New format for Betfred Challenge Cup in 2025

[josie andrews]

The Betfred Challenge Cup will have a new structure in 2025, with the 12 Super League clubs joining the Road to Wembley at the Third Round stage.

The Third Round draw will be held in January, well before the start of the Super League season, with the aim of building more momentum towards the showpiece Finals Day in June.

It means that clubs from the Betfred Championship, League One and even the community game will have more chance to secure a glamour tie at home to Super League opposition, as the Third Round draw will be seeded to guarantee each of the Super League clubs travel away to one of the 20 Second Round winners.

The Fourth Round (comprising 16 clubs) will be played in March, the Quarter Finals in April and the Semi Finals on the weekend of May 10-11, leaving the winners with four weeks to prepare for the 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup Final on Saturday June 7.

The clubs were informed of the new structure – and also a revised prize money structure - at a Rugby League Commercial forum today, and there will now be further discussions over standardised ticket pricing across all Betfred Challenge Cup ties.

The Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final will again be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday June 7 as part of Finals Day, with the Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup Final confirmed for the weekend of May 31 – with discussions ongoing over the best structure for those competitions in 2025.


Rhodri Jones, the Managing Director of RL Commercial, said:

“After extensive consultation with clubs and other stakeholders, we believe this new structure for the Betfred Challenge Cup will deliver a number of benefits to the competition and to the sport as a whole.

“It was pleasing to announce an attendance of 64,845 for Finals Day at Wembley this month, the fourth consecutive year of growth since the 2020 Final was played behind closed doors.

“But we recognised a need to reshape and reinvigorate the early rounds of the competition – which we believe will allow us to maintain that trend at Wembley next June.

“The 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup will again start with a First Round featuring teams from the community game, but all the League One and Championship clubs will enter at the Second Round stage, knowing that victory will secure a place in the Third Round when the 12 Betfred Super League clubs enter – and will be seeded to play away from home.

“That returns the competition closer to its traditions, with top flight clubs joining in the round of 32 in the winter months – the start of the road to the Wembley Final in the spring.

“We hope that holding the draws for the Second and Third Rounds of the Betfred Challenge Cup together in January will provide a pre-season talking point for all professional clubs.”

https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62 ... up-in-2025

[josie andrews]

The RFL aren’t happy unless they’re messing about with the game IMO!!

Wonder what they will come up with after next years final?

[Ipinwigan]

They have already increased the early bird prices from this year's final.
Bought the Club Wembley seats about 6 months before the final for £30 then after early bird offer £50. Next year's priced at £38 early bird offer for the same seats.

[Mike]

Does this mean we're in a round earlier? It probably a nice idea for the lower leagues, but another game in the schedule is tricky to justify. The CC is a bit weird at the moment, just two matches and then you're in the semi, sometimes that's the only hard game before you're at wembley. It doesn't seem much of a challenge some years.

[josie andrews]

Does this mean we're in a round earlier? It probably a nice idea for the lower leagues, but another game in the schedule is tricky to justify. The CC is a bit weird at the moment, just two matches and then you're in the semi, sometimes that's the only hard game before you're at wembley. It doesn't seem much of a challenge some years.

Yes

The 12 #SuperLeague clubs will enter next season's Men's #ChallengeCup at the third-round stage
The draw will take place in January
The top-flight sides will travel to one of the 20 second-round winners

[fozzie58]

To me the comp is on its knees faffing here and there won’t improve attendances at Wembley gone and long gone are days Wigan v Warrington final would more or less guarantee a bumper gate not the very depressing 64k was this year and by all accounts that was padded by very healthy Wakefield sales

[nathan_rugby]

Does this mean we're in a round earlier? It probably a nice idea for the lower leagues, but another game in the schedule is tricky to justify. The CC is a bit weird at the moment, just two matches and then you're in the semi, sometimes that's the only hard game before you're at wembley. It doesn't seem much of a challenge some years.

Has it not been that way for a while?

[jobo]

About time for me.

I remember playing Pilk's Rec's at Knowsley road back in the late 70's.
Bumper crowd and they nearly beat us.

Think it adds aspiration to the competiton.

[eaststandspy]

Much better system being proposed IMO, it is a joke that super league teams only join in the last 16 it's a closed shop competition.
The proposal for me is spot on, all S/L teams playing away gives the lower league teams a massive incentive to see one of the top teams at their home ground which in turn is a nice reward for their loyal supporters who have stuck by them.
The flip side though is the Challenge Cup has lost it's appeal, it will never see the packed out Wembley stadium of yesteryear again. I think the R/L should seriously consider relocating to the north, maybe to somewhere like the new home of Everton on the Bramley dock. Food for thought.

[josie andrews]

I’m actually glad about the change, I know from my opening remarks my sound otherwise but my point being is that the RFL are a waste of space they just do things on a whim.

This should never have been changed in the first place, but the RFL, in their wisdom, as usual wants to let us all think they’re actually busy doing some work!