2026 RFL Championship
| 2026 Betfred Championship | |
|---|---|
| Duration | January – October 2026 |
| Teams | 20 |
| Matches played | 264 |
| Points scored | 1,775 |
| Highest attendance | 4,380 London Broncos v Widnes Vikings (18 January) |
| Lowest attendance | 208 Midlands Hurricanes v Goole Vikings (23 June) |
| Average attendance | 1,231 |
| Total attendance | 28,020 |
| 2026 season | |
| League Leaders' Shield | London Broncos |
| Biggest home win | Doncaster 120–0 North Wales Crusaders (9 August) |
| Biggest away win | North Wales Crusaders 0–134 London Broncos (7 June) |
| Top point-scorer | Jimmy Meadows (182) |
| Top try-scorer | Morea Morea (25) |
The 2026 RFL Championship (officially known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league club competition. The second tier of the British rugby league system comprises 20 clubs - this is due to the Rugby Football League (RFL) announcing that the Championship and League One competitions were to be combined for the 2026 season.[1]
Team changes
Due to the merging of the third tier League One with the Championship into one competition, the Championship increased from 13 clubs to 21 for the 2026 season.[2]
The clubs joining the Championship from League One are:
- Dewsbury Rams
- Goole Vikings
- Keighley Cougars
- Midlands Hurricanes
- Newcastle Thunder
- North Wales Crusaders
- Rochdale Hornets
- Swinton Lions
- Whitehaven
- Workington Town
If the two divisions had not been merged, North Wales would have been promoted to the Championship anyway as winners of the 2025 RFL League One season.[3]
On 16 October 2025 the Bradford Bulls were to be promoted to the Super League and were replaced by the Salford Red Devils. Salford were relegated from Super League via the IMG grading system, as was Bradford's elevation.[4] The following day the two teams joining the Super League as a result of its expansion to 14 teams[5] were announced. Toulouse Olympique and the York Knights were promoted via an independent panel.[6]
On 3 December 2025, Salford was liquidated as a result of unpaid debts to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and as a result had their membership with the RFL terminated, and would no longer compete in the Championship.[7] The RFL hoped that a phoenix club could be created to contest the fixtures, with Salford having until 11 December to submit a viable proposal with a decision scheduled for 17 December.[8][9] On 17 December, the timeline was extended.[10] On 22 December, a phoenix club was approved to complete in the 2026 Championship.[11][12]
Featherstone Rovers went into administration in December 2025 and as no satisfactory bid to take over the club emerged by the week before the start of the season, the RFL removed the club from the 2026 season.[13] Further complications arose when Halifax Panthers were wound-up following non-payment of monies due to HMRC on 9 February 2026.[14] The Panthers' membership of the RFL, and therefore the club's permission to participate in the Championship, was withdrawn on 11 February.[15] On 3 March, the RFL granted membership to a new Halifax Panthers club who re-joined the Championship with a 12-point deduction.[16]
North Wales Crusaders were the next team to hit difficulties as the owners withdrew further funding on 9 April.[17] The club's game against Keighley Cougars took place but only because two Crusaders' fans paid the players' wages.[18] The subsequent 1895 Cup game against Midlands Hurricanes was forfeited by the Crusaders and the next scheduled league game against Doncaster was postponed on 27 April after many players left the club.[19][20] On 6 May, the RFL terminated the Crusaders' membership due to an insolvency event. The following day, the RFL announced that it had approved membership of a new ownership group for the remainder of the 2026 season. The club also received a 12-point deduction.[21]
Fixtures format
The growth from 13 to an originally-planned 21 teams required the development of a new fixture scheduling format, with 40 fixtures deemed far too many for the calendar.[22] A new format, described as a 'pendulum system', was devised, to retain 24 fixtures as in the previous Championship season. To allocate 20 of the fixtures per club, teams play two matches, home and away, against the 10 clubs that finished closest to them in the previous season.[23]
For example, London Broncos, having finished 10th in the 2025 Championship, will play the teams who finished: 5th to 9th and 11th to 13th in the 2025 Championship; and 1st and 2nd in the 2025 League One. Salford, the highest-ranked team having been relegated from the Super League in 2025, will play the 10 teams who finished 3rd to 12th in the 2025 Championship (clubs in 1st and 2nd having been promoted to the 2026 Super League), while Newcastle Thunder, the lowest-ranked team having finished 10th in 2025 League One, will play the nine teams from the 2025 League One plus the 13th placed team from the 2025 Championship.[23]
The final four fixtures are home and away ties against two teams, primarily based on ensuring local derby matches could take place, and then filling up the fixture list to minimise overall travel.[23] These games only include matches between teams that were not previously scheduled: for example, the three most northerly teams - Whitehaven, Workington and Newcastle - were already due to play each other, and so did not have extra games scheduled between them. Rather, all three were given games against the Cumbrian team Barrow,[23] with Workington being drawn against Widnes, Whitehaven against Sheffield and Newcastle against Batley.
After Featherstone withdrew, a new round of replacement fixtures were announced for the clubs due to have played Featherstone.[24] This reverted a decision to not schedule new fixtures, which would have shifted the table to being decided by win percentage rather than competition points.[25] No further information regarding the Championship structure was given at this time other than the postponement of the Halifax game against Sheffield scheduled for 15 February.[26]
Clubs
Stadiums and locations
25miles
| Team | 2025 Position | Head coach | Captain | Stadium | Capacity | Grading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Barrow Raiders |
9th | Paul Crarey | Ryan Johnston | Craven Park | 4,000 | B |
 Batley Bulldogs |
12th | James Ford | Alistair Leak, Dane Manning | Mount Pleasant | 7,500 | B |
 Dewsbury Rams |
4th League One | Paul March | George Senior | Crown Flatt | 5,100 | C |
 Doncaster |
8th | Richard Horne | Cory Aston | Eco-Power Stadium | 15,231 | B |
 Goole Vikings |
7th League One | Scott Taylor | Brett Ferres | Victoria Pleasure Grounds | 3,000 | C |
 Halifax Panthers |
5th | Kyle Eastmond | Ben Crooks | The Shay | 10,401 | B |
 Hunslet |
13th | Kyle Trout | Billy Jowitt | South Leeds Stadium | 3,450 | C |
 Keighley Cougars |
9th League One |
|
Matty Beharrell | Cougar Park | 7,800 | –[a] |
 London Broncos |
10th | Jason Demetriou | Reagan Campbell-Gillard | Plough Lane | 9,215 | B |
 Midlands Hurricanes |
5th League One | Mark Dunning | Jon Luke Kirby | Avery Fields | 1,500 | C |
 Newcastle Thunder |
10th League One | Graham Steadman | Crow Trees Ground | 2,000 | –[a] | |
 North Wales Crusaders |
1st League One |
|
Dom Horn | Eirias Stadium | 5,500 | C |
 Oldham |
4th | Alan Kilshaw | Matty Wildie | Boundary Park[b] | 13,186 | B |
 Rochdale Hornets |
6th League One | Gary Thornton | Ross Whitmore | Spotland Stadium | 10,249 | C |
 Salford RLFC |
12th Super League[c] |
|
Brad Dwyer | Salford Community Stadium | 12,000 | B |
 Sheffield Eagles |
11th | Craig Lingard | Joel Farrell |
|
|
B |
 Swinton Lions |
3rd League One |
|
Gavin Rodden | Heywood Road | 3,387 | C |
 Whitehaven |
8th League One |
|
Jordan Burns | Recreation Ground | 7,500 | C |
 Widnes Vikings |
7th | Allan Coleman | Jack Owens | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | B |
 Workington Town |
2nd League One | Jonty Gorley | Stevie Scholey | Derwent Park | 10,000 | C |
- 1 2 Not graded as required information was not submitted to the RFL on time
- ↑ Oldham played their first four home games at Bower Fold due to a dispute over their use of Boundary Park
- ↑ Position achieved by a previous iteration of the club
Regular season
Results
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Broncos (L) |
23 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1445 | 278 | +1167 | 44 | League Leaders Shield and qualify for Qualifying Finals |
| 2 | Newcastle Thunder (T) |
23 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 1037 | 296 | +741 | 40 | Qualifying Finals |
| 3 | Oldham (T) |
23 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 755 | 389 | +366 | 40 | Qualifying Semi-Finals |
| 4 | Doncaster (Q) |
22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 867 | 329 | +538 | 36 | |
| 5 | Widnes Vikings (Q) |
23 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 749 | 344 | +405 | 34 | |
| 6 | Barrow Raiders (T) |
23 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 613 | 437 | +176 | 32 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Eagles (T) |
23 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 629 | 537 | +92 | 30 | Eliminators |
| 8 | Midlands Hurricanes (Q) |
22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 516 | 628 | −112 | 23 | |
| 9 | Batley Bulldogs (Q) |
23 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 639 | 555 | +84 | 22 | |
| 10 | Whitehaven (Q) |
23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 490 | 645 | −155 | 21 | |
| 11 | Dewsbury Rams |
23 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 516 | 596 | −80 | 16 | |
| 12 | Hunslet |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 496 | 776 | −280 | 16 | |
| 13 | Goole Vikings |
22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 494 | 793 | −299 | 16 | |
| 14 | Rochdale Hornets |
23 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 389 | 722 | −333 | 16 | |
| 15 | Salford |
23 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 528 | 780 | −252 | 14 | |
| 16 | Swinton Lions |
23 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 470 | 726 | −256 | 13 | |
| 17 | Keighley Cougars |
23 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 575 | 660 | −85 | 12 | |
| 18 | Workington Town |
23 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 452 | 706 | −254 | 11 | |
| 19 | Halifax Panthers |
23 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 540 | 649 | −109 | 4[a] | |
| 20 | North Wales Crusaders |
23 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 282 | 1636 | −1354 | −6[b] |
(L) League Leader's Shield; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (T) Qualified, but not yet for the particular phase indicated
Notes:
Play-offs
A 10 team play-off structure based on the McIntyre system which allows higher qualified teams to lose more games before being eliminated compared to lower qualified teams was introduced for this year.[30]
System summary
Week 1 (four games)
- 1st–2nd: Bye to week 2 Qualifiers
- 3rd–6th: Qualifiers
- Winners progress to week 2 Qualifiers
- Losers progress to week 2 Eliminators
- 7th–10th: Eliminators
- Winners progress to week 2 Eliminators
- Losers eliminated
Week 2 (four games)
- Qualifiers
- Winners bye to week 4
- Losers progress to week 3
- Eliminators
- Winners progress to week 3
- Losers eliminated
Week 3 (two games)
- Preliminary semi-finals
- Winners progress to week 4
- Losers eliminated
Week 4 (two games)
- Semi-finals
- Winners progress to week 5
- Losers eliminated
Week 5 (one game)
- Grand Final
Team bracket
| Qualifying Semi-Finals and Eliminators | Qualifying and Elimination Finals | Sudden Death Play-Offs | Preliminary Finals | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| QSF1 | QF1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | London Broncos | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Highest ranked winner of QSF1&2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| QSF2 | QF2 | SD1 | PF1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 2 | Highest ranked loser of QF1&2 | Highest ranked winner of QF1&2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | - | Lowest ranked winner of QSF1&2 | Lowest ranked winner of EF1&2 | Lowest ranked winner of SD1&2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranked winner of PF1&2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | EF1 | SD2 | PF2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest ranked winner of PF1&2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Highest ranked loser of QSF1&2 | Lowest ranked loser of QF1&2 | Lowest ranked winner of QF1&2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Lowest ranked winner of E1&2 | Highest ranked winner of EF1&2 | Highest ranked winner of SD1&2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | EF2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Lowest ranked loser of QSF1&2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Highest ranked winner of E1&2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Top 10 try scorers
| Rank | Player (s) | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Neil Tchamambe |
London Broncos |
28 |
 Gairo Voro |
London Broncos | ||
| 3 | Brad Ward |
Newcastle Thunder |
26 |
| 4 | Morea Morea |
London Broncos |
25 |
| 5 | .svg.png){kind=small} Luke Smith |
London Broncos |
21 |
 Billy Walkley |
Sheffield Eagles | ||
| 7 | Jordan Lipp |
Newcastle Thunder |
20 |
| 8 | Matthew Chrimes |
Midlands Hurricanes |
19 |
| Andy Djeukessi |
Newcastle Thunder | ||
| Luke Forber |
North Wales Crusaders / Oldham | ||
As of 24 August 2026[31]
Top 10 goal scorers
| Rank | Player (s) | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Meadows |
London Broncos |
115 |
| 2 | Connor Robinson |
Doncaster |
78 |
| 3 | Myles Harrison |
Newcastle Thunder |
75 |
| 4 | Brad Walker |
Barrow Raiders |
70 |
| 5 | Ciaran Walker |
Whitehaven |
69 |
| 6 | Jack Miller |
Goole Vikings |
61 |
| 7 | Jacob Hookem |
Dewsbury Rams |
59 |
| Sully Medforth |
Midlands Hurricanes | ||
| Ben Reynolds |
Batley Bulldogs | ||
| 10 | Kieran Dixon |
Oldham / Salford |
55 |
As of 6 August 2026[32]
Top 10 point scorers
| Rank | Player (s) | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Meadows |
London Broncos |
258 |
| 2 | Ciaran Walker |
Whitehaven |
182 |
| 3 | Connor Robinson |
Doncaster |
168 |
| 4 | Myles Harrison |
Newcastle Thunder |
166 |
| 5 | Ben Reynolds |
Batley Bulldogs |
154 |
| 6 | Gairo Voro |
London Broncos |
152 |
| 7 | Brad Walker |
Barrow Raiders |
146 |
| 8 | Kieran Dixon |
Oldham / Salford |
134 |
| Sully Medforth |
Midlands Hurricanes | ||
| 10 | Jack Miller |
Goole Vikings |
130 |
As of 6 August 2026[33]
Discipline
Yellow cards
Red cards
| Rank | Player (s) | Club |  Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Danny Addy |
Dewsbury Rams |
1 |
| Harry Coleman |
North Wales Crusaders | ||
| Will Fernley | |||
| Jamie Dallimore |
Rochdale Hornets | ||
 Samuel Kibula |
Swinton Lions | ||
| Ellis Nixon |
Whitehaven RLFC |
As of 17 June 2026[34]
Notes
References
- ↑ "New format outside Betfred Super League in 2026". 27 August 2025.
- ↑ "Rugby league's second and third tiers to merge". 27 August 2025.
- ↑ "North Wales Crusaders aim for Super League with 'sustainable' mantra". BBC Sport. 8 September 2025.
- ↑ "Salford Red Devils relegated from Super League after grading announcement". 16 October 2025.
- ↑ "Super League to expand to 14 teams from 2026". 28 July 2025.
- ↑ "Toulouse Olympique and York Knights give Super League golden ticket as London Broncos miss out". 17 October 2025.
- ↑ "Salford Red Devils: Troubled ex-Super League club wound up by High Court". BBC Sport. 3 December 2025.
- ↑ McAllister, Josh (8 December 2025). "RFL confirm bids to relaunch Salford with decision deadlines set". All Out Rugby League.
- ↑ Bower, Aaron (8 December 2025). "Major Salford Red Devils update as deadline passes for ownership". Love Rugby League.
- ↑ McAllister, Josh (17 December 2025). "Salford Red Devils decision pushed back as RFL talks continue". All Out Rugby League.
- ↑ "Salford Red Devils: RFL give new side Championship membership". BBC Sport. 22 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ↑ "Salford rugby league team granted entry into the 2026 Championship under new consortium led by Mason Caton-Brown". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ↑ "Featherstone Rovers removed from Championship by RFL". Total RL. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ↑ "Halifax Panthers plunged into uncertainty after High Court ruling". Yorkshire Post. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ↑ "Halifax Panthers' membership of RFL removed". Total RL. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ↑ "Halifax Panthers: Championship club regain RFL membership after liquidation". BBC Sport. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ Bower, Aaron (9 April 2026). "North Wales Crusaders owners pull funding, face uncertain future". Love Rugby League.
- ↑ Davidson, John (16 April 2026). "Furious parents owed £10,000s by owners of collapsing Welsh rugby club". The i Paper. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ "RFL confirms 48-0 defeat for North Wales Crusaders in 1895 Cup". North Wales Pioneer. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ Bower, Aaron (27 April 2026). "North Wales Crusaders future in doubt as club forfeit next game". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ Bower, Aaron (7 May 2026). "North Wales saved by new owners but hit with hefty points deduction". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
- ↑ Bower, Aaron. "Championship CEO confirms 2026 structure and admits 'no perfect solution' to 21-team league". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Bower, Aaron. "How every Championship team's fixture list will look in 2026 with new-look seeding structure". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ↑ "RFL add new Championship fixtures after Featherstone Rovers exit". Total RL. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ↑ Olawumi, Ben (9 January 2026). "Featherstone Rovers axed from Championship amid financial woes as second tier re-jigged". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ↑ "Three consortiums in line for Halifax Panthers takeover bid". Total RL. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ↑ "Sheffield Eagles RL club announces move to stadium in Dronfield". BBC News. 24 April 2026.
- ↑ "RFL approves Halifax Panthers membership and 2026 Betfred Championship entry". RFL. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ Bower, Aaron (7 May 2026). "North Wales Crusaders saved but hit with hefty points deduction". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
- ↑ "Play-Off System Confirmed for Betfred Championship". RFL. 16 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ 2026 Betfred Championship Players - Tries
- ↑ 2026 Betfred Championship Players - Goals
- ↑ 2026 Betfred Championship Players - Points
- ↑ "Rugby League Project". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 February 2026.