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As Round 1 of the Investec Champions Cup got underway over the weekend, Leinster fans will have a lot to feel optimistic about for a number of reasons, which we’ll get to later.

Leinster are currently the second-most successful team in Champions Cup history, with four titles to their name. Only one club has enjoyed more European success, and that is Toulouse, who currently have six titles.

Last year’s final took place in Bilbao, Spain, and saw an epic showdown between Leinster and Bordeaux Bègles. Unfortunately for Irish fans, it was the French who had the last laugh, as Bordeaux comfortably defeated Leinster 41 -19. This time around, the finals will be contested on French soil in Lyon, with Leinster hoping to add a fifth Champions Cup trophy to their cabinet, and to go within touching distance of Toulouse’s record of six.

But what do Irish bookmakers think of The Lions’ chances? Let’s find out, as Irish bookmakers give Leinster’s Champions Cup odds.

Leinster Clear Outsiders

For a team that have won the Champions Cup four times, and finished as runners-up five times, including last year, you’d expect Leinster to be strong favs for the title for 2026/27. Unfortunately, many consider Leinster to be clear outsiders this time around, including Irish bookmakers, who currently put them as third favs.

If you wish to back them through BOYLE Sports, you can enjoy odds of 4/1, whereas Ladbrokes will give you 5/1 odds.

Leinster may have won four times previously, but their last victory came in 2018, and many would argue that their team this time around is not on the same level as it was close to a decade ago.

We can also safely assume, that a French club will likely be in contention for the title, which means that they will be on home soil. Should Leinster reach the finals, not only will they have the sweltering late May heat of Lyon to contend with, but also a very hostile atmosphere.

On the positive side of things, the team, which largely consists of home-grown talent, started the campaign off strongly. Sam Prendergast has won back-to-back ‘Player of the Match’ awards for his club, whilst Hugo Keenan at full-back has looked like an absolute machine and a work horse in every sense of the word.

The Frightening French?

The French are good at many things. Cooking? Absolutely. Baking and patisserie? Nobody better. Plus, it turns out, they’re pretty good at their sport too. Paris Saint-Germain are reigning back-to-back Champions League winners in football, whilst Kylian Mbappe is considered by many to be the best football player in the world right now. But we aren’t talking about football, we’re talking about rugby, and in the Investec Champions Cup, they appear to have a stranglehold on things at the moment.

Right now, Toulouse are favourites to add a seventh trophy to their cabinets, with BOYLE Sports offering 9/4 odds and Ladbrokes providing 2/1 odds, and that’s despite a scare against Exeter over the weekend, who missed a penalty late on, which would have put them level on points. Ultimately, it was Toulouse who were victorious against the Chiefs, with a 43 – 40 victory thanks largely to Antoine Dupont.

Bordeaux Bègles are also strongly favoured over Leinster, with BOYLE Sports offering 11/4 odds and Ladbrokes providing 5/2 odds. This time around, they’ll be looking to make it three out of three, after defeating Northampton Saints in 2025, and Leinster in 2026. With Louie Bielle-Biarrey having been named 2026 Investec Player of the Year last season, he will almost certainly be the difference maker again this season. He most certainly demonstrated this on Friday, when he scored a crucial brace late on to salvage a 36 – 36 draw against underdogs Gloucester in their opening pools game.