Key principles

  • The 20 Clubs which have qualified on merit from the TOP 14, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, the Guinness PRO14, the PRO D2, the Greene King IPA Championship and the Continental Shield will compete in the 2019/20 Challenge Cup in five pools of four
  • The clubs are divided into four tiers based on the qualification positions from their resepective leagues, with the Continental Shield qualifiers in Tier 4.  A draw will be carried out in advance of the pool draw proper to complete the tiers
  • Each of the five pools will include one club from each of the four tiers
  • Each pool will have at least one club from the TOP14, the Premiership and the PRO14
  • There will be no more than two clubs from the same league in a pool
  • No pool will contain two PRO14 clubs from the same country
  • Clubs from the same league will be kept apart until the Tier 4 allocation
  • A qualifier from the Continental Shield cannot be drawn into a pool which contains two TOP 14 clubs or two Premiership clubs

Click HERE for a detailed explanation of the Challenge Cup pool draw