The games will be aired by a wide variety of broadcasters as well as the OTT platform and, for the first time ever, the Heineken Champions Cup will be available to watch from the Pool Stage in every country in the world.

The UK and Ireland will continue to receive widespread access to the Heineken Champions Cup, with BT Sport offering comprehensive coverage, starting on Friday with 2000 winners Northampton Saints entertaining Bordeaux-Begles at 17:30 (UK and Irish time).

There are free-to-air coverage options too, with Channel 4 and Virgin Media both broadcasting games in the UK and Ireland respectively, the first of which is Bristol Bears’ return to the competition with their home game against ASM Clermont Auvergne on Saturday at 13:00.

Watching the Heineken Champions Cup in France has never been easier either, with beIN SPORTS matching BT Sport’s blanket coverage.

France Télévisions provides the free-to-air option on FR2, with its first game of the campaign being RC Toulon’s home tie with Sale Sharks on Saturday at 16:15 local time and the second their traditional 16:15 CET slot on Sunday for Racing 92’s home game with Connacht Rugby.

That game is also the first of Sky Italia’s new two-year agreement with EPCR, which will enable them to broadcast five matches live across the two tournaments every weekend on Sky Sport and via streaming on NOW TV.

Two of the matches will feature Italian clubs, Benetton Rugby and Zebre Rugby Club, in the preliminary stage of the Challenge Cup, while the remaining three fixtures will highlight top action from the Heineken Champions Cup.

Fans were given further access to the Heineken Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup through last year’s launch of the OTT platform, epcrugby.tv, and that service will continue this season.

Single Heineken Champions Cup matches can be purchased at €4.99, while European Rugby Challenge Cup games will cost just €3.99 apiece, giving rugby fans the opportunity to watch the games they want.

Weekend passes are available to buy for just €8.99 and provide unlimited access to all Heineken Champions Cup games and selected European Rugby Challenge Cup matches for the opening two rounds in each competition.

However, two European Rugby Challenge Cup ties will be streamed live and for free through the official tournament website each round. These will not be on the OTT service.

In Round 1 these are Leicester Tigers v Brive, which kicks off at 19:45 British and Irish time on December 11, and Agen v London Irish, which begins at 15:00 CET on December 12.

Where to watch the Heineken Champions Cup

BT Sport – United Kingdom and Ireland

Channel 4 – United Kingdom

Virgin Media – Ireland

beIN SPORTS – France, MENA, South East Asia and Australia

France Télévisions – France

Telefonica – Spain and Andorra

Sport TV – Portugal

GO – Malta

SuperSport – Sub-Saharan Africa and adjacent islands

NBC – USA

SportsMax – Caribbean

EPCRugby.tv

With the 2020/21 Heineken Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup kicking off this weekend, there will be more opportunity than ever for rugby fans to tune into the sport’s greatest club competitions.