Betfred Super League 2026 to include Toulouse and York

Toulouse Olympique and York Knights have been selected for promotion to the Betfred Super League in 2026, allowing the immediate expansion to a 14-team competition.

The two clubs were chosen from nine applicants by the seven-strong panel established in August following a decision from the existing Super League clubs to prioritise expansion.

Three of the other applicants – Bradford Bulls, Huddersfield Giants and Hull FC – have already secured their places in next season’s Super League after finishing in the top 12 of the Club Gradings table published on Thursday, part of Rugby League’s long-term strategic partnership with IMG to measure and drive the development of the sport. 

Lord Caine, the RFL Non-Executive Board Member who chaired the panel, said:

“After a thorough and robust process, we were pleased to be able to decide that Toulouse Olympique and York Knights will be worthy and deserving additions to the Betfred Super League next season.

“They were 13th and 14th on the Club Gradings, with a significant lead on any of the other applicants from the Betfred Championship. As was set out on August 19, it was always the Panel's intention to use those gradings as one of the criteria in our deliberations, along with enhanced financial scrutiny and an assessment of competitiveness.

"The Panel's deliberations were conducted on the basis of fairness, impartiality, independence and confidentiality. The Panel was unanimous in its final decision to choose Toulouse Olympique and York Knights.

“We thank and congratulate all the clubs who engaged in the process for the quality of their applications – and we look forward to seeing elite Rugby League played in the historic cities of Toulouse and York in 2026.”

Toulouse Olympique were founded in 1937 by the former France rugby union international Jean Galia, one of the pioneers of the Treiziste code, and although they were forced to switch back to union under the Vichy regime during the Second World War, they reached consecutive Championship Finals against Carcassonne in 1945 and 1946 when Rugby League was again permitted.

More recently, they were the first French club to reach the Semi Finals of the Challenge Cup in 2005, after which they have become regular members of the British league system, initially in a two-year stint in 2009-10, and then again since 2016.

They spent a single season in the Super League in 2022, having secured promotion by beating Featherstone Rovers in the 2021 Betfred Championship Grand Final, and they secured their second Championship title earlier this month with a gritty Grand Final win at York – also earning 0.25 grading points which lifted them above York to 13th in the rankings.

York Knights were founded as a phoenix club in 2002-3, ensuring the continuation of professional Rugby League in the Minster City – which stretched back to 1901, when the original club joined the Northern Union.

The Panel’s decision means top tier Rugby League will return to York for the first time since the 1985-86 winter season, a decade before the launch of Super League.

The Knights have enjoyed an outstanding season in 2025, securing their first ever win at Wembley Stadium in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup in June, and finishing top of the Betfred Championship table only to suffer that Grand Final defeat against Toulouse.

The Panel’s decision follows confirmation on Thursday of the Club Grading scores for 2025, with the top 12 clubs in the rankings securing automatic Super League membership – Hull KR, Leeds Rhinos, St Helens, Wigan Warriors, Leigh Leopards, Warrington Wolves, Catalans Dragons, Wakefield Trinity, Hull FC, Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants.

In addition to Lord Caine, the Panel consisted of: Abi Ekoku (RFL Non-Executive Director), Peter Hutton (RL Commercial Senior Non-Executive Director), Rhodri Jones (RL Commercial Managing Director), Dermot Power (RFL Non-Executive Director), Graeme Sarjeant (RFL Head of Legal), Tony Sutton (RFL).