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.
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 October 16/17/18, and details will be announced as soon as practicable.
As part of this adjustment to its future planning, EPCR is pleased to announce that Marseille will now host the 2021 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals at the Stade Vélodrome on the weekend of May 21/22, and that the matches at the 62,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will be rescheduled for 2022.
Tickets for this season’s finals will be valid for the 2021 weekend with no change to category or seating, and all ticket holders will be contacted by email within the next 48 hours with details of how to avail of a full refund if required.
As previously communicated, the quarter-finals of both tournaments will be played on the weekend of September 18/19/20 with the semi-finals scheduled for the weekend of September 25/26/27. Exact dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced as soon as possible.
As is now customary during the pandemic, the matches will be subject to government guidelines with the health and welfare of players, club staff, match officials, supporters and the wider rugby community to the fore.
2020 EPCR dates
Quarter-finals: weekend of September 18/19/20
Semi-finals: weekend of September 25/26/27
Heineken Champions Cup final: weekend of October 16/17/18 (venue TBC)
Challenge Cup final: weekend of October 16/17/18 (venue TBC)
Start of 2020/21 European season: weekend of December 11/12/13
Marseille 2020 finals goooooone to 2021
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Torquemada 1420
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Good luck finding a venue that will comply with those requirements; unless they play behind closed doors in which case...........
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Torquemada 1420
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I think that's the point: they want to let in a lot more than 5k. It's all a mess and maybe simpler if they had scrapped this one.Errugbi wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:46 amAren't they permitting 5000 persons in France in September? In this case any stadium will do and to be safe no English allowed.Torquemada 1420 wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:22 am Good luck finding a venue that will comply with those requirements; unless they play behind closed doors in which case...........
What about if the finalists are from the same country, play the semis / final in their country.
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Paddington Bear
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I assume it is uneconomic to have a crowd of 5,000. IIRC most Prem clubs can't break even below 8,000 minimum.
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages, What feats he did that day
