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RFL Wheelchair Championship

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The RFL Wheelchair Championship is the second highest level of wheelchair rugby league in England and Wales, with teams promoted to the RFL Wheelchair Super League providing certain criteria is met.

The Wheelchair Championship was founded in 2020, one year after the Super League, following attempts to better organise the higher levels of the sport.

Format

Like the Super League, the league operates a round robin system to determine the Championship Leaders' Shield before a playoff series leading to a grand final.

Results

The following is a summary of Wheelchair Championship seasons:[1]

Key

  Promoted to next season's Super League  Withdrew from Championship

2020 season

The inaugural 2020 season ended up being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after one round of matches.

2021 season

Final
  • Hereford Harriers 75–32 Warrington Wolves[2][3]

2022 season

Like the Super League, the 2022 season was split into two phases. In addition, the championship was also split into a North and South division, and thus featured more teams. The top team in each division at the time of the split entered a Middle 5 division with the bottom three sides in the Super League.[4]

Championship North

Phase 1
Phase 2
Final
  • Bradford Bulls 68–22 North Wales Crusaders A[5]

Championship South

Phase 1
Phase 2
Final
  • Gravesend Dynamite 58–23 Woodlands Warriors[6]

Middle 5 (with Super League)

Final
  • North Wales Crusaders 102–46 Hull F.C.[5]

2023 season

The 2023 season saw North Wales Crusaders join after being relegated from the Super League.

Final
  • North Wales Crusaders 46–40 Wigan Warriors A[7]

2024 season

The 2024 season saw the Championship split into 3 regions.[8]Sheffield Eagles, who won the Grand Final, were accepted into the Super League for the 2025 season.[9]

Championship East

Championship West

Championship South

Playoffs

East v West Qualification match
Playoff Semi Final
Playoff Semi Final
Championship Grand Final

2025 season

In the 2025 Championship Final, Castleford Tigers won 58–46 against Rochdale Hornets.[10] Before the start of the season it was announced that Warrington Wolves would be promoted to the Super League for the 2026 season.[11] However, after the 2025 season Warrington withdrew their application and following a new application process Bradford Bulls were invited to become the eighth Super League team for 2026.[12]

Teams for 2025 season:[9]

  • Championship East
    Batley Bulldogs
    Bradford Bulls
    Castleford Tigers
    Hull KR
    Wakefield Trinity
    York Knights
  • Championship West
    Hereford Harriers
    North Wales Crusaders
    Rochdale Hornets
    Salford Red Devils
    Warrington Wolves
    Widnes Vikings

2026 season

The Championship was restructured into a single eight-team competition for the 2026 season.

Teams for 2026 Championship season:[12][13]

Batley Bulldogs
Castleford Tigers
Gravesend Dynamite
Midlands Hurricanes[a]
North Wales Crusaders
Rochdale Hornets
Wakefield Trinity
York Knights

Titles

Grand Finals

Championship Leaders' Shield

Notes

  1. ↑Midlands Hurricanes took the place of Hereford Harriers in the 2026 Championship following the establishment of a partnership between the two clubs in November 2025

References

  1. ↑"Match Centre". Rugby-League.com.
  2. ↑"Wheelchair Championship Final". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3295. 10 September 2021. p. 27.
  3. ↑"Betfred Wheelchair Super League Grand Final – a War of the Roses". RFL. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  4. ↑"Wheelchair Season Phase 2 starts". Sheffield Eagles. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  5. 12"Crusaders celebrate winning RFL Wheelchair Middle 5s Final". Wales Rugby League. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  6. ↑"Gravesend Dynamite beat Woodlands Warriors 58-23 to win RFL Wheelchair Rugby League South Championship". Kent Online. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  7. ↑"Betfred Wheelchair Super League Grand Final – Leeds Rhinos 42 Wigan Warriors 50". RFL. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  8. ↑"Leeds Rhinos and Sheffield Eagles enjoy deserved wheelchair title successes". Total Rugby League. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  9. 12"Leeds face Edinburgh in Wheelchair Super League opener". BBC Sport. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  10. ↑"Wheelchair Championship". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3500. 29 September 2025. p. 18.
  11. ↑"Betfred Wheelchair Super League fixtures confirmed as competition expands for 2025". RFL. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  12. 12"Bulls to join Betfred Wheelchair Super League". RFL. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  13. ↑"Hurricanes partner with Hereford Harriers in wheelchair rugby league rebrand". Midlands Hurricanes. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2026.