European Professional Club Rugby

What European Professional Club Rugby does

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is a privately held, not-for-profit sports governing body that organizes the premier cross-border professional rugby union club competitions in the Northern Hemisphere. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland (with operational presence in Dublin, Ireland), EPCR runs two flagship tournaments: the Investec Champions Cup, featuring 24 elite clubs from the Gallagher Premiership (England), United Rugby Championship (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, Italy), and TOP 14 (France) across four pools of six with a knockout stage culminating in an annual final; and the EPCR Challenge Cup, the second-tier competition featuring 18 clubs including invited teams. The 2026-27 season introduced a new attacking bonus-point system and stricter Round of 16 qualification rules across the 42 participating clubs.

EPCR's commercial ecosystem is anchored by a title sponsorship with Investec and premium partnerships with Heineken, Emirates, DHL, and media partners including ITV, Premier Sports, The Times, and Rugbyrama/Midi Olympique. Distribution extends across Europe, Africa, and Latin America through free-to-air broadcasters (ITV/ITVX), pay-TV platforms (Premier Sports, SuperSport, beIN Sports, FloSports), and EPCR's owned-and-operated streaming platform EPCR TV. The digital product surface includes My Gainline (fan membership and ticketing authentication), The Offload newsletter, the EPCR Shop merchandise store, and the Superbru-powered official Fantasy Game, alongside fan-engagement features such as the Investec Player of the Month and Player of the Year awards and the Emirates Try of the Round. EPCR operates with 11-50 employees and does not publicly disclose revenue, functioning as a member-governed entity owned by its founding leagues and unions.

Name

European Professional Club Rugby

Legal name

European Professional Club Rugby

Website

https://epcrugby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is a not-for-profit sports body that organizes the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, elite cross-border club rugby competitions featuring 42 clubs from six European and South African leagues, with global broadcast distribution and owned digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Rugby Tournament Organization

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

akta.pro primary industry

Championship & Cup Organizers (MPAKADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK)

Keywords

• Rugby tournament organization
• Rugby broadcasting rights
• Sports streaming platform
• Rugby event management
• Fan engagement platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) organizes and operates the Investec Champions Cup (flagship elite competition featuring 24 clubs from Gallagher PREM, URC, and TOP 14 leagues across 4 pools) and the EPCR Challenge Cup (secondary competition with 18 clubs). The organization manages tournament structure, broadcasting rights, sponsorship partnerships, and a digital ecosystem including EPCR TV streaming platform, My Gainline fan membership portal, Superbru-powered Fantasy Game, and official merchandise shop.

Product overview

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) operates a dual-tournament structure centered on the Investec Champions Cup (flagship elite competition) and the EPCR Challenge Cup (secondary competition), both featuring club teams from major European leagues. The organization provides a digital ecosystem supporting these tournaments, including EPCR TV for streaming content, My Gainline for fan membership and authentication, and a Fantasy Game powered by Superbru. Additional fan engagement products include the Investec Player of the Month/Year awards, Emirates Try of the Round voting, Champions Rugby Village event experiences, an official newsletter (The Offload), and an online merchandise shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Investec Champions Cup: Top-tier elite European club rugby competition featuring 24 clubs from Gallagher PREM, URC, and TOP 14 leagues.
• EPCR Challenge Cup
• EPCR TV
• My Gainline

Quantifiable outcome

• The competition is played over eight weekends with four pool stage rounds and four knockout stage rounds
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, supporting and strategic.

• InvestecflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerInvestec serves as the Title Partner for the Investec Champions Cup, providing naming rights and primary sponsorship for the premier competition.
• HeinekencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHeineken is a Premium Partner of EPCR competitions, providing beer and beverage sponsorship.
• EmiratescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmirates is a Premium Partner and has launched the Emirates Nourishment Programme with EPCR and the Kolisi Foundation to support childhood nutrition across South Africa, benefiting approximately 2,000 children annually through schools and Early Childhood Development Centres in Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban.
• DHLcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDHL is an Official Partner providing logistics and shipping services, with naming rights for DHL Stormers club.
• ITVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITV provides free-to-air broadcasting of EPCR Finals in the UK across ITV and ITVX platforms, expanding reach to mainstream audiences.
• The TimessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Times serves as an Official Media Partner providing news coverage and media exposure.
• Rugbyrama/Midi OlympiquesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRugbyrama/Midi Olympique serves as an Official Media Partner for French rugby coverage.
• Kolisi FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kolisi Foundation partners with EPCR and Emirates on the Emirates Nourishment Programme supporting childhood nutrition across South Africa.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Six Nations Rugby: Organises the Six Nations Championship, the premier annual international rugby union competition in Europe. Closely comparable to EPCR as a rugby competition rights-holder with multi-territory broadcast deals, premium sponsorship, and cross-border member-union governance.
• Premiership Rugby (Gallagher PREM): Operates the top-flight English club rugby competition. Comparable business model (club competition, broadcast rights sales, premium sponsorships), and one of EPCR's three owner-leagues. Direct exposure to many of the same broadcast and sponsor counterparties.
• United Rugby Championship (URC): Runs the multi-nation club rugby league spanning Ireland, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, and Italy. Comparable as a club competition rights-holder and an EPCR owner-league, with shared broadcast and sponsorship counterparties and overlapping club pools.
• Ligue Nationale de Rugby (TOP 14): Governs the TOP 14, France's top-flight professional club rugby competition. Comparable as a club competition organiser with premium broadcast deals (Canal+) and major sponsors; EPCR's third owner-league.
• Super Rugby: Premier Southern Hemisphere club rugby competition involving franchises from New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific. Comparable cross-border multi-club tournament model with shared broadcast and sponsor counterparties (DHL, Investec-adjacent).

Broad incumbents

• World Rugby: Global governing body for rugby union and organiser of the Rugby World Cup. Comparable as a rugby rights-holder and tournament organiser with global broadcast and sponsor relationships, though at a larger international scale rather than club level.
• UEFA (Champions League): Operates the UEFA Champions League, the premier European club football competition. Not a direct competitor but the most directly comparable business model—cross-border club tournament with centralised media rights and premium sponsorship (Heineken, Emirates overlap).

Regional players

• Major League Rugby (MLR): Top-flight professional rugby union competition in North America. Comparable as a club rugby competition organiser but regionally focused on the US/Canada, with smaller scale and less established broadcast footprint than EPCR.
• Japan Rugby League One: Top-tier Japanese professional rugby union competition. Comparable tournament-operator business model but geographically focused on Japan, with Tokyo-based clubs and domestic broadcast partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/epcrugby
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-professional-club-rugby
• Instagraminstagram.com/epcrugby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Professional Club Rugby