Ulster’s hopes for Champions Cup qualification were dashed after Stade Francais beat Leicester in Pool 4.
Neil Doak’s side hammered Oyonnax yesterday and were waiting on other results to go their way to find out if their European campaign was to be extended.
However, Stade’s 36-21 home win over the Tigers took them to 19 points, one ahead of Ulster.
It is the first time since the 1997/1998 season there will be no Irish province in the knock-out stages.
Triple winners Leinster finished bottom of Pool 5 with five losses in six games, while Munster, who beat Treviso earlier, also endured a difficult run, coming third in Pool 4 and suffering three defeats along the way.
Clermont made a catastrophic error in their defeat to Bordeaux, opting to run a late penalty instead of kicking the penalty that would have ensure a losing bonus point and secured their passage to the last eight in place of Exeter.
As a result of that, there will definitely be an English team in the final in Lyon - four of the five Premiership sides on the same side of the draw.
The winner of Saracens v Northampton Saints will play Wasps or Exeter Chiefs. Thee-in-a-row defending champions Toulon face Johnny Sexton's former club Racing for the right to play Leicester or Stade Francais.
There are no quarter-final representatives from Ireland, Italy, Scotland or Wales.
Connacht, meanwhile, qualified for a place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals after favourable results yesterday and will play Bernard Jackman’s Grenoble away in April.
As the dust settles on a day of drama, here are the confirmed @ChampionsCup quarter-finals! pic.twitter.com/YGjGCQLJFa
— BT Sport Rugby (@btsportrugby) January 24, 2016
