Lyon to host 2016 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals

The two highest-profile matches in the European club rugby calendar will be staged in France following confirmation that the city of Lyon will host the 2016 European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals.

Both finals will take place at the brand new 59,000-capacity Grand Stade de Lyon. The Challenge Cup decider will go ahead on Friday, 13 May 2016, with the Champions Cup final played the following day to bring the curtain down on the 21st season of European club rugby.

Click here for images of the Grand Stade de Lyon

Following a competitive tender process which was open to the countries who provide clubs to the Aviva Premiership, the Top 14 and the Guinness PRO12, the joint bid of the Federation Française de Rugby (FFR) and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) for the 2016 finals was deemed successful by the EPCR Board.

2016 will mark the fourth occasion that France has hosted European club rugby's most prestigious final. Bath Rugby were the winners in Bordeaux in 1998, then it was the turn of Leicester Tigers in 2001 at the Parc des Princes, before Toulouse won the title at the Stade de France in 2010.

The Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup finals will be the first major rugby occasions staged at the state-of-the-art Grand Stade de Lyon which will also be one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2016 finals hosting six games including a semi-final.

EPCR chairman, Simon Halliday, who made the announcement in Neuchatel, Switzerland, said: "The joint bid of the FFR and the LNR was extremely strong from both a sporting and commercial perspective and the fact that we are bringing the finals to a superb new stadium in the heart of France is a hugely positive step for European club rugby.

"Looking ahead to next season, Lyon is a major French city and is readily accessible by air, train and motorway, so I'm confident that fans of the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup will travel in numbers next May to make it a truly memorable weekend of rugby."

It is planned that details of ticket sales for the finals will be announced here during the coming weeks.

Lyon 2016 Finals

European Rugby Challenge Cup final - Friday, 13 May 2016 (21.00)

European Rugby Champions Cup final - Saturday, 14 May 2016 (17.45)

2015/16 Tournament weekends

Round 1: 12/13/14/15 November
Round 2: 19/20/21/22 November
Round 3: 10/11/12/13 December
Round 4: 17/18/19/20 December
Round 5: 14/15/16/17 January 2016
Round 6: 21/22/23/24 January 2016
Quarter-Finals: 7/8/9/10 April 2016
Semi-Finals: 22/23/24 April 2016
Finals: 13/14 May 2016