First sensible decision they have made. Question is, how will they fudge things to get the 2 teams they want. Also what will they do with Salford.


Any attempt to get Bradford into SL when all they have done for the last dozen or so years is to go bust & be part of an interesting deal over Odsal, would be an abomination but not surprising.

 So....IMG came in promising a new era of fairness and strategic growth for rugby league but what we’re seeing now feels like business as usual. The expansion to 14 Super League clubs in 2026 might sound sensible on the surface but it reeks of behind-the-scenes manoeuvring. After effectively condemning the London Broncos to relegation before a ball was kicked in 2024 killing any chance of David Hughes investing, IMG lost a great deal of credibility. The grading system, supposedly built on transparency and long-term sustainability, now seems more like a tool for getting certain clubs in and others out. The fear is it will be used to shoehorn Bradford back into Super League despite their years of financial ruin and that murky Odsal deal.


Nigel Wood’s continued influence only deepens the unease. His ties to the Bulls and their resurrection raise serious questions about who is really shaping the sport’s future. Meanwhile, clubs like York, Toulouse and even a potentially resurgent London have tried to play by the rules only to find the rules are bendy when the “right” teams are involved. If IMG’s plans end up reinforcing old power bases instead of genuinely growing the game then nothing has really changed. This was supposed to be a reset not a rerun.

Well, that's thoroughly depressing. I could be selfish and just say "get London back in Super League" because it will be nice as a casual observer of London and a fan of a current Super League side but my overiding feeling is that this is a mess. We have a Super League that has Salford on the precipice, Huddersfield playing in front of nobody and moving to a stadium that has issues as it is without it trying to house a third team, a Cas side whose ground hasn't been classed as modern since Adolf was dropping bombs on the UK and in recent years we have had a literal part-time team compete in Super League and almost finish second bottom, a Hull KR side turn up to one of the competitions' marquee games, a Hull Derby, with 15 men and win and a variety of club chairmen who want the French team out because they don't bring many away fans and therefore, don't sell many pies. That's without addressing the quality onfield, which I think is quite poor, personally. But hey, we've lost loop games so never mind, we'll just spread the little money we've got as a sport thinner, continue to pay IMG a six figure sum and listen to Nigel Wood and his ideas...again. 

The simple idea and solution would have been 12-12-12 across the 3 divisions if you were to have three divisions (or 4 six team Conferences in the second tier). Each team plays 11 at home, 11 away. The top five compete for the play-offs in SL. The same with the other two but I wouldn't have had P&R between SL and the Champ. Lets get the 12 up to a suitable enough standard before we add team 13 and 14. Anyway, the Challenge Cup would be a 20 team competition - 4 groups of 5 made up of the 11/12 SL teams (depending on Toulouse's league position), the previous year's 1895 Cup winners and finalists and then the six highest ranked finishers from the year before. Each team plays 4 group games, 2 home, 2 away. Top two from each group through to the knockouts. The 1895 Cup would be between the remaining 15/16 (depending on Toulouse) and then four invitees - it could be four clubs at random or the NCL, Southern Conference, National Cup winners and one other and they play 2 at home, 2 away. 


That way: 


* We lose loop games. 
* Create a shorter season where results have greater consequence, compared to scraping half your games and getting in the play-offs as is the case now. 
* We reinvigorate the cup, allowing games to be included into season ticket packages. 
* Games retain meaning deep into the season. The cups would need seedings to give all groups and even spread and if Club A finishes 8th instead of 9th, they could be in a higher pot and therefore an 'easier' group for the following year's Cup. 
* Charity shirts/3rd kits are a thing now and clubs could use them in the cup to ensure max usage and get a guaranteed 4 games use rather than one or two in some cases. 
* All clubs play the same amount of games, even down to L1, and all clubs know where they stand compared to nonsense like Super 8's. 


Alas, Rugby League is the greatest sport there is. I genuinely belive that. Sadly, I also believe that it's been ran by the biggest clowns. 

Moe Lester: Alas, Rugby League is the greatest sport there is. I genuinely believe that. Sadly, I also believe that it's been ran by the biggest clowns. Absolutely. This just popped up on the Google feed on my phone: https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/super-league-to-expand-in-2026-with-unique-method-to-choose-new-clubs-unveiled Unique? Corrupt! And I don't care if we "benefit" from it. Still, corrupt.

Moe Lester: Alas, Rugby League is the greatest sport there is. I genuinely believe that. Sadly, I also believe that it's been ran by the biggest clowns. Absolutely. This just popped up on the Google feed on my phone: https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/super-league-to-expand-in-2026-with-unique-method-to-choose-new-clubs-unveiled Unique? Corrupt! And I don't care if we "benefit" from it. Still, corrupt.