ITV to broadcast Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals
Free-to-air coverage secured in the UK
ITV has secured live free-to-air coverage of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals. The 2026 finals are being held at San Mamès Stadium in Bilbao in May.
Montpellier take on Ulster on Friday 22 May, with kick-off at 8:00pm (Irish & UK time, 9:00pm local) while URC champions Leinster face Bordeaux on Saturday May 23 at 14:45pm (Irish & UK time 3:45pm local). Both fixtures will be shown live on ITV4 and ITVX in the UK.
John Barton, Chief Commercial Officer at EPCR, said: “We are delighted to bring the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals to even more fans on ITV and ITVX. More people than ever will now be able to watch this showpiece weekend on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 May, live from Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium.’’
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “It’s great to be able to broadcast the finest European rugby talent across the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals, bringing the sport to a free-to-air audience on ITV and ITVX. The weekend will be action packed and one rugby fans will not want to miss.”
The Rugby Broadcast take
This agreement is a smart move by both ITV and EPCR. ITV is doubling-down on rugby lately, with a rugby portfolio that now includes Prem Rugby, Six Nations and the inaugural Nations Championship that starts this summer. The EPCR finals offer ITV an opportunity to advertise ITV’s Nations Championship coverage directly to viewers, which will crucially include casual rugby fans.
From an EPCR perspective this FTA deal will undoubtedly lead to an increase in audience reach across the UK. As noted in the Rugby Broadcast Report last week, viewership of the pool stages of this year’s Champions Cup is up 15% in France, while audience reach is up 27% on Premier Sports. Securing FTA coverage of the final in the UK should help build on this momentum. It is also worth noting that this new agreement will have no impact on Premier Sports’ coverage – the Irish broadcast will broadcast both finals in Ireland and the UK.