2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup
| 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament details | |||
| Countries |
 England France Italy Ireland Russia Scotland Wales
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| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout | ||
| Date | 12 October 2017 – 11 May 2018 | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Teams | 20 | ||
| Final | |||
| Venue | San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao | ||
| Official website | EPCR Website | ||
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The 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup is the fourth edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Clubs from six European nations plus two Russian club will compete.
The first round of the group stage will begin on the weekend of 12/13/14/15 October 2017, and the competition will end with the final on 11 May 2018 in Bilbao, Spain. This will be the first time the final has been held outside one of the Six Nations countries.
20 teams will qualify for the 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup; a total of 18 qualified from across the Aviva Premiership, Guinness Pro12 and Top 14, as a direct result of their domestic league performance, with two coming through a play-off. The expected distribution of teams is:
The following clubs have qualified for the Challenge Cup. Teams in italics have qualified, or may yet qualify, for the Champions Cup play-off, and so are not yet confirmed as a Challenge Cup team.
Four clubs will compete in a play-off to decide the final team in the Champions Cup.
The play-off will comprise 3 matches, contested by one team from the Aviva Premiership, one from the Top 14, and two from the Guinness Pro12.
The two Pro12 teams will each play one of the Premiership or Top 14 sides in a single-leg semi-final, held at the home ground of the non-Pro12 side. The winners of these matches will then contest a play-off final, with the winner of this match competing in the 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup. The three losing teams will all compete in the Challenge Cup.
The following teams will take part:
A draw was held on 15 March, 2017 to determine the two semi-final matches, and the semi-final that would have home advantage in the final.
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