Ahead of the final round of Heineken Champions Cup pool stage matches this weekend, we’ve recapped exactly how clubs qualify for the Round of 16 and how their fixtures in the knockout stage are determined.

Following the completion of Round 4, the eight highest-ranked clubs in Pool A and the eight highest-ranked clubs in Pool B will qualify for the Round of 16.

To date, Racing 92, Ulster Rugby and Stade Rochelais have been confirmed as qualifiers from Pool A, and Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, Munster Rugby and Bristol Bears have booked their places from Pool B.

The three clubs that finish 9th, 10th and 11th in each pool – six in total – will qualify for the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.

The fixtures for the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 are determined by the clubs’ rankings at the conclusion of the pool stage and the matches will be played over two legs on a home and away basis on the weekend of 8/9/10 April as follows:

R16 1: Number 1-ranked club in Pool A v Number 8-ranked club in Pool B
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club in Pool A v Number 7-ranked club in Pool B
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club in Pool A v Number 6-ranked club in Pool B
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club in Pool A v Number 5-ranked club in Pool B
R16 5: Number 4-ranked club in Pool B v Number 5-ranked club in Pool A
R16 6: Number 3-ranked club in Pool B v Number 6-ranked club in Pool A
R16 7: Number 2-ranked club in Pool B v Number 7-ranked club in Pool A
R16 8: Number 1-ranked club in Pool B v Number 8-ranked club in Pool A
NB The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool will play the second leg of their Round of 16 matches at home

Round of 16 second leg – 15/16/17 April

Quarter-finals – 6/7/8 May
The quarter-finals will be played over one match and the highest-ranked club from the pool stage will have home venue advantage as follows:

QF 1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 5
QF 2: Winner R16 7 v Winner R16 3
QF 3: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 6
QF 4: Winner R16 8 v Winner R16 4

Semi-finals – 13/14/15 May
The semi-finals will be played over one match, and the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have either home country advantage or home venue advantage (TBC) as follows:

SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
SF 2: Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4

2022 Heineken Champions Cup final: Saturday, 28 May; Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (17:45)