Scarlets will welcome Bristol Bears to Parc y Scarlets for their much-anticipated return to Champions Cup rugby in December.
The official fixtures for the top tier tournament were unveiled on Tuesday morning with Dwayne Peel’s side kicking off their campaign with what promises to be a high-octane Anglo-Welsh clash with the West Country side.
The Bears made the Gallagher Prem play-offs in 2024-25 playing a free-running brand of rugby before losing out to neighbours and eventual winners Bath.
The round one tie in Pool 4 is scheduled for Saturday, December 6 with an 8pm kick-off and will be broadcast live by S4C.
Round two sees the West Walians head across the Channel to take on reigning champions Union Bordeaux Bègles at their Stade Chaban-Delmas fortress. It will be the first time for the two sides to meet since January 2022, when a certain 18-year-old Bielle-Biarrey scored a hat-trick of tries on his competition debut. The kick-off in France is 5.30pm UK time (Premier Sports).
Round three sees French side Section Paloise make a first visit to Parc y Scarlets on Saturday, January 10 (8pm; S4C), then the Scarlets head to the East Midlands in round four to face last season’s losing finalists Northampton Saints at cinch Franklin’s Gardens (3.15pm; Premier Sports).
The fixture schedules were determined by using an algorithm which took into consideration the tournament format, the outcome of the pool draws, league calendar restrictions, individual club calendar restrictions and broadcast requirements.
2025-26 weekends
Round 1 – 5/6/7 December 2025
Round 2 – 12/13/14 December 2025
Round 3 – 9/10/11 January 2026
Round 4 – 16/17/18 January 2026
Round of 16 – 3/4/5 April 2026
Quarter-finals – 10/11/12 April 2026
Semi-finals – 1/2/3 May 2026
EPCR Challenge Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Friday 22 May
Investec Champions Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Saturday 23 May
Make sure you are there as we return to the Champions Cup by securing your 2025-26 Season Ticket HERE