European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) has announced that Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will host the 2023 Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals.
The two showpiece matches will take place at the Dublin 4 venue on Friday 19 May and Saturday 20 May 2023.
The 2023 Finals return to Dublin after a decade when RC Toulon defeated ASM Clermont Auvergne to lift the famous silverware for the first time in 2013.
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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."
Ticket sales for Dublin 2023 open with a priority window from tomorrow (Friday, 20 May) enabling fans to secure their places and to plan their weekend well in advance.
Fans can register for the priority window by signing up to EPCR’s newsletter and they will then have access to a limited number of Golden Tickets – the best tickets at the best prices from tomorrow (Friday 20 May) until Friday week (27 May).
To date, six countries – England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Wales – have staged European club finals, and next week the spotlight moves to the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille where Leinster hope to secure a record-equalling fifth title.
IRFU Chief Executive, Kevin Potts, 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."
Niall Rynne, Chairman of the Aviva Stadium Board, added: "We are delighted to be hosting the Finals of the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. It is always one of the great weekends in European rugby. This will be the fourth time for Ireland to host the Heineken Champions Cup final and the second time for the Aviva Stadium to play host. The old Lansdowne Stadium was host in both 1999 and 2003, while the redeveloped Aviva Stadium held the final in 2013 when RC Toulon won the first of their three titles in a row.
"This will of course be the first time for the Aviva to host the EPCR Challenge Cup, although it was played in Ireland previously at the RDS in 2013.
"Ireland has of course a wonderful association with the Heineken Champions Cup in particular and I have no doubt that the prospect of a home Final in 2023 will be an even greater incentive for our Irish clubs to do well next year. One thing is certain: whoever makes the Final can be certain of a great welcome not only at the Aviva but also from the city of Dublin."
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