List of European Rugby Champions Cup finals

List of European Rugby Champions Cup finals

The European Rugby Champions Cup is an annual rugby union competition for European clubs whose countries compete in the Six Nations Championship. Introduced in 2014, the competition replaced the Heineken Cup, which had been run by European Rugby Cup (ERC) since 1995, following disagreements between its shareholders over the structure and governance of the competition.

It is organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), with teams qualifying via their final positions in their respective national/cross-border leagues (Premiership, Top 14, and Pro14). The winners of the first final were French team Toulouse, who beat Welsh side Cardiff 21–18 after extra time.

20 teams initially compete in five separate pools. The top eight teams from the pools progress to the knockout stage. If the score in a knockout match is a draw after 80 minutes of regular play, an additional 20-minute period of play, called extra time, is added. If the score remains tied, an additional 10 minutes of sudden-death extra time are played, with the first team to score points immediately declared the winner. If no team is able to break the tie during extra time, the winner is ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. As well as the first final, the 2005 final between French teams Toulouse and Stade Français went to extra time, which Toulouse won 18–12.

Toulouse are the most successful team in the history of the tournament, with six wins. Leinster have won the competition four times, while Toulon and Saracens are third with three wins each. Toulon are the only team to have won three consecutive tournaments, from 2013 to 2015. Three teams have played in more than one final and failed to win any of them – Clermont and Racing 92 three times each, and Biarritz and Stade Français twice each. No teams from Scotland and Italy have ever progressed to the final.

The 2017–18 final was held in Bilbao, marking the first time that the final was contested in a country without a team participating in the competition. The 2020–21 final was relocated from Marseille to London. and the 2021–22 final was held in Marseille instead.

Finals

List of European Rugby Champions Cup finals

<table><thead><tr><th>Season</th><th>Winners</th><th>Score</th><th>Runners-up</th><th>Venue</th><th>Attendance</th><th>Referee</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Heineken Cup era</td></tr><tr><td>1995–96</td><td>Toulouse§</td><td>21–18†</td><td>Cardiff</td><td>Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff</td><td>21,800</td><td>David McHugh</td></tr><tr><td>1996–97</td><td>Brive</td><td>28–9</td><td>Leicester Tigers</td><td>41,664</td><td>Derek Bevan</td></tr><tr><td>1997–98</td><td>Bath</td><td>19–18</td><td>Brive</td><td>Parc Lescure, Bordeaux</td><td>36,500</td><td>Jim Fleming</td></tr><tr><td>1998–99</td><td>Ulster</td><td>21–6</td><td>Colomiers</td><td>Lansdowne Road, Dublin</td><td>49,000</td><td>Clayton Thomas</td></tr><tr><td>1999–00</td><td>Northampton Saints</td><td>9–8</td><td>Munster</td><td>Twickenham Stadium, London</td><td>68,441</td><td>Joël Dumé</td></tr><tr><td>2000–01</td><td>Leicester Tigers§</td><td>34–30</td><td>Stade Français</td><td>Parc des Princes, Paris</td><td>44,000</td><td>David McHugh</td></tr><tr><td>2001–02</td><td>Leicester Tigers§</td><td>15–9</td><td>Munster</td><td>Millennium Stadium, Cardiff</td><td>74,600</td><td>Joël Jutge</td></tr><tr><td>2002–03</td><td>Toulouse</td><td>22–17</td><td>Perpignan</td><td>Lansdowne Road, Dublin</td><td>28,600</td><td>Tony Spreadbury</td></tr><tr><td>2003–04</td><td>London Wasps§</td><td>27–20</td><td>Toulouse</td><td>Twickenham Stadium, London</td><td>73,057</td><td>Alain Rolland</td></tr><tr><td>2004–05</td><td>Toulouse</td><td>18–12†</td><td>Stade Français</td><td>Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh</td><td>51,326</td><td>Chris White</td></tr><tr><td>2005–06</td><td>Munster</td><td>23–19</td><td>Biarritz</td><td>Millennium Stadium, Cardiff</td><td>74,534</td></tr><tr><td>2006–07</td><td>London Wasps</td><td>25–9</td><td>Leicester Tigers</td><td>Twickenham Stadium, London</td><td>81,076</td><td>Alan Lewis</td></tr><tr><td>2007–08</td><td>Munster</td><td>16–13</td><td>Toulouse</td><td>Millennium Stadium, Cardiff</td><td>74,500</td><td>Nigel Owens</td></tr><tr><td>2008–09</td><td>Leinster</td><td>19–16</td><td>Leicester Tigers</td><td>Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh</td><td>66,523</td></tr><tr><td>2009–10</td><td>Toulouse</td><td>21–19</td><td>Biarritz</td><td>Stade de France, Saint-Denis</td><td>78,962</td><td>Wayne Barnes</td></tr><tr><td>2010–11</td><td>Leinster</td><td>33–22</td><td>Northampton Saints</td><td>Millennium Stadium, Cardiff</td><td>72,456</td><td>Romain Poite</td></tr><tr><td>2011–12</td><td>Leinster</td><td>42–14</td><td>Ulster</td><td>Twickenham Stadium, London</td><td>81,774</td><td>Nigel Owens</td></tr><tr><td>2012–13</td><td>Toulon</td><td>16–15</td><td>Clermont</td><td>Aviva Stadium, Dublin</td><td>50,198</td><td>Alain Rolland</td></tr><tr><td>2013–14</td><td>Toulon§</td><td>23–6</td><td>Saracens</td><td>Millennium Stadium, Cardiff</td><td>67,586</td></tr><tr><td>Champions Cup era</td></tr><tr><td>2014–15</td><td>Toulon</td><td>24–18</td><td>Clermont</td><td>Twickenham Stadium, London</td><td>56,622</td><td>Nigel Owens</td></tr><tr><td>2015–16</td><td>Saracens§</td><td>21–9</td><td>Racing 92</td><td>Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon</td><td>58,017</td></tr><tr><td>2016–17</td><td>Saracens</td><td>28–17</td><td>Clermont</td><td>Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh</td><td>55,272</td></tr><tr><td>2017–18</td><td>Leinster§</td><td>15–12</td><td>Racing 92</td><td>San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao</td><td>52,282</td><td>Wayne Barnes</td></tr><tr><td>2018–19</td><td>Saracens§</td><td>20–10</td><td>Leinster</td><td>St James' Park, Newcastle</td><td>51,930</td><td>Jérôme Garcès</td></tr><tr><td>2019–20</td><td>Exeter Chiefs§</td><td>31–27</td><td>Racing 92</td><td>Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol</td><td>0</td><td>Nigel Owens</td></tr><tr><td>2020–21</td><td>Toulouse§</td><td>22–17</td><td>La Rochelle</td><td>Twickenham Stadium, London</td><td>10,000</td><td>Luke Pearce</td></tr><tr><td>2021–22</td><td>La Rochelle</td><td>24–21</td><td>Leinster</td><td>Stade Vélodrome, Marseille</td><td>59,682</td><td>Wayne Barnes</td></tr><tr><td>2022–23</td><td>La Rochelle</td><td>27–26</td><td>Leinster</td><td>Aviva Stadium, Dublin</td><td>51,711</td><td>Jaco Peyper</td></tr><tr><td>2023–24</td><td>Toulouse§</td><td>31–22†</td><td>Leinster</td><td>Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London</td><td>61,531</td><td>Matthew Carley</td></tr><tr><td>2024–25</td><td>Bordeaux Bègles</td><td>28–20</td><td>Northampton Saints</td><td>Millennium Stadium, Cardiff</td><td>70,225</td><td>Nika Amashukeli</td></tr></tbody></table>

Performances

By club

Club	Champions	Runners-up	Finals	Years as champions	Years as runners-up
Toulouse	6	2	8	1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2009–10, 2020–21, 2023–24	2003–04, 2007–08
Leinster	4	4	8	2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2017–18	2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Saracens	3	1	4	2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19	2013–14
Toulon	3	0	3	2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15	—
Leicester Tigers	2	3	5	2000–01, 2001–02	1996–97, 2006–07, 2008–09
Munster	2	2	4	2005–06, 2007–08	1999–00, 2001–02
La Rochelle	2	1	3	2021–22, 2022–23	2020–21
Wasps	2	0	2	2003–04, 2006–07	—
Northampton Saints	1	2	3	1999–00	2010–11, 2024–25
Brive	1	1	2	1996–97	1997–98
Ulster	1	1	2	1998–99	2011–12
Bath	1	0	1	1997–98	—
Exeter Chiefs	1	0	1	2019–20	—
Bordeaux Bègles	1	0	1	2024–25	—
Clermont	0	3	3	—	2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17
Racing 92	0	3	3	—	2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20
Stade Français	0	2	2	—	2000–01, 2004–05
Biarritz	0	2	2	—	2005–06, 2009–10
Cardiff	0	1	1	—	1995–96
Colomiers	0	1	1	—	1998–99
Perpignan	0	1	1	—	2002–03

Player of the Match Award

List of European Rugby Champions Cup finals

The following players have been named the Player of the Match in European cup finals since 2005:

<table><thead><tr><th>Final</th><th>Player</th><th>Team</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2005</td><td>Yannick Jauzion</td><td>Toulouse</td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>Peter Stringer</td><td>Munster</td></tr><tr><td>2007</td><td>Fraser Waters</td><td>Wasps</td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>Alan Quinlan</td><td>Munster</td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>Rocky Elsom</td><td>Leinster</td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>William Servat</td><td>Toulouse</td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>Johnny Sexton</td><td>Leinster</td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>Seán O'Brien</td><td>Leinster</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>Mathieu Bastareaud</td><td>Toulon</td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>Craig Burden</td><td>Toulon</td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>Ali Williams</td><td>Toulon</td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>Maro Itoje</td><td>Saracens</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Billy Vunipola</td><td>Saracens</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>James Ryan</td><td>Leinster</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Brad Barritt</td><td>Saracens</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Joe Simmonds</td><td>Exeter</td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>Romain Ntamack</td><td>Toulouse</td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Dillyn Leyds</td><td>La Rochelle</td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>Grégory Alldritt</td><td>La Rochelle</td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>Antoine Dupont</td><td>Toulouse</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Maxime Lucu</td><td>Bordeaux Bègles</td></tr></tbody></table>