Wales’ four regions have discovered their fate for the pool stages of next year’s European Challenge Cup.

It’s the first time that all four regions have been in the second tier of Europe with two of Wales’ regions drawn in the same pool.

This season the criteria for European Champions Cup qualification was limited to the top eight teams in the United Rugby Championship with no place given for winning the Welsh shield.

Despite finishing eighth in the URC, becoming the first Welsh side since 2018 to be in the play-offs, Ospreys were bumped from the European Champions Cup after Sharks won the European Challenge Cup final against Gloucester, having finished 14^th in the URC.

Last year, Ospreys reached the quarter finals with a memorable win against Sale at the Brewery Field in the round of 16, before losing to eventual finalists Gloucester at Kingsholm.

Dragons recorded a bonus point win against Oyonnax at home and performed admirably in France against Pau before losses to winners Sharks and Zebre.

Scarlets suffered the ignominy of a home loss to Georgian side Black Lion along with losses at Clermont and Castres and a home defeat to Edinburgh.

This year, the final will be held on Friday the 23^rd of May at the Principality Stadium.

The Format

There are 18 teams in total in the European Challenge Cup this year: eight teams from the URC; six from France’s Top 14; two teams from the English Premiership and two invitational teams: Cheetahs and Black Lion.

As with this year’s tournament, sides will play four games either home or away before the Challenge Cup round of 16.

The first round of matches will be played on the 6^th-8^th of December and the second round a week later with rounds three and four coming on the 10-12^th and 17^th-19^th of January 2025.

The round of 16 and quarter finals will come on consecutive weekends on the 4^th-6^th of April and 11^th-13^th of April before the semi-finals between the 2^nd-4^th of May and then the final on the 23^rd a day before the Champions Cup final also at the Principality Stadium.

The Groups

The draw for the groups is as follows;

Therefore, Cardiff could possibly travel to Amsterdam to face Cheetahs whilst Scarlets could face Georgia’s Black Lion again, while Ospreys are drawn once again alongside Emirates Lions and Montpellier.

Champions Cup Pool Of Death

In the European Champions Cup Pool 2 sees Leinster, Clermont Auvergne, Stade Rochelais and Bath face off against each other along with Benetton and Bristol Bears.

However, there could be a case for Pool 1 being the pool of death with Toulouse, Bordeaux, Sharks, Exeter, Leicester and Ulster all featuring.

Newly crowned URC champions Glasgow will fancy their chances in Pool 4 despite being drawn alongside Sale, Harlequins, Toulon, Stormers and Racing while Pool 3 looks the most open with English champions Northampton facing Munster, Bulls, Stade Français, Saracens and Castres.