Super League 2026: team-by-team guide to the new season

Super League clubs across the United Kingdom and France are finalizing their preparations this week for the 2026 season as the rugby league landscape shifts following the promotion of Bradford, York, and Toulouse. This expansion follows a rigorous qualification process concluded in late 2025, aimed at revitalizing the top flight by reintroducing historic powerhouses and expanding the competition's geographic reach. The upcoming campaign is marked by the highly anticipated return of the Bradford Bulls, a former champion returning to the elite level after a 12-year hiatus, forcing the club to rapidly transition from a part-time operation back to a full-time professional setup. The influx of three promoted teams—Bradford, York, and Toulouse—presents a unique challenge for the league's hierarchy. Because the promotion spots were not confirmed until late in the 2025 calendar year, these clubs faced a compressed recruitment window, struggling to sign top-tier talent who had already committed elsewhere. While Bradford has focused on rebuilding a squad capable of competing at the highest intensity, analysts predict a difficult transition period for the newcomers as they attempt to bridge the gulf between the second-tier Championship and the rigorous demands of the Super League. At the top of the table, Hull KR enters the 2026 season as the consensus favorites, maintaining a level of consistency that has seen them become the team to beat. Meanwhile, traditional giants Leeds Rhinos appear to have found their footing again after a period of instability, with expectations high that they will challenge for silverware this year. The narrative of the season is expected to be a clash between established domestic forces and the emerging entities looking to cement their status in a newly expanded and increasingly competitive professional environment.