Viaplay UK to air EPCR Challenge Cup 2023/24
November 29, 2023
European Challenge Cup rugby will be live on Viaplay across the UK once again this season with four live games to open the new season of EPCR competition which kicks off on December 8th.
The 2023/24 EPCR Challenge Cup will feature 18 rugby clubs across seven rugby nations; eight from URC (United Rugby Championship), six from Top 14 in France, two from Gallagher Premiership plus two invitation clubs; the Toyota Cheetahs (South Africa) and Black Lion (Georgia), who are the first Georgian club to compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
The clubs competing for this season’s trophy (currently held by RC Toulon) are: ASM Clermont Auvergne, Benetton Rugby, Black Lion, Castres Olympique, Dragons RFC, Edinburgh Rugby, Emirates Lions, Gloucester Rugby, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Montpellier Herault Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Ospreys, Oyonnax Rugby, Scarlets, Section Paloise, Toyota Cheetahs, USAP and Zebre Parma.
Last season’s European competitions broke records across website visits and social media engagements – with 71 million viewers tuning in to watch the fixtures – including 20 million for the Final.
During the 2023/24 season, Viaplay will show at least four EPCR Challenge Cup matches in each of the pool stage round in the UK – starting with a Pool 3 clash between Clermont Auvergne and Edinburgh at Stade Marcel-Michelin.
The competition returns to a multi-pool format with three pools of six clubs, with each club playing four different opponents home or away in the pool stages. The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the knockout stages. There are 8 weekends with four pool stage rounds, followed by four knockout contests and the 2024 final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 24th 2024.
Opening weekend EPCR Challenge Cup games live on the Viaplay streaming service and the Viaplay Sports 1 and Viaplay Sports 2 TV channels will be:
- Clermont Auvergne v Edinburgh, December 8th
- Black Lion v Gloucester, December 9th
- Ospreys v Benetton, December 9th
- Newcastle v Montpellier, December 10th