The two that made it were Toulouse Olympique and York Knights. The only other club that seemed to have a chance was the London Broncos but they haven't proved that they are ready. Others like Oldham were not going to succeed at this point in time.
The other factor is the scoring system, and on that basis, the decision ultimately wasn't a difficult one.
For the three that made it, a point of note. Central funding will not increase, so there is the same amount of money with two additional clubs, something had to give. With the Bradford Bulls getting the nod first, it replaces the departed Salford and receives full funding. The other two newly promoted sides get half funding.
The incumbent clubs will presumably get slightly less funding than before to accommodate the expanded competition. York and Toulouse will have to compete while receiving much less than the others. Promotion is tough enough as it is without that handicap.
Toulouse will also have to pay travel costs for the UK based teams. Each club could pay for two trips a year to France (including Catalan), but no. They have to pay for all the clubs coming over. With Toulouse already getting half the funding, that's making it doubly hard to try and compete. A French TV deal would help but it wouldn't be much help. They will have to smart in how they spend.
It is now decided. Fourteen clubs. The new teams will surely have some recruited players signed, subject to SL entry. London will be using 2026 to establish themselves as a successful and popular club in the city and they will want ot be there in 2027. Will there be sixteen in 2027? Probably not, but if a TV deal was improved due to that happening, then who knows?
Pictures: York Knights & Bradford Bulls. (I couldn't find one for TO).
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