The 2026 RFL 1895 Cup was the seventh staging of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league competition for English and Welsh clubs competing outside of Super League. The merger of the Championship and League One made the competition solely for Championship clubs.
The cup was won by London Broncos who beat Widnes Vikings 32–10 in the final on 31 August 2026.
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 was not played at Wembley Stadium, as had been the case for previous seasons. After the semi-finals had been played, the venue for the final was announced as the Halliwell Jones Stadium, the home of Super League team Warrington Wolves.
Preliminary round The preliminary round comprised three ties, drawn from the 16 teams no longer in the 2026 Challenge Cup. The ties were played over the weekend of 14/15 March.
+ 1895 Cup preliminary round fixturesHomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeAttendance 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 230 Workington Town 12–28 Newcastle Thunder 15 March 2026, 15:30 Derwent Park D. Arnold 602 Source:
First round Drawn concurrently with the preliminary round on 15 February, the first round comprised 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. The ties were played over the weekend of 18/19 April.
+ 1895 Cup round 1 fixturesHomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeAttendance Doncaster 64–0 Salford 18 April 2026, 15:00 Eco-Power Stadium D. Arnold 735 Dewsbury Rams 10–50 Widnes Vikings 19 April 2026, 15:00 Crown Flatt C. Kendall Goole Vikings 40–10 Whitehaven 19 April 2026, 15:00 Victoria Pleasure Grounds L. Bland London Broncos 62–6 Keighley Cougars 19 April 2026, 15:00 Richmond Athletic Ground A. Williams Newcastle Thunder 34–20 Batley Bulldogs 19 April 2026, 15:00 Crow Trees Ground K. Moore North Wales Crusaders C–C Midlands HurricanesTie cancelled due to ongoing off-field issues at North Wales Crusaders. Midlands Hurricanes received a bye to the quarter finals. Oldham 72–24 Hunslet 19 April 2026, 15:00 Bower Fold S. Mikalauskas 740 Rochdale Hornets 32–18 Sheffield Eagles 19 April 2026, 15:00 Spotland Stadium R. Cox 245 Source:
Quarter-finals The quarter-final draw was made on 19 April. The ties were played over the weekend of 16/17 May. + 1895 Cup quarter-final fixturesHomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeAttendance Oldham 34–40 Midlands Hurricanes 15 May 2026, 19:45 Boundary Park D. Arnold 1,004 Rochdale Hornets 24–6 Goole Vikings 17 May 2026, 15:00 Spotland Stadium S. Mikalauskas 395 Widnes Vikings 30–20 Newcastle Thunder 17 May 2026, 15:00 Robin Park Arena M. Lynn 596 London Broncos 52–20 Doncaster 17 May 2026, 15:30 Richmond Athletic Ground R. Cox Source:
Semi-finals The semi-final draw was made on 18 May. The ties were played over the weekend of 13/14 June. Rochdale were drawn at home against Widnes but with ground work being carried out at Spotland Stadium, both teams agreed to move the fixture to Widnes' Halton Stadium. + 1895 Cup semi-final fixturesHomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeAttendance Midlands Hurricanes 24–62 London Broncos 13 June 2026, 14:00 Avery Fields M. Lynn 519 Widnes Vikings 52–0 Rochdale Hornets 14 June 2026, 15:00 Halton Stadium S. Mikalauskas 2,190 Source:
Final The final was played on 31 August. + 1895 Cup FinalHomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeAttendance London Broncos 32–10 Widnes Vikings 31 August 2026, 15:00 Halliwell Jones Stadium T. Grant 4,829 Source:
References
External list The 1895 Cup draw and format confirmed for 2026