Former England star Luke Gale will join broadcaster James Deighton for the 1895 Cup Preliminary and Round One draw on Sunday (15 February), live on BBC Radio Leeds from 5.40pm.

The competition returns for 2026 with a new format featuring 19 Betfred Championship clubs.

In Sunday’s draw, six balls will be drawn first to create three Preliminary Round ties. After that, the remaining teams, plus the three sides still in the Challenge Cup and the winners of the Preliminary Round ties, will be drawn to create the eight Round One matches.

Preliminary Round fixtures will be played on the weekend of March 14/15 with Round One scheduled to take place on April 18/19.

The Final of the 1895 Cup will be played on Monday, 31 August, with the venue to be confirmed.

Ball numbers for Sunday’s draw can be found below:

1.          Barrow Raiders

2.          Batley Bulldogs

3.          Dewsbury Rams

4.          Doncaster RLFC

5.          Hunslet RLFC 

6.          London Broncos

7.          Midlands Hurricanes   

8.          Newcastle Thunder     

9.          North Wales Crusaders

10.        Rochdale Hornets

11.        Salford RLFC

12.        Sheffield Eagles

13.        Swinton Lions

14.        Whitehaven RLFC         

15.        Widnes Vikings

16.        Workington Town

On the conclusion of the draw for the Preliminary round, balls 17-19 to be added:

17.        Goole Vikings

18.        Keighley Cougars

19.        Oldham RLFC

Key dates for the 1895 Cup:

Preliminary Round – 14/15 March

First Round - 18/19 April

Quarter Finals – 16/17 May

Semi Finals – 13/14 June

Final – 31 August, venue TBC

Highlights from 2025 1895 Victory Against Dewsbury Rams