The reigning champions were Northampton Saints, who did not defend their title as they qualified for the 2009–10 Heineken Cup.

[6] Seeding was determined by the teams' position in the ERC Rankings at the time of the pool draw in June 2009.

On 28 April 2010, the competition organiser, European Rugby Cup, announced that the final would be held on 23 May.

The time was set at 13:00 UTC (14:00 BST, 15:00 CEST), but the location would depend on the result of the Connacht–Toulon semi-final.

However, it was an effective home game for Toulon; Stade Vélodrome hosted two of that club's matches in their domestic season.