UK Men's Super League : 2026

The 2026 season is to get underway on the 12th of February. The number of teams has been increased from 12 to 14, a move long overdue. It will eliminate loop fixtures where some teams in the league play more often than twice, home and away.

Twelve of the sides are based in the north of England and two are based in the south of France. Hopefully, the geographical spread will widen in due time beyond two regions. London is an obvious expansion location. 

The three new clubs are highlighted in the gold colour. Bradford has a long SL history and a striong following. Toulouse had a brief encounter and hopefully a longer stay this time. York is a first timer, so a new chapter for the code in that picturesque cathedral city.  

One club was relegated and that was Salford. They have formed a new club and that will play in the second division (Championship).

The first game will be between newly promoted York Knights and reigning champions Hull KR. There should be a sell out crowd although York don't do attendance figures so we may never know how many were actually there. We will if it's a sell out. 

To keep up with the scores, go to the BBC website. Then click on 'Scores & Fixtures' and for the league ladder, click on 'Table'. Game highlights can be seen by clicking here. Buckle up. 

 

UK Men's Championship : 2026

The UK second division has just commenced this weekend, the 16th of February. There are 21 sides taking part despite the list showing 22. 

The eagle eyed among you will have noticed that Featherstone is a different colour. That's because they went into administration, an ownership bid to revive the club was rejected by the RFL (governing body). 

Therefore, the club is in a state of hiatus for the time being. I hope the Featherstine fans get their club back soon.

The other team highlighted is Salford, which was demoted from Super League (first division). They too had financial difficulties but the new owners were approved and they will take their place in the competition.

This season's Championship is an amalgamation of it and the lower division, League 1. League 1 was small and not financially strong. It is hoped that this combination will provide more games, more revenue and more variety. The negative could be some blow out scorelines. 

The Championship will have an extended and amended playoff structure, played over four weekends and featuring ten teams. Last year, the Championship playoffs were over three weeks and featured six teams.  

One way to keep in touch with the season is go to the BBC website (click here). Then the 'Scores & Fixtures' tab will show results under the 'Betfred Championship' title. The tab next to it is 'Tables'. Click on that and type 'Championship' in the search box. There you will find the league table, updated as the season progresses.