One Championship side have confirmed two pre-season friendlies either side of Christmas ahead of Tuesday’s fixture release date.

Fans of the Championship will be eagerly awaiting Tuesday’s fixture release date with the 21-team competition set to work differently following the amalgamation of the second and third tier.

League One clubs have joined the Championship to create a larger comp that will work on a pendulum-style fixture list with teams effectively playing sides on their half of the pendulum.

There will also be fixtures outside of that to create local derbies and rivalry games with Cumbrian outfit Whitehaven previously explaining that they expected this to see them face both Barrow and Workington.

Ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, Sheffield Eagles have revealed two of their pre-season opponents with one game slated before Christmas and the other one in early January as they take on two Yorkshire opponents.

Sheffield Eagles lock in pair of Championship pre-season opponents

Both games will be on the road with Sheffield set to travel to Cougar Park to take on Keighley just five days out from Christmas on Saturday 20th December.

After the festive break, they will then play Batley Bulldogs at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium on Sunday 11th January in a game that will help prepare them for their Round Two Challenge Cup fixture.

The draw for rounds one and two of the cup were made last week with Craig Lingard’s side set to face Whitehaven in one of just two all-Championship affairs.

They will play that game at home though with the game set to be played on the weekend of January 24th and 25th. A win there will ensure Sheffield progress to round three, played a fortnight later, when Super League teams enter the competition.

Sheffield had a disappointing campaign in 2025 but their lowly league finish of 11th will mean that they sit ninth on the pendulum, and it’s expected that they will avoid some of the top teams such as London, Featherstone and Halifax.

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🆚 Sheffield Eagles will travel to the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium to take on Batley Bulldogs in our second pre-season friendly on Sunday 11th January 2026 (2pm KO).

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— Sheffield Eagles (@SheffieldEagles) November 29, 2025