The pool draw for the 2019/20 Challenge Cup will again take place in Lausannee, Switzerland on Wednesday 19 June at 1pm (UK and Irish time).
The twenty clubs that have qualified on merit from the TOP 14, Gallagher Premiership, Guinness PRO14, PRO D2, Greene King IPA Championship and from the Continental Shield, will be drawn in five pools of four.
The clubs are divided into four tiers based on the qualification positions, with a pre-draw carried out in advance to complete the four tiers.
Each pool will have at least one club from the TOP 14, Premiership and PRO14 and there will be no more than two clubs from the same league in a pool, so with five qualifiers the Premiership and PRO14 clubs will be split across the five pools and no two Welsh teams will be drawn in the same pool.
Neither Calvisano or Enisei, the Continental Shield qualifers, can be drawn into a pool which contains two TOP 14 clubs.
Top 14
1. Castres-Olympique
2. Stade Francais Paris
3. Toulon
4. Bordeaux-Begles
5. Pau
6. Agen
7. Bayonne
8. Brive
Premiership
1. Wasps
2. Bristol
3. Worcester
4. Leicester
5. London Irish
PRO14
1. Scarlets
2. Cardiff Blues
3. Edinburgh
4. Dragons
5. Zebre
Continental Shield (both enter Tier 4)
Enisei-STM
Calvisano
Tier 1 will include the three teams ranked No 1 above, plus two of three teams ranked second, with a draw to determine who joins top-ranked teams.
Tier 2 will include the three teams ranked No 3 above, plus the second ranked club not drawn into Tier 1 and the club which is ranked fourth from the same league as the club which was not drawn into Tier 1.
Tier 3 will include the two clubs ranked fourth which are not in Tier 2, plus the three teams ranked fifth from each league.
Tier 4 includes the remaining Top14 teams and the two clubs from the Continental Shield. Simple.
Tier 1 Clubs: Castres Olympique, Wasps, Scarlets and two other teams that are ranked 2nd will join them from Cardiff Blues, Bristol Bears and Stade Francais Paris, with the remaining side dropping into Tier 2.
Tier 2 Clubs: Toulon, Worcester Warriors, Edinburgh and two other teams, one of which will be the second ranked side not in Tier 1 and they will be joined by a fourth ranked team from their same league.
Tier 3 Clubs: Pau, London Irish, Zebre and the remaining two other teams ranked fourth, out of Dragons, Leicester Tigers and Bordeaux-Begles.
Tier 4 Clubs: Agen, Bayonne, Brive, Enisei-STM, Calvisano
Simple.
