The EPCR governing body and organizer of Europe’s top-tier Champions Cup and second-tier Challenge Cup club rugby union tournaments, has struck a partnership with ticket tech firm Secutix to bring ticket sales for its competitions in-house.
The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup involve teams from England, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, South Africa, and Italy.
Under the deal, Secutix becomes the body’s exclusive ticketing technology partner, with EPCR given access to several Secutix solutions, including its S-360 software-as-a-service (SAAS), ticketing app S-Mobile, and integrated payment solutions S-Pay to launch an in-house platform for its 2026 Finals Weekend.
The 2026 EPCR Finals Weekend will see the final of the Challenge Cup played on May 22, with the flagship Champions Cup final set for May 23 at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain.
The EPCR’s ticket platform will open in the coming weeks to sell tickets to the semi-finals of the 2026 Champions Cup, as well as the Finals Weekend.
The move marks the first time the EPCR has sold tickets in-house, having used third-party systems since the first EPCR Finals in 1996.
EPCR chief executive Jacques Raynaud said: “As part of our commitment to increased digitalization and enhanced fan experience, we wanted to move away from external ticketing platforms for the key matches of our season and create an owned, centralized operation for ticketing, data, and fan engagement.
“With Secutix's expertise in major sporting events, we have the confidence and technology we need to manage our Investec Champions Cup semi-final and EPCR Finals ticketing fully in-house. It is a big step forward for EPCR.”
EPCR said it sells between 100,000 and 200,000 tickets across the Champions Cup semi-finals and EPCR Finals Weekend, but expects to sell more with the support of its new platform.
The deal comes on the back of Secutix handling the ticketing for EPCR’s sold-out 2024-25 Champions Cup semifinal between Union Bordeaux Bègles and Stade Toulousain.
Hosting rights to the 2027 EPCR Finals Weekend have been awarded to Lyon in France.
