The European Professional Club Rugby organisers have said that the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup Finals will not take place at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille. Both finals were due to take place on the weekend of 16th of October, but a new venue will now be required to host the games.

However, it is not all bad news for Marseille, as they will get the chance to host the finals in 2021. The EPCR have also announced that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will host the 2022 finals. The tickets for this years final will be valid for the 2021 showpiece in Marseille according to the tournament organisers. A refund can also be given if fans can’t travel.

In a statement the EPCR said, “Due to the many uncertainties created by the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been decided that the 2020 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals will not now be held in Marseille as planned and the matches will be played at a new venue or venues,”. It continued, “With tens of thousands of fans scheduled to travel to the south of France, the Board of EPCR and the local organising committee have agreed that insufficient safeguards are currently in place during the public health crisis to stage two high-profile matches at the 67,000-capacity Stade Vélodrome”.

“As a consequence, EPCR is currently working with its shareholder leagues and unions to secure an alternative venue or venues for the two finals which will be played on the weekend of 16/17/18 October, and details will be announced as soon as practicable.”

Irish sides Leinster and Ulster are due to play their Champions Cup quarter-finals in September, against Saracens and Toulouse. It is thought the finals will still go ahead on the same weekend of 16th of October.

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