Super League 2026: Format, key dates, schedule, teams as Hull KR look to defend their title
The 2026 season kicks off on February 12 as newly-promoted York Knights host treble-winning champions Hull KR; the play-offs commence in September, with the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 3; Sky Sports is the only place to watch every Super League game live in 2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026 12:20, UK
Super League is celebrating its 30th birthday and with that, there is of course going to be some celebrating and nostalgia. Before the festivities though, make sure you know everything you need to ahead of Super League 2026...
First things first: What is Super League?
Super League is rugby league's top-flight European competition. Starting back in 1996, the 11 clubs from the Rugby Football League's first division plus new team Paris Saint-Germain came together to start the era of summer rugby.
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There have been 30 editions of the competition to date, with 2026 marking a big 30th birthday for Super League and a 31st season. There have been 28 Grand Finals.
To date, of the 24 clubs who have competed in Super League, just FIVE have won the big prize in the Grand Final at the end of the year: Wigan Warriors (7), St Helens (9), Bradford Bulls (3), and Leeds Rhinos (8) and now Hull KR (1) after their treble success last season.
Get them on side: What are the key rules?
Let's put the sport in its simplest terms, shall we?
Rugby League is a 13 vs 13 code with each team getting six tackles to try and score before the ball is turned over to the opposing outfit. The match is 80 minutes long and split into two 40-minute halves.
Each team then has a bench of four players which can be interchanged throughout the match.
Unlike football, the clock stops for injuries, penalties and tries.
A try is worth four points, with the subsequent conversion an extra two points. Penalty kicks are also worth two points. A drop-goal is worth one point.
Within a team of 13 players, there are four main roles: Forwards, backs, hooker and half-backs.
The forwards are mainly focused on driving the ball, well... forward, and gaining as many metres as possible. The backs look to attack on the edges. The hooker is there to control the play of the ball (when a player is tackled and the ball is distributed). A half-back controls the distribution of the ball.
In short: 13 players have six chances to get down the field and cross the try line. Simple, right?
Fighting for the win: How many teams are there?
Throughout the years, there have always been 12 clubs competing in Super League however this has changed in 2026.
After the RFL decided to increase the number of teams in the competition to 14, 12 teams made it into the top flight via their club gradings and then the other two were chosen by an independent panel.
Salford Red Devils drop out following their financial woes and have been replaced by Bradford Bulls via the gradings. Toulouse Olympique and York Knights were then chosen by the panel.
Therefore, the full line-up for 2026 is: Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Catalans Dragons, Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC, Hull KR, Leeds Rhinos, Leigh Leopards, St Helens, Toulouse Olympique, Warrington Wolves, Wakefield Trinity, Wigan Warriors and York Knights. These 14 will battle it out from February to be crowned champions in October.
Knockouts? A race for points? The Super League format...
The Super League competition is almost a hybrid of a league and knockout format.
The 14 teams will compete across 27 rounds of the regular season, with the top six then making it through to the play-offs.
From there, the top two teams get a rest week, with the third-placed team playing sixth and fourth playing fifth.
The lowest-ranked team to have won their play-off match will then play the regular season winners, aka the League Leaders' Shield winners, with the second-placed team playing the higher-ranked team still involved.
The winners of those two matches will then compete in the Grand Final, where the victor will be crowned Super League champions.
Big boys vs underdogs: Who are the team to beat?
There is one team that holds every piece of silverware heading into 2026 after their historic treble, and they will be doing everything in their power to keep it that way. That is Hull KR.
Willie Peters' side were extremely impressive in 2025 and became just the fifth team EVER to win the competition in 30 seasons.
However, the likes of Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos and St Helens will be hot on their tail to try and take control once again, with Wakefield Trinity, Hull FC, and Leigh Leopards also exciting with their 2026 rosters.
2026 Super League - key dates and what to look out for
- Opening night: Thu Feb 12: York Knights v Hull KR, 8pm (Sky Sports)
- World Club Challenge: Thu Feb 19: Hull KR v Brisbane Broncos, 7:30pm (Sky Sports)
- Rugby League in Las Vegas: Sat Feb 28: Hull KR v Leeds Rhinos, TBC (Sky Sports)
- Super League's 30th birthday: Thu Mar 26: Castleford Tigers v Bradford Bulls, 8pm (Sky Sports)
- Rivals Round: April 3-April 5
- Super League in Paris: Sat Jun 6: Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports)
- Magic Weekend: July 4-July 5
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+
