The Wheelchair Challenge Cup is a wheelchair rugby league competition organised by the Rugby Football League.
History The Wheelchair Challenge Cup was established in 2015. Originally the tournament was played using a knockout format. Halifax defeated Medway Dragons 120–40 in the opening round of the 2015 competition and went on to win the final against Mersey Storm before completing the double by winning the league championship. Another double followed for Halifax in 2016 which included a 92–48 win over Leeds Rhinos in the cup final. Leeds had scored over 100 points their previous two rounds but faced a Halifax side who had not lost a match since June 2015. Halifax repeated the double again in the 2017 season with a 110–48 cup final win over Leeds that included 15 tries by Jack Brown. Other notable matches included a 160–0 win for Leeds over Argonauts in the opening round and the first all-Scottish match in the competition between Dundee Dragons and Glasgow Panthers in the quarter-finals.
In 2018, a plate competition was introduced which was intended to reduce the number of one-sided fixtures being played. The two plate finalists qualified for the quarter-finals of the cup though the finals of both competitions were played on the same day. Hereford Harriers defeated North Wales Crusaders for the plate and Halifax won the cup competition for the fourth time by defeating Dundee Dragons 62–18 in the final. In 2019, the plate was replaced by Challenge Trophy played as a separate competition for teams outside of the Super League. Leeds Rhinos won 74–46 against Argonauts to win the cup for the first time.
In the draw for the 2020 cup, which contained only six teams, two were given byes to the semi-final, but following the cancellation of the 2020 competition a new format was introduced in 2021 with the teams playing in a round-robin tournament. The top two teams qualified for the final which was a repeat of the 2019 final with Leeds retaining the title with a 60–26 victory. The following year it was the top four from the round-robin stage that qualified for the semi-finals. French team, Catalans Dragons, made their début in the competition, but lost in the final to Leeds who claimed the cup for the third time. The 2023 competition saw the top two teams advance to the final. Catalans and Leeds were both unbeaten in the qualifiers and drew 4–4 against each other to set up a rematch in the final which Catalans won 66–20 to add the Challenge Cup to their French Championship and Coupe de France titles.
From 2024, the Challenge Cup reverted to a straight knockout format, like the running game, for the five Super League sides, Catalans Dragons, and the Challenge Trophy finalists. Hereford Harriers and Edinburgh Giants, who qualified through the Challenge Trophy, were both knocked out in the quarter-finals. Catalans Dragons retained the title with an 81–18 win over Wigan Warriors in the final. In 2025, the invitation for Catalans Dragons to take part was withdrawn by the Rugby Football League due to a dispute with the French Federation over international fixtures between and .
Results 2015
Sources:
2016
Sources:
2017
Sources:
2018
Sources:
2019
source:
2021
2022
2023
2024
Source:
2025 The 2025 competition was competed for by eight teams. It was originally scheduled to have nine teams participating but the invitation to French team, Catalans Dragons, was withdrawn by the RFL due to a dispute between the RFL and the French governing body, the FFR, over international matches before the England wheelchair team tour Australia at the end of 2025.
Source:
2026 The 2026 competition will be competed for by sixteen teams using a straight knockout format. The draw was seeded to keep the Super League teams apart in the first round.
Source:
Finals
+YearWinning teamScoreLosing teamVenue2015 Halifax Mersey Storm 2016 Halifax92–48 Leeds RhinosHuddersfield Sports Centre2017 Halifax110–48 Leeds Rhinos2018 Halifax62–18Dundee DragonsRichard Dunn Sports Centre, Bradford2019 Leeds Rhinos74–46ArgonautsEnglish Institute of Sport, Sheffield2020colspan=5 2021 Leeds Rhinos60–26ArgonautsEnglish Institute of Sport, Sheffield2022 Leeds Rhinos48–34 Catalans DragonsAllam Arena, Hull2023 Catalans Dragons66–20 Leeds RhinosEnglish Institute of Sport, Sheffield2024 Catalans Dragons81–18 Wigan Warriors2025 Halifax Panthers 46–24 London Roosters Robin Park Arena, Wigan2026 Halifax Panthers 92–24 Leeds Rhinos Robin Park Arena, Wigan
Results by club TeamWinnersRunners-up Halifax Panthers 6 0 Leeds Rhinos 3 4 Catalans Dragons 2 1 Argonauts 0 2 Dundee Dragons 0 1 London Roosters 0 1 Mersey Storm 0 1 Wigan Warriors 0 1
Challenge Trophy In 2018, the Rugby Football League introduced a Plate competition as part of the Challenge Cup. It was planned to continue in 2019, but was instead replaced by the inaugural Wheelchair Challenge Trophy. The Challenge Trophy is played alongside the Challenge Cup, for teams outside the Super League. This was originally played as a separate competition, but in 2024 it was announced that the two finalists would qualify to take part in the Challenge Cup.
+YearWinning teamScoreLosing teamVenue2018Hereford Harriers63–32 North Wales CrusadersRichard Dunn Sports Centre, Bradford2019Gravesend Dynamite75–48 Hull FCEnglish Institute of Sport, Sheffield2020colspan=5 2021Gravesend Dynamite19–12 Warrington WolvesCardinal Newman Catholic High School, Warrigton2022Gravesend Dynamite82–40Mersey StormAllam Arena, Hull2023Gravesend Dynamite88–8 Sheffield EaglesEnglish Institute of Sport, Sheffield2024Hereford Harriers17–16 Edinburgh GiantsNational Basketball Performance Centre, Manchester2025 Castleford Tigers4–0 North Wales CrusadersUniversity of York, York2026 Widnes Vikings10–6 Warrington WolvesDavid Ross Sports Village, Nottingham Results by club TeamWinnersRunners-up Gravesend Dynamite 4 0 Hereford Harriers 2 0 Widnes Vikings 1 1 Castleford Tigers 1 0 North Wales Crusaders 0 2 Warrington Wolves 0 2 Edinburgh Giants 0 1 Hull FC 0 1 Sheffield Eagles 0 1
See also
Wheelchair Super League Challenge Cup Women's Challenge Cup Notes
References