Promoted teams named as Championship pair given Super League 2026 nod

York Knights and Toulouse Olympique have taken seats at the top table of rugby league after winning promotion to Super League.

The Championship Grand Finalists claimed 13th and 14th spot in the IMG Gradings which were announced on Thursday morning and they have been chosen by an independent panel to make the jump up to the top tier for next season.

They join Bradford Bulls in Super League, who earned their spot by replacing Salford Red Devils in IMG’s top 12. As such, Super League will be a 14-team competition next season with the Championship’s top three teams, according to how the 2025 league table ended up, making the leap up.

Toulouse, who beat York at the LNER Community Stadium in the Grand Final earlier this month, are no strangers to the top flight. The French side spent a season in Super League back in 2022 after winning the 2021 second tier competition.

Their stay lasted just a season, though, with Sylvain Houles’ side finishing 12th after winning five of their 27 league games. They have reached the Championship Grand Final every year since their relegation with losses coming to London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity before they saw off York earlier this month.

Toulouse’s promotion means Super League rugby will be heading back to the Stade Ernest-Wallon and it is also good news for Catalans Dragons, with the two clubs striving to build the sport in France.

York have never played Super League, with the club spending the summer era of the sport below the top tier. In fact, while the York club has existed since 1868, the Knights have only technically been around since 2002, with the original organisation folding 23 years ago.

Mark Applegarth’s side won the 1895 Cup and the League Leaders’ Shield in 2025 before being pipped in the Grand Final. They’ve already invested heavily in their side for the new season, though, with Paul Vaughan, Sam Wood, Danny Richardson, Justin Sangare Jon Bennison and Josh Griffin joining the club from Super League.

Their promotion, along with Bradford’s, means there will be eight Yorkshire based teams in Super League in 2026, with two from France and only four from the North West.

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.”