Cheetahs' home ground confirmed for 2025/26 Challenge Cup

Ulster and Stade Francais fans can look forward to a trip to Amsterdam in the 2025/26 EPCR Challenge Cup after the Dutch city was confirmed as the venue for the Toyota Cheetahs’ designated “home matches” in the pool stages of the second-tier competition.

Invited to participate in the Challenge Cup but with the requirement to have a European base, the Cheetahs will host the Parisian giants at the NRCA Stadium in round two, on Saturday, 13 December, before welcoming the Irish province to the 5,000-capacity arena for the round three clash on Sunday, 11 January.

This will mark the third consecutive season in which the South African franchise have played their home pool games in the Netherlands.

The Cheetahs’ first game at the NRCA Stadium in January 2024 was watched by a crowd of 4,500 and ended in a 33-20 defeat to Pau.

Last season, the Cheetahs were unbeaten in Amsterdam, with a 20-20 draw against Perpignan and a 22-18 win against Zebre. The ground was half full for both of those matches.

The Frans Steyn-coached outfit face trips to Exeter and Racing 92 in their other pool matches.