Bradford Bulls, York Knights and Toulouse will find out their opponents following promotion to Super League at the end of November, it has been confirmed.
The competition will revert back to a 14-team league in 2026, following the elevation of three Championship clubs and Salford Red Devils’ relegation from the top flight.
And the fixtures now look set to be locked in for a release date of Thursday 27 November – meaning that from the time of writing, the release date is little over a month away.
Hull KR began their defence as reigning champions in early-February, with the Super League season likely to begin on the weekend of February 14 and 15.
The Challenge Cup is set to begin the week before, as was the case in 2025.
And the league season will likely start with a blockbuster fixture, as has been traditional in recent years. This year, Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards played out an unforgettable game at the Brick Community Stadium, with the Leopards winning 1-0 in golden point extra time.
Bradford are back in the big time for the first time in over a decade, following their relegation at the end of 2014. They have endured a miserable time since then, going out of business before reforming and coming from the bottom of League 1 to the top end of the Championship.
Toulouse return following a one-season sojourn in the competition in 2022, while York are a Super League club for the very first time after being selected by the independent panel that chose teams 13 and 14 last week.
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