Ranking each club’s chances of Super League status ahead of upcoming announcement

This week is a seismic week for rugby league in the Northern Hemisphere, as we finally get to find out which teams will make up the Super League competition next year.

After a vote by current Super League club owners in July resulted in agreement that the top division would expand, the four-month-long process will finally have an outcome, and by Friday we will know which teams will be in the top flight.

In an announcement that will come over two separate days, the first 12 clubs that have qualified for Super League will be announced on Thursday. Those clubs are decided by the IMG rankings, which are five pillars that all clubs are graded on to decide the make-up of the league. Performance is one of those five, and the scores for that particular category have been worked out and can be viewed here.

St Helens topped the complete charts last year, with Salford Red Devils finishing 12th. Recently-crowned Championship Grand Final winners, Toulouse Olympique, came 13th, just 0.41 points behind. One of the rewards for their second tier win was 0.25 points in the performance category, something that could be vital in earning them an automatic spot in Super League.

Then, on Friday, the announcement will be made as to which two other teams have made the cut, with those teams decided by a seven-person independent panel led by Lord Jonathan Caine that will judge applications on financial sustainability and on-field performance.

Ahead of that announcement, here is how we have assessed each of the nine teams that submitted an application’s chances of either staying in the top division, or being promoted. For the purposes of the article, we are expecting Salford to drop out of the top 12 gradings, and since they have not submitted an application, will not be addressed as a Super League candidate next year.

Assessing the chances of Super League wannabes ahead of official announcement

Let’s start with the two teams currently in the top division – Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants. The Black and Whites, who finished 7th in this year’s competition. They submitted an application as a precaution, on the off chance they didn’t make the top 12 gradings. However, an increase in league finish will see them earn points, and will have done enough to secure a spot next year.

Huddersfield, whilst their position is less secure, given that they finished 11th in the IMG gradings last year, are expected to stay in the competition, having done enough to maintain their points.

On to the Championship clubs, and there are four teams that are all in strong contention to achieve Super League status, but four into three doesn’t go and it looks like one of those teams will miss out.

Toulouse Olympique

Championship Grand Final winners, Toulouse, will automatically have an increase in score due to that quarter-of -a-point reward for the Grand Final win. That puts them in great stead for being one of the two teams in the 13th and 14th spots, and that’s if they don’t overtake Salford in 12th, who are bound to lose points due to their downfall this year.

If the key criteria the independent panel are basing their decision on is indeed finance and on-field performance, then the French outfit, who last competed in Super League in 2022, should be at the top of the list.

They are the currently the only team in the second tier to be full-time, proving they have the financial aid and capability to be sustainable, and after winning the Grand Final there is nothing else Toulouse can do to prove their Super League worth.

Bradford Bulls

If reports elsewhere are to be believed, Bradford have received their IMG score and have finished 10th in the overall rankings, putting them in Super League automatically.

The Bulls, who finished 16th in last year’s rankings, are set to have a major boost to their score, with both the performance and stadium pillar due to increase. The way that the performance score is calculated is that it takes the league finishes from the last three seasons and ranks the averages to award a score. Bradford finished third in the Championship in each of the last three seasons, meaning they finished 15th in the rankings across all divisions, with Super League taking the top 12 spots and working down like that. Their most recent finish will come into effect and replace a 21st place finish in 2022, meaning their average will go from  2.1714 to 2.5142, which is a 0.34 increase.

The former Super League winners are also set to boost on their stadium grading. Odsal has received upgrades this year, with extra seating, a big screen and a media gantry just some of the things Bradford have put in place to see their score rise. Depending 0n the level of lift in scores, there is every chance that the Bulls will make the 12, and it would see Salford drop out.

London Broncos

Now under the ownership of Darren Lockyer and Gary Hetherington, the Broncos rebuild is once again underway, but this time it feels more positive than any other. An Australian rugby league great, combined with a man who has led one of England’s biggest clubs for almost 30 years, provides all the experience and know-how needed to take the sport in the capital to the next level.

Having already announced star NRL signings Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Siliva Havili and having brought in ex-NRL coach Jason Demetriou, the signs lead us to believe that London will be in the top flight next year.

The limiting factor for London is the fact they finished 10th in the Championship this year. Their current squad is barely Championship-level, and certainly not Super League quality. Lockyer and co will have to provide strong evidence that their squad can be competitive next year if they want to be considered for the top flight.

The Broncos sat 14th on the most recent gradings, but were almost a full point behind Toulouse. Their performance score will increase slightly, as their 11th placed Championship finish in 2022, which works out as 23rd overall, will come off and be replaced by their 10th placed (22nd overall) finish this year.

York Knights

The Knights have been putting plans in place all year to prepare for a potential maiden Super League season. Owner Clint Goodchild has gone on record this year and said that this has been a year-long process for the club that has included major improvements such as a performance pathway and a Centre of Excellence training facility.

They finished top of the Championship in the regular season, and their 1895 Cup win at Wembley gives them a 0.1 performance score boost. Goodchild has stated that the club will go full-time regardless of what division they are in next year, and statement signings such as Warrington’s Paul Vaughan and Wakefield’s Josh Griffin show their intent to be competitive next year.

Oldham RLFC

Moving onto the unlikely candidates, 2026 seems to be just too early Oldham to return to Super League. They’ve made some impressive signings, helped by Salford’s demise, and have put in place both women’s and academy teams to show they are trying to grow the club and the game as a whole.

Since they have only been in the second tier for one season, their performance score is still quite low. In the last rankings, they placed 27th, and whilst they are set to have a huge increase this year, it won’t be enough to put them in the top division this time around.

Widnes Vikings

The Vikings have applied for Super League status, however it is highly unlikely that they will achieve that notion. Part of that is due to the other applicants having a stronger case than them, there is also the fact they finished 22nd last year, 5.37 points below the top 12.

Like Oldham, Widnes are making good strides to becoming a more sustainable and well-run rugby club, but this year is far too early for them to be considered as a Super League-ready side.

Doncaster RLFC

In the same vein as the other two, Doncaster’s application shows their intent, but they haven’t done enough yet to prove they are worthy of a place in the top flight. Their performance grading ranks them 23rd, and whilst they will see a 0.23 upgrade in that department from last year, it won’t be enough to put them in contention.

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