Super League is going to look different next season. The big news is that the division is likely to expand to 14 teams, but that’s not the only change coming for fans. A review into the sport led by Nigel Wood has suggested various new ideas, with Magic Weekend, the Challenge Cup, international fixtures, the Championship, women’s and wheelchair games all affected. Now that the report has been digested, we have a fuller picture of how the sport will shape up in 2026.
Which clubs will be in the top flight next year?
Twelve clubs have applied to join the expanded Super League in 2026, including Huddersfield and Salford, who are in the top flight but have worryingly low points under the IMG system. Championship clubs York Knights, Bradford Bulls, Toulouse, Oldham, London Broncos and Widnes Vikings have also thrown their hats into the ring. Full applications are due on 12 September, with the lineup to be confirmed on 16 October.
Is Super League definitely expanding?
That is the plan but it’s not a certainty yet. The review said there is an “ambition to grow beyond 12 teams, potentially 14, 16 or 20”, but Super League may wait until 2027 to expand if there are not 14 clubs that meet their criteria. It has been rumoured that Bradford Bulls – where Nigel Wood was chair until last week – are the only Championship applicant with the financial security to cope without the full £1.2m central funding; it has also been suggested that Toulouse are willing to enter Super League on zero funding. One of them will replace Salford in October. The other may have to fight for promotion next season, possibly into a 14-team Super League in 2027. We will not know the full picture until October.
In future, promotion and relegation are likely to look similar to the Qualifiers format, with the worst Super League teams playing off against the best from the second division, culminating in a do-or-die final. Let’s hope it is better marketed than the Super 8s and its crassly dubbed Million Pound Game.
Yes, in theory. The Championship and League One are merging into a 21-team second tier, so theoretically every professional club will have a chance of reaching Super League. Ambitious York and Oldham are busy recruiting to have promotion-winning teams next year. York will have former Kangaroo Paul Vaughan leading their pack, while Oldham have already secured half of the Salford team. Even beleaguered bottom club Newcastle Thunder have begun talks with Red Bull, who recently bought the city’s union club, knowing a path to Super League is reopening.
How will they raise Super League’s profile?
The aim is to “use the talent around the room”, which seems blindingly obvious given that it includes one of the world’s top music promoters (Warrington owner Simon Moran), a publishing giant (Wigan owner Mike Danson) and several other experts in their fields. League’s stars are praised for being humble and grounded – some are virtually subterranean – but that’s a drawback for promoters. How many British high streets would Junior Nsemba be stopped in by non-hardcore fans of the sport? The review proposes a new “star creation team to showcase the athletes” and “scheduling matches to align with peak viewership times” – fewer Friday night fixtures clashes, no low-profile Thursday night games on Sky and major fixtures hidden away on the BBC iPlayer.
Will Magic and the Challenge Cup change?
Wood wants to introduce “a new flagship event” to replace Rugby League Nines and Magic. In other words, rugby league’s version of T20 or the Hundred. That seems like a stretch. More feasible is a relaunched Magic with elements of the Hundred or NRL 9s. Alternatively, Magic could evolve to host the Challenge Cup quarter-finals or last-16 games but the cup is a BBC product, Magic belongs to Sky. And would it sell the 60,000 tickets Magic does?
The Wembley final is still a major touchstone in the calendar, but the review says the cup “needs to be rationalised and regionalised”. Expect derbies manufactured in the opening rounds. Finding a set window for the Challenge Cup final – be that late April, early May or June – will enable Magic or its replacement to be placed in a different period of the summer.
What about international fixtures?
Wood, the former boss of International Rugby League, wants to “stage annual autumn international fixtures”. With the 2026 World Cup in Australia and no money available to beef up the European nations left behind, the RFL will need to be creative to deliver a “fuller, richer international calendar”. Finding a way to play a full-strength France would be the first step. Hosting annual games also puts question marks over England or Great Britain going on tour.
The desire to “seek an agreement to a 10-year World Club Challenge” with the NRL is obvious. The 2025 event didn’t happen despite Penrith and Wigan being in Las Vegas at the same time. Making the World Club Challenge part of the Vegas week would guarantee Super League involvement there.
And the women’s and wheelchair games?
Wood’s claim that the RFL could cut costs immediately triggered fears for women’s and wheelchair rugby league. The review group proposed “a separate plan that is not dependent on professional clubs”, suggesting the women’s game would be uncoupled from the men’s. Super League clubs may not be forced to fund women’s teams.
Only two of the eight clubs in Women’s Super League are not attached to men’s Super League clubs (current champions York and Barrow), which is unsurprising given the costs and logistics of running an elite amateur competition, let alone a professional one. It’s a similar picture in football and rugby union.
With interest and expertise, it can be done. London Roosters have rapidly become one of the best teams in wheelchair rugby league thanks to the Coyd family. Halifax are major contenders, and Hereford, Edinburgh and Bedford are also spreading the sport’s footprint.
Expect regional women’s teams or fewer elite clubs no longer scrambling over the same players. Plans to launch Wheelchair Premier League in winter – when fans are available to attend – should reach fruition.
What about developing players?
The review claimed “community strategy is largely solid” despite a considerable fall in the number of amateur men’s teams. Twenty years ago there were 27 teams in Cumbria; now there are 18. Devon has gone from five to none. People who play the sport are more likely to watch it, so that should be a worry.
The review group intends to “enhance coach education at community level and strengthen links between community clubs and pathway clubs”. The loan system will be tweaked; there will be more focus on “fewer, higher quality academies” and “delayed player selection decisions”. That could mean a streamlining of top grade academies and the return of Under-20s rugby.
What do they want from the French clubs?
To bring money to the table. The review group wants overseas clubs to be included as long as commercial terms are “fair, sustainable and beneficial”. They will “renegotiate France’s involvement to address current financial challenges” while also growing “the footprint of the game”. In other words, Catalans and Toulouse will stay, but only if they fend for themselves financially.
With relegation back on the cards, any club promoted this autumn could be playing the likes of Goole Vikings and Midlands Hurricanes in 2027 anyway. Promotion for clubs that are suitable for Super League – facilities, finances – is what most fans have wanted all along. It’s a shame it has taken millions of pounds and a huge amount of angst to get there.
One more thing
London Broncos are hoping for their biggest Championship crowd for many years when they host Bradford Bulls on 6 September thanks to Emilia’s Big Day. It’s a charity event centred around seven-year-old Emilia, who has recovered from the life-threatening blood condition aplastic anaemia thanks to a stem cell donor. Money is being raised for cancer charity DKMS, with fans asked to follow a lead taken by players of both clubs in having a mouth swab and registering as stem cell donors. See you there.
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