Connacht and Ulster have home fixtures in the opening round of the BKT United Rugby Championship next season
The full BKT United Rugby Championship fixture list for the 2025/26 season has been officially released – marking the earliest ever publication of league fixtures in competition history.
With the campaign set to get underway on September 26, this release arrives 128 days ahead of round 1, beating the previous benchmark of 114 days.
The record-setting publication offers fans and teams more time than ever before to plan their schedules around the league’s biggest moments.
Round 1 will kick off in Cape Town where eight-time league winners Leinster will play the DHL Stormers, who won the URC title in 2022, at DHL Stadium on Friday, September 26.
Matches will take place across the opening weekend in all five competing territories, with Connacht and Ulster both beginning the new season with home matches, respectively hosting Benetton Rugby in Galway on Saturday, September 27, and the Dragons in Belfast the previous night.
Munster, who have joined Leinster in this season’s URC play-offs, will head to Llanelli for their first game under incoming head coach Clayton McMillan. They visit the Scarlets for an early evening kick-off on Saturday, September 27.
The 2025/26 season promises a packed calendar of action, including festive derby rounds which are once again locked in for rounds 7, 8, and 9, while the ‘Race to the Eight’ steps up from round 13 as teams compete for quarter-final places and Investec Champions Cup qualification.
The first interprovincial derbies will see Leinster and Munster go head-to-head on Saturday, October 18, and Munster and Connacht clash the following week.
Dexcom Stadium – with its new North Stand expected to be completed by the end of the year – and Thomond Park are sure to be packed out on Saturday, December 27 for the Connacht-Ulster and Munster-Leinster match-ups.
The Christmas cheer will give way to New Year celebrations when Ulster host Munster on Friday, January 2, ahead of Connacht’s encounter with Leinster in Dublin the next day.
A range of themed rounds such as the Kids Round, Origin Round, and Unity Round will be confirmed in the coming weeks, enhancing the match-day experience for fans and teams alike.
The format of the competition remains unchanged, with the top eight teams progressing to the play-offs which start on May 29. The semi-finals will be played on Saturday, June 6, followed by the final on Saturday, June 20 to crown the 2025/26 champions.
Broadcast coverage for fixtures will continue to evolve, with additional partners to be announced as talks with a free-to-air partner in the UK and in international territories continue.
