Toulouse Olympique have again declined the opportunity to enter the Challenge Cup despite their promotion to Super League, the RFL have confirmed.
French outfit Toulouse first entered the Challenge Cup as an invited club back in 2001, losing a Third Round tie against Hull KR 44-0 at Craven Park.
They even reached the competition’s semi-finals in 2005, when Leeds Rhinos beat them 56-18.
Olympique went on to enter the British pyramid for the first time in 2009, and then did so again in 2016 following a stint back in the French domestic game.
But regardless of whether they have been in Super League or the Championship, they have not entered the Challenge Cup since 2017, when a crowd of 150 watched them lose 34-16 in the competition’s Fourth Round at home against Batley Bulldogs.
And despite returning to Super League in 2026, they have chosen not to enter oncemore.
Toulouse Olympique club withdraw from Challenge Cup as explanation provided
Toulouse‘s decision not to enter the competition in 2026 was confirmed in a the RFL’s press release sharing details of Monday afternoon’s First and Second Round draws.
That release states: “The Super League clubs (other than Toulouse Olympique, who will not be involved) enter the competition at the Third Round stage, with ties to be played on the weekend of February 6-8.”
All UK-based clubs are RFL members, and are automatically entered into the Challenge Cup each year as a result.
Notably, as they are based in France, neither Toulouse nor Catalans Dragons are RFL members, meaning there is no obligation for them to participate in the cup.
If either wish to do so, they can, but they must agree to the financial framework of a bond – and the deposit they have to lay out in case they reach the final, which they take a share of the gate receipts from, is believed to be in the region of £500,000.
Catalans opt to pay that deposit and agree to the framework of a bond, which is why they compete in the Challenge Cup each year having won the competition in 2018 when they beat Warrington Wolves at Wembley.
Toulouse choose not to pay the deposit and agree to the framework of a bond, so they do not enter the Challenge Cup.
When the cup comes around next year, Olympique will simply have a weekend off – just as is the case for every other Super League club once they have been knocked out of the competition.
Castleford Tigers, as an example, were knocked out in the Third Round by Bradford Bulls in 2025, so had more weeks without a game than any other Super League club this year.