DUBLIN'S AVIVA Stadium will host the 2023 Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals, European Professional Club Rugby has announced.
The two showpiece matches, will take place in the Irish capital on Friday, 19 May and Saturday, 20 May 2023.
The 2023 finals will return to Dublin after a decade when RC Toulon defeated ASM Clermont Auvergne to lift the Champions Cup trophy in 2013.
Dominic McKay, EPCR Chairman, said: “Following extensive discussions with all stakeholders, including the Aviva Stadium, Dublin City Council and the IRFU, we are delighted to be bringing the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals back to Dublin next May.
“The ground has a strong association with EPCR, having staged three finals over the years, and we are very much looking forward to returning to Dublin.”
The 2023 Finals were originally scheduled to be staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however, with the Premier League concluding later than usual due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in November and December, coupled with the impact of Rugby World Cup 2023 on the EPCR calendar, it was decided to select the Aviva Stadium as next season’s host venue.
McKay added:
“We are very happy to continue working with Tottenham Hotspur to stage our Finals there soon. It is a sensational stadium with a burgeoning history of hosting rugby matches.
“In the meantime, it is exciting to be returning to a rugby heartland at the Aviva Stadium, and we look forward to welcoming fans, clubs, players and stakeholders to what promises to be an outstanding weekend in May next year.”
Kevin Potts, IRFU Chief Executive, said:
“The IRFU is delighted that the Aviva Stadium has been chosen to host the 2023 Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals.
“It is an exciting prospect to have the opportunity of hosting the pinnacle of European club rugby at the home of Irish rugby. Hopefully, we will have at least one Irish team involved in the final stages of what will be a true celebration of European club rugby, stamped with the unique atmosphere that Irish supporters inevitably bring to the culmination of these major European competitions.
“Whatever the ultimate line- up, all in Irish rugby look forward to extending a warm welcome to supporters from across Europe to Dublin for what promises to be a thrilling rugby occasion.”
This season’s Champions Cup final will take place in Marseille as Leinster take on La Rochelle.
Heineken will continue as title sponsors of the Champions Cup, extending a long-standing association with the competition.
Ticket sales for Dublin 2023 open with a priority window from tomorrow (Friday, 20 May) enabling fans to secure their places and plan their weekend well in advance.
