game will be against the imperious Stade Toulousain.
12 Northampton
Round 1 result: Won away at Pau 35-27
Miraculously beat Leinster to make the final a year ago, in a season where they finished 8th in the PREM. So far this season they’ve started better domestically and look to be one of the stronger English clubs. Fuelled by a young core of recent Lions, the Saints will fancy their chances once more, although it will be a tough ask to match last year’s heroics.
They’ve started very well though, getting an impressive win away in France. Not something that is easy to do. Now they get what should be a favourable matchup at home to the ocean-crossing Bulls.
13 Edinburgh
Round 1 result: Beat Toulon 33-20
What a result for Edinburgh to kick things off with! A win against a French powerhouse is seriously impressive. Must have been nice too for Edinburgh fans to win by a comfortable 13 points, after their 4 of their 5 games this season have been decided by 3 or fewer points. They’ve put themselves in a great position to advance to the knockouts after that win and will feel they can get at least one or two more wins in these group stages.
14 Bristol Bears
Round 1 result: Won away at the Scarlets 17-16
A gritty win away in Llanelli will surely have made the bus ride back down the M4 a fun one for the Bears. Ultimately they were just a bit too powerful and had one too many Ravouvou’s for the Scarlets. When they got themselves into good attacking positions, they looked dangerous. Although they did show a little naivety in the middle of the park with the Scarlets’ international half back pairing controlling the aerial game better. Cup rugby is different and the Bears will need to learn to be more accurate in the tighter elements of the game. Don’t underestimate it, this was a good win to start their campaign with.
15 Sharks
Round 1 result: Lost away at Toulouse 56-19
The Sharks are a weird one. They have such a stacked team on paper, littered with Springboks. Even without Eben Etzebeth, who’s serving a 12-week ban, there is a lot of star power in the Durban based side. On the field though, they just don’t perform at the level you would hope and as a result they’ve just made a change at coach. They won the Challenge Cup two years ago so have proven an ability to win in European knockout games. Although they haven’t looked good so far this season. Maybe this will be the competition to get them back on track. It wasn’t to be in Round 1 though, as they just sent their 2nds to take on the best club team in the world.
16 ASM Clermont Auvergne
Round 1 result: Lost away at Saracens 47-10
Is there a club that have been as strong and got as close to winning the Champions Cup, whilst never actually doing so as Clermont Auvergne? Their great teams of years gone by were absolutely desperate to win this trophy but always fell just short. They aren’t going to make up for that this season but they are still, like so many French clubs, a strong team with the ability to win a knockout game.
Hoping to Make the Knockouts
These teams won’t have high expectations to compete seriously in this competition but will know that two wins can see them get to the round of 16.
17 Castres
Round 1 result: Lost away at Gloucester 34-14
Obviously not a great result to kick things off with, but we know what French clubs can be like, they don’t like to travel in competitions like this. Castres will be a different beast at home, and they have to be. They now face Edinburgh and Bath at home in the next two rounds and really need to go 2 from 2 to make the knockouts.
18 Gloucester
Round 1 result: Beat Castres 34-14
Now we come to the English clubs who are good domestically but just don’t have the budgets to compete with the big French teams. A big result from Gloucester in Round 1, getting a crucial 5 points. Gloucester now get their 2nd win of the season, following last week’s victory over Harlequins. Could this be the kick start their season needed?
Sadly for Gloucester they have one of the smallest budgets in the competition and these 5 points might be difficult to repeat. Hence why they languish in 18th here, despite a perfect start.
19 Leicester
Round 1 result: Lost away at La Rochelle 39-20
Leicester are a historically great club and one that have won this Cup twice in the past, even if it was 23 years ago. They can certainly win some games this year, although we saw the limitations of this team when they shipped 80 points against Toulouse last season. An opening round loss away at La Rochelle was to be expected, but unfortunately a game back home might not be that comforting as they host Leinster this week. Tough draw.
20 Sale Sharks
Round 1 result: Lost to Glasgow 26-21
They needed to win that game against Glasgow really to have a proper chance at the knockouts. Uphill battle from here but the concerning thing is that they’ve now lost two home games in a row after losing just one home game in last season’s PREM. It hasn’t been the start to the season that Sale would have wanted and already there has been some focus shifting to their supposedly big transfer budget for next year.
21 Harlequins
Round 1 result: Lost away at Leinster 45-28
All in all a pretty solid showing from Harlequins this weekend. It wasn’t their full strength side but they managed to escape the fortress that is the Aviva Stadium with a try bonus point. On the positive side, that’s about as good as they could have hoped for. On the negative side, it’s not great that that’s the best case scenario. They host Bayonne this week in a very winnable game.
22 Scarlets
Round 1 result: Lost to Bristol Bears 17-16
The Scarlets will feel like that’s one they let slip. A really tight loss at home to the Bears probably ends their chances of qualifying for the knockouts, unless they can spring some surprises. Although this club will feel a lot better about themselves now than they would have been feeling before the Nations Series.
They have some really talented backs, as they showed on Saturday evening, but subbing Sam Costelow off at 60 mins was egregious coaching. He was the best player on the pitch until that point and was rightly fuming when he was told to leave the field. Their attack struggled from that point on.
23 Pau
Round 1 result: Lost to Northampton 35-27
After 11 rounds of competition, Pau find themselves sitting 2nd in the Top 14. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. The positive is that they are good. The negative is that their domestic season is going so well that they will probably want to prioritise it as they aren’t strong enough to win this competition, and the attrition of the Top 14’s 26-week schedule means it’s hard to compete on both fronts. I don’t expect to see Pau at their best in this tournament and especially after they lost at home to Northampton. I doubt they’ll send full strength lineups to their away games unfortunately.
24 Bayonne
Round 1 result: Lost to the Stormers 26-17
Like Pau, it might be time for Bayonne to wave the white flag. We know this tournament isn’t their priority but they would have wanted to win their two home games and then see what happens. They do have an opportunity to get things back on track as they travel this week to play a poor Harlequins side. If they can win that then maybe they catapult up these rankings into a spot more reflective of their quality.