2026 RFL Championship
| 2026 Betfred Championship | |
|---|---|
| Duration | January – October 2026 |
| Teams | 21 |
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 21 clubs - this is due to the 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 hadn't 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 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]
Clubs
Stadiums and locations
25miles
Regular season
Results
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrow Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Batley Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Dewsbury Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Doncaster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Featherstone Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Goole Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Halifax Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Hunslet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Keighley Cougars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | London Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Midlands Hurricanes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Newcastle Thunder | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | North Wales Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Oldham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Rochdale Hornets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Salford Red Devils[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Sheffield Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Swinton Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Widnes Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Whitehaven | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Workington Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- ^ a b Not graded as required information was not submitted to the RFL on time
- ^ The Salford Red Devils’ membership of the RFL was terminated on 3 December 2025.[13] Salford were wound up by the High Court over outstanding debts and liquidated on 3 December 2025. A decision regarding new ownership and a phoenix club is due to be made on 17 December 2025.[14]
Player statistics
Discipline
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.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/clyd8n213pmo
- ^ https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12040/13486628/salford-rugby-league-team-granted-entry-into-the-2026-championship-under-new-consortium-led-by-mason-caton-brown
- ^ "Salford Red Devils - Update". www.rugby-league.com.
- ^ "Salford Red Devils: Troubled ex-Super League club wound up by High Court". BBC Sport. 3 December 2025.