1895 Cup Format Confirmed for 2026
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
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