UK Championship League: 2026

This competition is almost in the 'too hard' basket of UK RL. It costs money to run but doesn't generate enough to stand alone. Obviously, sponsorships, ticket sales, and revenue from other locally generated means are important. Centrally distributed funds are also needed. How much does that amount to?

I don't know, but the top amount is £147,000 and the lowest £28,000. The total would exceed £1,000,000, which I assume is money they don't generate. Still, they are an important part of the pyramid of the game, so money well spent. 

As for the season itself...much to be dissected. With the combining of the two leagues below the elite Super League, it ended up as one twenty team league. Let's break it down.

Three teams were promoted to SL and one was shut down due to finances. They are listed at the bottom of the chart below. Salford was relegated from SL. Only two of the six Championship play off clubs from 2025 made it onto the list below. They are Oldham and Halifax. 

Teams marked with a P in the 25 column are clubs that came up from the lower division when it was terminated. They looked like they would be lambs to the slaughter, but not so. Three made the ten team play offs. 

The amazing club is the Newcastle Thunder. They came last in the lower League One with no wins from eighteen matches. This year, rubbing shoulders with experienced Championship sides looked a daunting prospect. Instead, they have come second! Why? Strategic partnerships with SL York and NRL Penrith helped. They have also improved their whole operation in various areas. It just shows the potential when a club is well run and gets strong initiatives in place.

Halifax and North Wales had points deducted for financial issues. North Wales moves to South Wales next year. More travel, but hopefully the southern regions of Wales has more to offer.

The play offs will be covered soon. 

SL Attendances : 2026

Attendances for the UK elite division in 2026 are up 16.6%. A positive result, but more complicated than that. Going to 14 teams has lifted total attendances, but all the new clubs are below the average figure. Yet it hasn't affected the average. 

That's a positive, as the three new teams should have negatively impacted the average. That begs the question, why has the average held up well? The incumbent clubs have, for the most part, broken even or gone up. Well done to them and their fans. 

A recent issue is playing a games in the USA. Wigan in 2025 (45,209) and Hull KR in 2026 (45,719) has affected their averages greatly. I just can't ignore their 'home game' overseas and the people who turned up to watch. This year Wigan are well down and KR well up just because of this one promotion. 

I was going to do historical averages as I did with the NRL. However, with promotion and relegation, it was going to be fiddly to do. I might do a piece separately on that. 

Queensland Cup Regular Season : 2026

I don't follow it week by week, but it is a strong competition so I check in at the end of the season to see. It does vary quite dramatically too, as we shall see. Green shows the teams making it to the finals and yellow for those whose season finished at the conclusion of the league competition. 

The Sunshine Coast won the league for the first time since 2019. The Redcliff Dolphins last won in 2018 and again missed out this year. The Central Queensland Capras came from 13th to 3rd in a huge swing in a positive direction.  

The Burleigh Bears were the league winners in 2025 but could only manage 4th this year. They also won the league in 2022 and 2023. The Mackay Cutters and Brisbane Tigers made the finals after failing to do so last year.

Wynnum-Manly, Norths Devils and PNG Hunters competed in the finals last year but missed out in 2025. Northern Pride won the league in 2024 but failed to even make the finals series since. Spare a thought for the Western Clydesdales, who since their formation four years ago, have been perennial bottom feeders. They play out of Toowoomba and do have a history that was broken for a time before their recent emergence.

UK WSL 2026 League Standings (Women)

The 2026 league has been concluded. How have the clubs fared? Here's my assessment.

I don't have in depth knowledge, but it's clear there are two divisions within one. There isn't enough talent to support eight clubs with any level of equality. The only way to increase the quality in depth is by offering young women a pathway and a chance to play the game competitively. 

5-8. While these four teams are good enough for the top 8, they are well off the pace when compared to the top four.

1-4. These teams possess the most talented players. Still, the top two within this elite level were a notch above the other two below them. 

To deal with the difference between the top four and lower four, the top four were then divided into the Super 4s, retaining their points from the table above and adding to them. 

Wigan did drop a game but ended well ahead. Three below had a tussle, with York slipping past St Helens on points difference. 

York's inflicting Wigan's only loss in the last game of the Super 4s securing a playoff match with Leeds.  They now play off to see who makes the grand final against the leading club, Wigan. 

The lower four then carried over their points into the Shield phase. The rank was only changed with Barrow moving up, courtesy of a superior goal difference. Barrow won two of their Shield games and Leigh lost all of theirs.

Leigh now has to defeat an as yet unknown opponent from the lower division to retain their Super League status. 

NRLW 2026 League Standings (Women)

The 2026 women's league has been concluded. How have the clubs fared? Here's my assessment.

12: St George Dragons. Tenth last year and twelfth this year. They are not a strong club presently. A season to forget. 

11: Canterbury Bulldogs. Very similar to St George but slightly elevated. 

10: North Queensland. They were top four last year and didn't cover losses in the roster. 

9: Cronulla Sharks. It's been suggested they haven't invested as heavily as other clubs and if that's the case, then dropping to tenth from finals footie is all they could expect. 

8: Parramatta Eels. Much the same as last year. 

7: NZ Warriors. The roster was strengthened and early on, they looked finals ready. Then the wheels fell off and they became the worst team in the competition. Embarrassing.

I will do the top six teams, with the finals review coming soon.

European SL 2026 League Standings

The 2026 league has been concluded. How have the clubs fared? Here's my assessment.

14: Bradford Bulls. Newly promoted in 2026 and with a full allocation of funds, yet still got the wooden spoon. A rubbish effort and need to do better.

13: Castleford Tigers. One from bottom last year and with two more teams competing, still second from last. Occasionally played really well but the rest of the time terrible.

12: Huddersfield Giants. Started really badly but by the end of the season, one of the form teams. If only they had started better....

11: Hull FC. Seventh to eleventh. There were glimpses of quality but it was not delivered with any consistency. 

10: York Knights. Newly promoted and with less funding than others, yet somehow put out a more than creditable performance. They had wooden spoon potential, but were far better than that.

9: Catalan Dragons. Fully funded but paying travel expenses for all visiting UK teams. Their poor recruitment is letting the club down.

8: Toulouse Olympique. Not fully funded and paying travel expenses for all visiting UK teams. They really should have finished bottom of the table but had a wow of a season, all things considered. 

7: St Helens. My record of allocating points show this to be their worst season since the 1993-94 season. Perhaps their fifth finish last year should have been a warning. The roster needs some work. 

I will do the top six teams with the finals review coming soon.

NRL 2026 League Standings

The 2026 league has been concluded. How have the clubs fared? Here's my assessment.

17: St George Dragons. No dragon slaying here. Wooden spoon winners and dropped two places from last year. Worse points differential too so absolutely got what they deserve.   

16: Gold Coast Titans. A better roster than the outcome. Points difference higher than the two above, which indicates they should have finished higher. 

15: Wests Tigers. Started the season strongly but imploded as the season progressed. Off field dramas didn't help. 

14: Brisbane Broncos. Fourth in the league and grand final winners in 2025. What a debacle this season! A rubbish effort and underachieved badly.

13: Parramatta Eels. Not a bad roster but dropping two places from 2025 was a poor result with the potential they have. 

12: Canterbury Bulldogs. Third in 2025 and started 2026 well but imploded. This was well short of where they should be. A season to forget.

11: Canberra Raiders. From league winners to eleventh was a shock. Probably overachieved in 2025 and underachieved this season.

10: Melbourne Storm. The worst result since 2010 when they were barred from winning points. 2002 was in fact the last time they finished lower in normal circumstances. They are expected to be in the finals.

9: Manly Sea Eagles. Same as last year and have found their level. Started well and then the wheels fell off.

I will do the top eight teams with the finals review coming soon.

NRL Attendances : 2026 & Much More

Attendances for 2026 are up 1.9% on the complete 2025 figure, and up 28.3%  when compared to the previous years, going back to 2000. A positive result, especially the historical one. The averages below for each club exclude Magic Weekend matches but the total average includes it. 

The Dolphins are an anomaly, due to the fact that some of their games are played at their home ground, which is a small suburban one, and the rest that are played at Suncorp Stadium, which is very large. They are also the newest club in the competition, currently in their fourth year. 

Another recent issue is playing a few games in the USA. The Roosters and Sea Eagles benefitted in 2024 (40,746 attendance), Raiders and Panthers in 2025 (45,209), Bulldogs and Knights in 2026 (45,719). This can throw up short term variances. 

Overall, not a great result compared to 2025. Perth come in next year and the 20,000 average is the same as their full capacity. Therefore, unless they sell out every match, won't quite help the average grow. Of course, the benefit to the code is far more important than that single metric.