Rochdale Hornets to compete in new national Betfred Wheelchair Championship

We are excited to announce that Rochdale Hornets will compete in a new national eight team Betfred Wheelchair Championship competition from the 2026 season onwards.

Next season, Bradford Bulls will play in the Betfred Wheelchair Super League having been selected to fill the eighth position in the elite competition, following the decision to expand which was taken in 2024.

Edinburgh Giants and Sheffield Eagles joined the Super League in 2025 in an initial expansion from five teams to seven, with Warrington Wolves originally scheduled to become the eighth club in 2026.

But the Wolves withdrew their application midway through the summer, leading to a fresh tender process, with five applications received before the October deadline – and Bradford given the nod in recognition of their longevity in wheelchair rugby league.

The RFL have also confirmed a new structure outside the Super League, with the introduction of a national eight-team Championship – which will include Castleford Tigers after their stunning debut season in 2025, and also North Wales Crusaders, whose off-season preparations received a boost with a visit from Traitors host Claudia Winkelman as part of her work with the National Lottery.

The Hornets wheelchair team, led by head coach Pete Hird, will form part of the new national division, after a successful 2025 campaign which saw the club reach the Betfred Wheelchair Championship Grand Final.

As a result of the growth of wheelchair rugby league since England’s 2022 World Cup win, there will be additional Development and Junior Leagues organised on a regional basis.

Chris Godfrey, national inclusion manager at the RFL, said: “Congratulations to Bradford Bulls for the quality of their application to join the Betfred Wheelchair Super League in 2026.

“It’s going to be an exciting year for the Bradford club with the return of Kurt Haggerty’s team to the Betfred Super League, and the Bulls have been a consistent presence in Wheelchair Rugby League for many years.

“The development of the wheelchair rugby league pyramid has been one of the success stories of the sport in recent years, and that’s reflected by the fact we will have two genuinely national eight-team competitions kicking off in 2026, with League One split into northern and southern conferences, and a number of other development competitions underneath.

“It means we’ll have more teams and players involved than ever as England prepare to travel to Australia in the autumn of 2026 to defend the World Cup.”

The Betfred Wheelchair Super League will run on a similar basis to 2025, with an initial phase of seven rounds of fixtures meaning each team has played the other seven, before a split into two pools of four for the second part of the season – culminating in play-offs and the Grand Final to determine the champions.

Betfred Wheelchair Super League 2026:

Bradford Bulls, Edinburgh Giants, Halifax Panthers, Hull FC, Leeds Rhinos, London Roosters, Sheffield Eagles, Wigan Warriors

Wheelchair Championship 2026:

Batley Bulldogs, Castleford Tigers, Gravesend Dynamite, Hereford Harriers, North Wales Crusaders, Rochdale Hornets, Wakefield Trinity, York Knights