The Championship is set to undergo a significant structural change on the eve of the 2026 campaign, with clubs informed of replacement fixtures following Featherstone Rovers’ withdrawal, Love Rugby League can reveal.
Amid their ongoing financial woes, news of Fev’s withdrawal from the Championship was received last Friday night alongside confirmation that the Rugby Football League (RFL) had not approved their membership to compete in 2026.
At the time, the governing body stated that the Championship table would be decided by win percentage, similar to what was seen in Super League back in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
But Love Rugby League understands that the RFL have since moved to protect competition integrity by ensuring that all of the Championship’s remaining clubs still fulfil a 24-game schedule in the regular season, with each side playing 12 home games and 12 away games.
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As part of the revised structure, which was circulated to clubs earlier this week in an email which has been seen by Love Rugby League, ahead of the season starting on Friday night, the clubs affected by Fev’s demise will play a series of replacement fixtures instead.
Of the 12 clubs affected – Batley Bulldogs, Hunslet, London Broncos, Salford Red Devils, Goole Vikings, Oldham, Swinton Lions, Widnes Vikings, Halifax Panthers, Doncaster, North Wales Crusaders, Barrow Raiders – six match-ups will be picked out to play one another home and away.
These will not duplicate original league games, with each club instead having two fixtures added to their schedule to take their game tally back up to 24. Despite the late change, no club will play another more than twice in the regular season.
These additional matches are expected to take place across cup weekends where available, and the clubs involved have had provisional dates pencilled into their schedule across March, April and May.
However, in the event that the provisional dates are filled up via progression in cup competitions, further reserve dates later in the year have also been identified by the RFL to try and help avoid any major scheduling conflicts.
Love Rugby League understands that the RFL will formally confirm the revised fixture list imminently, with clubs having been consulted. More details are expected once the governing body publicly confirms the updated schedule.