Goole Vikings to host Betfred Challenge Cup draws

The countdown to the 2025 season will begin on the evening of Monday 2 December, with the draws for the first and second rounds of the Betfred Challenge Cup.

Goole Vikings, who will enter the sport’s oldest knockout competition for the first time at the second round stage having made a successful application to join Betfred League 1 next season, will host the draws, which will be broadcast live by BBC Sport.

The Betfred Challenge Cup has a new structure for 2025, with the 12 Betfred Super League teams joining the Road to Wembley earlier than in recent years, at the third round stage in February – meaning they will have to win four matches to reach Finals Day at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 7 June.

The first round draw will include 34 clubs and teams from the community game, including three more Challenge Cup debutants: Eastern Rhinos of the Southern Conference League, Mirfield of the Pennine League and Telford Raiders from the Midlands Rugby League.

There are 15 representatives from the National Conference League including the 2024 champions, Hunslet ARLFC, their Grand Final victims Siddal, who staged a memorable Betfred Challenge Cup tie at home to Wakefield Trinity last season at the third round stage, and York Acorn, who had a best-ever run to the fifth round of the 2024 Challenge Cup, including a victory over League 1 side Cornwall.

Aberavon Fighting Irish will represent Wales in the competition for the second time, with their previous appearance having come in 2003, while the 2024 Cumberland League winners Maryport ARLFC are relishing the prospect of their first Challenge Cup appearance for almost 90 years, since they faced Barrow in the 1937/38 competition.

That was the year after Goole was last represented in the Challenge Cup, as an amateur team from the town played in the 1936/37 competition – losing 14-2 in the first round at home to the now defunct Broughton Rangers club.

Eastern Rhinos, who are based in Colchester, are one of four Southern Conference League representatives, alongside London Chargers, Wests Warriors and Hammersmith Hills Hoists, whose successful 2024 campaign began with a run to the Fourth Round of the Challenge Cup and ended with victory over the Warriors in the SCL Grand Final.

The southern clubs have the added incentive of earning a possible second round tie against London Broncos, who will join the competition earlier in 2025 now they are no longer a Betfred Super League club.

The Broncos will be joined by the other 11 English Championship clubs, the 11 Betfred League 1 clubs – including Goole Vikings – and the 17 first round winners in the second round draw.

First round ties will be played on the weekend of January 11-12, with the second round ties scheduled for the weekend of January 25-26 – with the exception of the tie involving York Knights, who have already committed to playing a challenge match against Hull KR in Amsterdam that weekend, and have therefore been given permission to play their second round tie in early February.