Heineken Champions Cup straight to last 16; Wasps only English club guaranteed home tie

The 20/21 Champions Cup scrap final two pool fixtures and progress straight to round of 16, which will be decided via draw (March 9). Clubs from the same league cannot be drawn with one another, while five clubs - Wasps, Racing 92, Leinster, Bordeaux-Begles and Munster - will be at home

Image: The Champions Cup will progress to a Round of 16, with a draw to be made on March 9

Wasps are the only English club to be guaranteed home advantage for the Champions Cup round of 16 after tournament organisers announced the revised format for the knockout phase.

The Gallagher Premiership runners-up join Exeter, Bristol, Gloucester and Sale in being promoted from the group phase, the last two rounds of which were aborted when the French government blocked its Top 14 teams from taking part in cross-border competition due to coronavirus fears.

The round of 16 will be staged on the weekend of April 2-4 with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in Marseille taking place as scheduled.

Image: The final two rounds of pool fixtures have been scrapped, after the competition's suspension in January

A draw, made up of the eight highest-ranked clubs in Pool A and Pool B at the time of last month's suspension, will be held on March 9 to determine the line-up for the next two rounds.

Teams from the same league cannot be drawn against one another and those sides that won both pool games on the field - Wasps, Racing 92, Leinster, Bordeaux-Begles and Munster - are guaranteed a home match in the round of 16.

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Image: Munster are one of five clubs guaranteed to be at home, having won two games on the pitch

For the Challenge Cup, the eight highest-ranked clubs from the preliminary stage at the time of the suspension and the eight clubs which have not qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions Cup will compete in a round of 16.

Champions Cup knockout stage qualifiers:

Also See:

Racing 92, Leinster Rugby, Wasps, Bordeaux-Begles, Munster Rugby, Lyon, Toulouse, La Rochelle, Scarlets, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Bristol Bears, Exeter Chiefs, Edinburgh Rugby, Gloucester Rugby, RC Toulon, Sale Sharks.

Challenge Cup knockout stage qualifiers:

London Irish, Ospreys, Leicester Tigers, Cardiff Blues, Zebre Rugby Club, Agen, Benetton Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Ulster Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Montpellier, Dragons, Harlequins, Glasgow Warriors.

Champions Cup schedule

Rounds of 16 - April 2-4

Quarter-finals - April 9-11

Semi-finals - April 30, May 1-2

Final - May 22

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