The European rugby Champions Cup final is the last match of the competition, which sees 20 teams initially compete in five separate pools. The top eight teams from the pools progress to the knockout stage. The winning team is declared European champion and receives the European Rugby Champions Cup trophy. If the score is a draw after 80 minutes of regular play, an additional 20-minute period of play, called extra time, is added. If the score remains tied, an additional 10 minutes of sudden-death extra time are played, with the first team to score points immediately declared the winner. If no team is able to break the tie during extra time, the winner is ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. As well as the first final, the 2005 final between French teams Toulouse and Stade Français went to extra time, which Toulouse won 18–12.[2]
Toulouse are the most successful team in the history of the tournament, with three wins. Leinster and Toulon are second with three wins each. Toulon are the only team to have won three consecutive tournaments, from 2013 to 2015. Stade Français, Biarritz and Clermont have each appeared in two finals without winning. Teams from Scotland and Italy have failed to progress to the final.