"Grow the Game" - 6 Teams that should be added to expand the EPCR Challenge Cup for 2026/27

The EPCR Challenge Cup, often the unsung hero of European club rugby, already brings teams from the Premiership, URC and Top 14 together with invitees iof Georgia’s Black Lion and South Africa’s Toyota Cheetahs. What if it went further still, embracing the winners of emerging domestic leagues from Spain to Namibia?

This article isn’t about confirmed expansion plans, it’s a celebration of how much quality and personality exists beyond rugby’s traditional powerhouses. Many of the nations involved, namely Romania, Portugal and Namibia among them, have historically been Rugby World Cup participants. While Spain’s roller-coaster qualification saga for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, only to be later disqualified for fielding an ineligible player, underlines the drama at this unique level of the game.

These imagined entries showcase clubs with character, heritage and big ambitions — exactly the sort of stories that would make a 26‑team Challenge Cup a must‑watch spectacle. Here is how the EPCR Challenge Cup should look, with an expanded 26 team format.

Valladolid RAC are the standard‑bearers of Spain’s División de Honor, a league rich in local derbies and rugged rugby. Spain’s national narrative in recent years has been dramatic: Los Leones earned qualification for the 2023 Rugby World Cup — their first since 1999 — only to be stripped of their spot after the aforementioned ineligible player had been fielded during qualifiers. This lead to a points deduction that saw Romania take their place and Portugal progress to the final qualification repechage.

Fast forward to now, and Spain have since regained momentum, punching their ticket for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia with optimism and flair. It’s this mix of adversity and resurgence that defines Valladolid RAC too: a club steeped in passionate local rivalries, with a forward base that grinds and backs willing to cut loose. In an EPCR Challenge Cup expansion, Valladolid enter the fray after winning the 2024/25 Division de Honor season, boasting gritty tactics and Iberian zest that would add real colour.

Portugal’s Divisão de Honra may fly under many radars, but clubs like CF Belenenses exemplify why this nation’s rugby continues to surprise. Portugal has become a familiar name on the world stage, with Os Lobos competing at multiple Rugby World Cups and famously upsetting Fiji — a memorable moment of joy and belief for Portugal upon the global turf.

Belenenses blend athleticism with tactical nous. They aren’t a “powerhouse” in the traditional sense, but their style is dynamic, with the side hailing from the historic Belem region of Lisbon and enter the EPCR Challenge Cup as defending champions of the Campeanato Nacional Divisão de Honra. In a microcosm of their national side upon the World Cup stage, Belenenses would be fired up to bring the fight to the European stage, and take on sides with bigger budgets whom may think little of a trip to Lisbon.

In a hypothetical 26‑team Challenge Cup, Belenenses would play with both pride and purpose: an emblem of how far Portuguese rugby has come. Their presence wouldn’t just be continental exposure, it would be a chance for Europe to appreciate the salt‑of‑the‑earth character and flair that smaller union nations bring to rugby’s big stage.

CSM Știința Baia Mare currently sit at the summit of Romania’s Liga de Rugby Kaufland, blending history with a physical intensity that has defined Romanian rugby for decades. Romania is a seasoned visitor to the Rugby World Cup, a nation familiar with the showdown of global rugby’s biggest stage. Their teams are renowned for their direct forward game, imposing scrum and ability to punch above their weight — qualities that have often troubled bigger nations.

Baia Mare mirrors that ethos on the domestic front: a forward pack that dominates collisions, backlines that seize on rhythm and a club culture forged in competitive domestic battles. Imagine them in a theoretical Challenge Cup expansion, Baia Mare wouldn’t simply be making up numbers. They’d bring the real essence of Eastern European rugby: muscle, mettle and uncompromising team grit. Their inclusion would remind European audiences of a proud rugby tradition and lend a classic contrast to the slicker, high‑budget professional outfits, making every match a fascinating study in style.

In Poland’s Ekstraliga, MKS Pogoń Siedlce are one of the standout sides driving the sport forward in a country better known for volleyball and football. Rugby in Poland may be a niche pursuit compared with its Western neighbours, but that obscures a fascinating reality of a passion that runs deep. Pogoń Siedlce combine grit, athleticism and a rugged work ethic, honed in a league where results are hard‑earned and camaraderie is everything throughout the baltic winter months.

Poland’s international rugby footprint is still growing — players and fans alike yearn for the game to reach the kind of depth seen across Western Europe, but clubs like Siedlce are laying the groundwork. In a fantasy Challenge Cup expansion to 26 teams, Pogoń would be characterful competitors: not expected to run away with titles, but fascinating opponents who can disrupt rhythm, shrug off pressure and surprise the unprepared. Their gritty determination would earn respect from a visiting Welsh region or a Premiership struggler, and highlight how rugby can thrive in the most unexpected places.

Hungary’s Extraliga may lack the limelight of bigger leagues, but teams like Battai Bulldogok are quietly shaping a unique rugby identity: disciplined, tactics-driven and above all else, passionate. Hungarian rugby is defined by its focus on structure — forward precision, territorial kicking and meticulous defence — all underpinned by a club culture that prizes collective effort over individual flash.

In our imaginative EPCR Challenge Cup expansion, Battai Bulldogok would be more than “outsiders”; they’d embody a rugby philosophy rooted in persistence and precision. Their matches would offer European viewers something different: chess‑like battles in the tight exchanges, match management that rewards patience, and moments where technique prevails over brute force.

They also stand as a reminder that rugby’s heartlands aren’t solely defined by grand stadiums and big budgets. Hungarian rugby thrives on community, determination and tactical nous — perfect ingredients for compelling underdog narratives against established professional teams.

Across the globe in Southern Africa, Namibia’s top domestic competition — the Rugby Premier League — is where sides like Wanderers RFC are building reputations for hard‑edged, fearless rugby. Namibia itself is a familiar face on the Rugby World Cup stage, regularly achieving qualification despite its small population, with forwards and backs alike steeped in the ethos of rugged, direct play.

Wanderers triumphant 2024/25 season captured local imagination, with their forward dominance and opportunistic backline finishing making them true contenders at the top of the league. In a speculative Challenge Cup expansion, Wanderers inclusion would inject something different: the raw physicality of African club rugby, where players often balance club duties with international commitments and the broader challenge of developing pathways at home.

They’d offer a compelling contrast to European professionals, and a unique side-quest that could provide a few upsets in such uncharted lands. As the URC clubs gain familiarity with seasonal trips to South Africa, adding a sporadic trip to Nambia into the mix would reignite the spark that was once witnessed by the South African expansion into the Northern Hemisphere scheduling.