2025-26 URC to start with a bang
The Stormers host Leinster while the Sharks travel to Glasgow in a blockbuster opening weekend of the 2025-26 Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) season.
In other round 1 matches involving SA teams, the Vodacom Bulls host Ospreys, with the Lions at Cardiff.
With the campaign set to kick off on September 26, this is the earliest-ever publication of league fixtures in competition history.
'Advance planning is critical to the success of the URC, and it is fantastic that we have continued to raise the bar in publishing our fixtures as early as possible,' said URC CEO Martin Anayi.
'For clubs and fans, planning their weekends and knowing where their teams are playing so far ahead of time makes a big difference. The drama and excitement of the URC is matched by the complexity of putting all of the pieces of the fixture list together, but it is made much easier thanks to the support of our teams and broadcasters to assist us in this process.
'For the moment, we look forward to the playoffs that kick off next week after another regular season full of surprises. The Race to the Eight provided huge jeopardy and now we move into the ultimate win or go home stage of the competition which will lift the intensity up to another level.'
URC QUARTER-FINALS: Stormers to tackle champs
2026-26 URC fixtures (SA times):
Round 1
Friday, September 26
Stormers vs Leinster (19:00)
Ulster vs Dragons (21:05)
Glasgow vs Sharks (21:05)
Saturday, September 27
Bulls vs Ospreys (14:00)
Zebre vs Edinburgh (16:05)
Scarlets vs Munster (18:30)
Cardiff vs Lions (20:45)
Connacht vs Benetton (20:45)
Round 2
Friday, October 3
Stormers vs Ospreys (19:00)
Connacht vs Scarlets (21:05)
Edinburgh vs Ulster (21:05)
Dragons vs Sharks (21:05)
Saturday, October 4
Benetton vs Glasgow (18:30)
Bulls vs Leinster (18:30)
Munster vs Cardiff (20:45)
Sunday, October 5
Zebre vs Lions (15:00)
Round 3
Friday, October 10
Munster vs Edinburgh (20:45)
Scarlets vs Stormers (20:45)
Saturday, October 11
Benetton vs Lions (16:00)
Ospreys vs Zebre Parma (16:00)
Glasgow vs Dragons (18:30)
Leinster vs Sharks (18:30)
Ulster vs Bulls (20:45)
Cardiff vs Connacht (20:45)
The excitement is building! 2025/26 VURC fixtures are now confirmed!
Never miss a match, sync the full fixture list here: https://t.co/PqJkkCUoUm@vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/ebe1rORzSg
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) May 21, 2025
Round 4
Friday, October 17
Edinburgh vs Benetton (20:45)
Connacht vs Bulls (20:45)
Dragons vs Cardiff (20:45)
Saturday, October 18
Lions vs Scarlets (13:45)
Sharks vs Ulster (16:00)
Leinster vs Munster (18:15)
Zebre vs Stormers (20:45)
Ospreys vs Glasgow (20:45)
Round 5
Friday, October 24
Glasgow vs Bulls (20:45)
Saturday, October 25
Lions vs Ulster (13:45)
Sharks vs Scarlets (16:00)
Leinster vs Zebre (18:30)
Benetton vs Stormers (18:30)
Dragons vs Ospreys (18:30)
Munster vs Connacht (20:45)
Cardiff vs Edinburgh (20:45)
Round 6
Friday, November 28
Ulster vs Benetton (21:45)
Dragons vs Leinster (21:45)
Saturday, November 29
Bulls vs Lions (14:00)
Zebre vs Cardiff (15:00)
Munster vs Stormers (19:30)
Edinburgh vs Ospreys (19:30)
Connacht vs Sharks (21:45)
Scarlets vs Glasgow (21:45)
Round 7
Friday, December 19
Cardiff vs Scarlets (21:45)
Leinster vs Ulster (21:45)
Saturday, 20 December
Stormers vs Lions (15:30)
Benetton vs Zebre Parma (16:00)
Glasgow vs Edinburgh (17:00)
Sharks vs Bulls (18:00)
Ospreys vs Munster (19:30)
Dragons vs Connacht (21:45)
Round 8
Friday, December 26
Scarlets vs Ospreys (19:30)
Cardiff vs Dragons (17:00)
Saturday, December 27
Zebre vs Benetton (16:30)
Edinburgh vs Glasgow (17:00)
Connacht vs Ulster (19:30)
Munster vs Leinster (21:45)
TBC
Bulls vs Stormers (TBC)
Lions vs Sharks (TBC)
Round 9
Thursday, January 1
Dragons vs Scarlets (17:00)
Ospreys vs Cardiff (19:30)
Friday, January 2
Ulster vs Munster (21:45)
Saturday, January 3
Stormers vs Bulls (18:00)
Benetton vs Edinburgh (19:30)
Glasgow vs Zebre (21:45)
Sharks vs Lions (15:30)
Leinster vs Connacht (19:30)
Round 10
Friday, January 23
Ospreys vs Emirates Lions (21:45)
Edinburgh vs Bulls (21:45)
Munster vs Dragons (21:45)
Saturday, January 24
Scarlets vs Ulster (17:00)
Connacht vs Leinster (19:30)
Stormers vs Sharks (19:30)
Zebre vs Glasgow (21:45)
Cardiff vs Benetton (21:45)
Round 11
Friday, January 30
Benetton vs Scarlets (21:45)
Glasgow vs Munster (21:45)
Saturday, January 31
Lions vs Bulls (14:30)
Sharks vs Stormers (17:00)
Zebre vs Connacht (17:00)
Leinster vs Edinburgh (19:30)
Ospreys vs Dragons (21:45)
Ulster vs Cardiff (21:45)
Round 12
Friday, February 27
Edinburgh v Scarlets (21:45)
Cardiff vs Leinster (21:45)
Saturday, February 28
Lions vs Stormers (14:30)
Bulls vs Sharks (17:00)
Connacht vs Glasgow (17:00)
Munster vs Zebre (19:30)
Dragons vs Benetton (19:30)
Ospreys vs Ulster (21:45)
Round 13
Friday, March 20
Bulls vs Cardiff (19:00)
Scarlets vs Zebre (21:45)
Ulster vs Connacht (21:45)
Saturday, March 21
Lions vs Edinburgh (14:45)
Sharks vs Munster (17:00)
Benetton vs Ospreys (17:00)
Glasgow vs Leinster (19:30)
Stormers vs Dragons (19:30)
Round 14
Friday, March 27
Sharks vs Cardiff (19:00)
Glasgow vs Benetton (21:45)
Saturday, March 28
Bulls vs Munster (14:00)
Connacht vs Ospreys (16:15)
Lions vs Dragons (16:30)
Stormers vs Edinburgh (19:00)
Leinster vs Scarlets (19:30)
Zebre vs Ulster (21:45)
Round 15
Friday, April 17
Edinburgh vs Zebre (20:45)
Ulster vs Leinster (20:45)
Dragons vs Bulls (20:45)
Saturday, April 18
Lions vs Glasgow (15:45)
Scarlets vs Cardiff (18:30)
Benetton vs Munster (20:45)
Ospreys vs Sharks (20:45)
Round 16
Friday, April 24
Edinburgh vs Sharks (20:45)
Zebre vs Dragons (20:45)
Cardiff vs Ospreys (20:45)
Saturday, April 25
Lions vs Connacht (16:00)
Stormers vs Glasgow (18:30)
Munster vs Ulster (18:30)
Scarlets vs Bulls (20:45)
Benetton vs Leinster (20:45)
Round 17
Friday, May 8
Glasgow vs Cardiff (20:45)
Ulster vs Stormers (20:45)
Saturday, May 9
Bulls vs Zebre (13:45)
Sharks vs Benetton (16:00)
Ospreys vs Scarlets (18:30)
Leinster vs Lions (18:30)
Dragons vs Edinburgh (20:45)
Connacht vs Munster (20:45)
Round 18
Friday, May 15
Cardiff vs Stormers (20:45)
Ulster vs Glasgow (20:45)
Edinburgh vs Connacht (20:45)
Saturday, May 16
Sharks vs Zebre (13:45)
Bulls vs Benetton (16:00)
Leinster vs Ospreys (18:15)
Scarlets vs Dragons (18:15)
Munster vs Lions (20:45)
The post 2025-26 URC to start with a bang appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
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