Champions Cup: How each Gallagher Prem team can qualify for the Round of 16

Here we assess where each side stands, the fixtures that will define their campaigns, and the points they must gather to reach the knockouts as the margins tighten over the decisive final fortnight of the pool stage.

Saracens are joint second with Toulouse and Sale on six points, one behind Glasgow Warriors who sit on a perfect 10 after two games, and just a point clear of Hollywoodbets Sharks. With the two Sharks sides meeting in Manchester this weekend and Sarries hosting Toulouse, the upcoming round is crucial.

A win would all but secure a top-four finish and a place in the round of 16. Defeat, however, could see one – or both, in the event of a draw – of the Sharks leapfrog them, leaving Saracens on the edge of qualification. With a daunting final-round trip to Glasgow to come, this feels like a must-win.

Sale find themselves in the same position as Saracens, but with home games against the Sharks this weekend and a final trip to Toulouse. Given how unlikely a win in Toulouse appears, this weekend becomes vital.

If Sale can get the job done, they will almost certainly secure a top-four spot regardless of other results. This is a fiercely competitive pool.

Pool 2 could not be tighter, with just one point separating Bath at the top from Edinburgh at the bottom, and every team holding one win and one loss. Bath travel to Castres this weekend before hosting Edinburgh in the final round—two fixtures that look winnable on paper, though Castres away is notoriously difficult.

With so little margin for error, Bath simply need to accumulate as many points as possible. There is a genuine opportunity to top the pool and secure a top-four seeding, which would guarantee a home quarter-final.

Gloucester’s situation mirrors Bath’s, although they sit a point behind and are level with the rest of the pool. They face Edinburgh away before hosting Toulon, two challenging fixtures, even if French sides often struggle on the road in Europe. With their domestic campaign effectively over, a strong European run could inject some much-needed positivity back into Kingsholm.

Quins have one win and six points after two rounds in Pool 3. They welcome DHL Stormers (on nine points) before travelling to La Rochelle (five points).

Victory over the Stormers would make qualification for the knockouts almost a certainty, and could even open the door to a top-two finish if results fall their way. Like Gloucester, with their league season already fading, Europe has become their primary focus.

Still without a point, Tigers host fellow winless side Bayonne this weekend. A victory would at least put a fifth-place finish—and a Challenge Cup spot—firmly within reach.

Many supporters may see that as the more realistic and even preferable route, given the squad’s current limitations and the strain of competing on multiple fronts. Beating Bayonne would likely set up that outcome.

Pool 4 has split cleanly in two: three teams with two wins and three with none. Saints sit at the summit after two dominant performances, and their aim now is to finish top. They face a repeat of the 2025 final away to Bordeaux, a daunting assignment, before what should be a more manageable home fixture against Scarlets.

One win from those two should be enough to secure at least second place—and likely the strongest seeding among the runners-up for the round of 16.

Bristol also boast two wins from two and are in the upper half of the pool. They travel to South Africa to face the Bulls this weekend, then host Bordeaux in the final round—two extremely tough matches.

While topping the pool may be ambitious, knockout qualification is firmly within reach, and the priority will be to position themselves as favourably as possible for the next stage.