The inaugural Club World Cup in Rugby Union is planned for June 2028 following a signed agreement among the premier men’s leagues in both hemispheres. The global tournament would supplant the Champions Cup knockout stages, meaning that there will be no European men’s champions declared that year. Eight teams from the Champions Cup, six from Super Rugby and possibly two others from Japan’s Rugby League One are expected to participate in this competition involving a knockout structure over four weekends in June.
The qualification process will be based on merit without any provisions to guarantee representation from each nation involved. The 2028 tournament will take place in the northern hemisphere and the future editions will proceed every four years at the same time. The format for the two European club cups would need to be altered every four years to accommodate this new global event.
At present, with 16 teams qualifying for the Champions Cup knockout stages, eight of those would now participate in the Club World Cup. The remaining eight not chosen for the global event would play in the late stages of the Challenge Cup.
This concept of a world club championship has been conceptualised over many years, and a breakthrough in agreement over the competition dates amongst all parties. At present, the finals for the two key competitions involved, are held in June. All parties have agreed to shift their finals to May, a change possible in the northern hemisphere by utilising the four weekends normally occupied by the Champions Cup.
Super Rugby’s final this year is planned for the weekend of June 22nd. They would need to commence their season at the end of January without a break in their schedule to wrap up by the end of May, three months after the 2027 World Cup. It is believed that the Japanese have not yet signed up, but their finals will be completed this year on the weekend of May 25th.
The success of this new competition rest largely with the French who are believed to have agreed to the idea in principle at a meeting in November. Their highly cherished season finale, for the Bouclier de Brennus, is scheduled to be played this year on June 28th.
The Top 14 is undeniably the most jam-packed among the domestic leagues, featuring 26 regular bouts and three knockout stages. This current season began in mid-August, paused during the World Cup, and will resume in the same cycle as the proposed club equivalent. With the exception of one weekend – the second weekend of the Six Nations – there have been Top 14 games every non-European weekend since it started.
Players seem to be feeling the constant pressure. Nonetheless, organisers are eager to avoid replicating the same issues in women’s rugby. As part of this effort, the European Professional Club Rugby has called on key figures to attend a summit in June, focused on establishing the first-ever Women’s Champions Cup in 2026. It’s anticipated that this competition will initially include champions from four leagues – English and French victors, and winners of the Celtic Challenge and Latin Cup (consisting of Spanish and Italian clubs) – with plans for future expansion.
-Guardian