2026 RFL 1895 Cup
| Duration | March – August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 19 |
The 2026 RFL 1895 Cup (also known as the 2026 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup) will be the seventh staging of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league competition for English and Welsh clubs competing outside of Super League. Due to the merging of the Championship and League One, this makes the competition solely for the Championship clubs.
Format
The tournament for 2026 had a slightly revised format from previous years, with just the single preliminary round, down from two preliminary rounds in 2025.
The final will not be played at Wembley Stadium, as has been the case for previous seasons.
Preliminary round
The preliminary round will comprise three ties, drawn from the 16 teams no longer in the 2026 Challenge Cup.[1] The ties will be played over the weekend of 14/15 March.[2]
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| London Broncos | 36–10 | Barrow Raiders | 15 March 2026, 15:00 | Richmond Athletic Ground | A. Belafonte | |
| Swinton Lions | 0–50 | Sheffield Eagles | 15 March 2026, 15:00 | Heywood Road | R. Cox | |
| Workington Town | 12–28 | Newcastle Thunder | 15 March 2026, 15:30 | Derwent Park | D. Arnold | |
| Source: | ||||||
First round
Drawn concurrently with the preliminary round on 15 February, the first round will comprise eight ties; the winners of the preliminary round, the 10 teams who were not drawn for the preliminary round, and the three teams who qualified for the fourth round of the Challenge Cup – Goole Vikings, Keighley Cougars and Oldham.[1] The ties will be played over the weekend of 18/19 April.[2]
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| Doncaster | – | Salford | 18 April 2026, 15:00 | Eco-Power Stadium | ||
| Dewsbury Rams | – | Widnes Vikings | 18/19 April 2026 | Crown Flatt | ||
| Goole Vikings | – | Whitehaven | 18/19 April 2026 | Victoria Pleasure Grounds | ||
| London Broncos | – | Keighley Cougars | 18/19 April 2026 | |||
| North Wales Crusaders | – | Midlands Hurricanes | 18/19 April 2026 | Eirias Stadium | ||
| Rochdale Hornets | – | Sheffield Eagles | 18/19 April 2026 | Spotland Stadium | ||
| Oldham | – | Hunslet | 18/19 April 2026 | Bower Fold | ||
| Newcastle Thunder | – | Batley Bulldogs | 18/19 April 2026 | Crow Trees Ground | ||
| Source: | ||||||
Quarter-finals
The ties will be played over the weekend of 16/17 May.
Semi-finals
The ties will be played over the weekend of 13/14 June. This is a weekend scheduled for league matches so some fixture rearrangement will be required.
Final
The final will be played on 31 August. This is also a weekend scheduled for league matches so some fixture rearrangement will be required.
References
- ^ a b "Format and dates for 1895 Cup finally revealed". Total RL. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ a b Bower, Aaron (15 February 2026). "RFL 1895 Cup: Preliminary, First Round draws made in competition". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 15 February 2026.