Everton stadium set to host huge 2026 rugby league triple header

Rugby league looks set to return to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium as early as next year according to a fresh report – with a unique triple-header set to be staged there.

Although England were beaten in Saturday’s Ashes Test between the hosts and Australia, the response from the public over the venue as a location has been almost unanimously positive. It has led to strong calls for rugby league to return there as soon as possible, with Everton seemingly keen to build a relationship.

And that relationship looks set to be forged sooner, rather than later.

The Guardian have reported that the stadium could host the men’s Challenge Cup semi-finals next year, with a Test match between England and France’s women also set to be on the billing.

There has been no confirmation of that yet and if true, it would represent a major shift from the formatting of the cup semis in previous years, which have been held at separate venues of late.

But if the games are to come together and form a standalone event, the Hill Dickinson Stadium would almost certainly be a spectacular theatre for such an occasion.

England’s women will also get a much-needed mid-season international ahead of next year’s Rugby League World Cup taking place in Australia, too.

Almost all pundits and experts agreed that the stadium was one of the best that has ever hosted major rugby league in the United Kingdom, with Everton drawing comparisons to Tottenham after it staged the Challenge Cup final on a one-off occasion in 2022 when Wigan Warriors defeated Huddersfield Giants.

And with rugby league now having more world-class facilities to potentially play high-profile games at than ever before, it appears Everton is surging to the top of the Rugby Football League’s priority list.

A decision on that is expected in the coming weeks when more details emerges about the structure of the 2026 Challenge Cup. It is expected to feature a regional flavour in the early rounds, with Championship and amateur clubs predominantly playing teams close to one another to minimise costs.