Challenge Cup attendances highlight growing problem for rugby league

Has the Challenge Cup lost it’s spark? That is a question rugby league fans have been asking themselves and others for a number of seasons, and it’s clear to see why.

The Cup Final at Wembley has been one of the biggest events on the calendar since its inception, and still is to this day. Fans from all clubs use the London final as a reason for a big weekend out, and a number of fans will travel to the capital regardless of whether or not their team is competing.

However, getting to that stage is a different matter, and with attendances dwindling, the magic of the Challenge Cup is somewhat being pulled back by the lack of support and interest in the earlier stages of the competition.

Despite only four attendances from this weekend’s eight fixtures being announced, those figures can be seen as alarming. Wigan Warriors’ tie with Bradford Bulls, a game that saw the two sides meet for the first time since 2014, drew in just 9,997 fans, a figure that is far lower than the strong 15,000+ crowds that the Warriors regularly draw.

In the past three seasons, Wigan Warriors haven’t had a home Super League game where the attendance has been less than 10,000, and only in Challenge Cup action has that been the case.

Cup games against Warrington in 2023 (9,302), Sheffield in 2024 (5,733) and Hull FC in 2025 (9,287) are the only times in those seasons where the Warriors have seen <10,000 crowds, and whilst this is in no way an attack on Wigan fans, it just highlights how modern day fans view the Cup as opposed to the league.

Obviously, the big factor in this decrease is that fans have to pay to go watch the knockout competition, with home Cup games not being included as part of a season ticket.

Supporters must part ways with their hard-earned cash if they want to go watch their side, and with games such as Huddersfield and Hull KR being played twice in six days, people can be excused for not wanting to spend money on tickets, travel and everything else that comes part of the matchday experience.

Crowd figures at Warrington Wolves were significantly down as well, and whilst they can be forgiven for playing a Championship side, a home crowd of 3,195 again highlights how the game must do better in making the earlier stages of the Cup more of a spectacle.

Wakefield Trinity’s defeat of Leeds Rhinos was witnessed by a crowd of 7,136, with Brad Arthur’s side failing to reach the quarter-finals for a sixth consecutive season. Whilst that figure isn’t too far away from their average home attendance in 2025, their 15-14 victory over the Rhinos in Super League last saw a crowd of 9,252 turn up, some way off Friday night’s figure.

The last confirmed attendance saw Leigh Leopards bring in 5,535 fans for their victory over Hull FC. The Leopards have averaged around 8,000 fans per league home game over the past three seasons, so again it shows that fans simply can’t – don’t want to – pay to watch the earlier rounds of the Cup.

Challenge Cup round four attendances

Wakefield Trinity 24-14 Leeds Rhinos – 7,136
Wigan Warriors 30-6 Bradford Bulls – 9,997
York Knights 56-10 Keighley Cougars – TBA
Goole Vikings 10-78 Warrington Wolves – 3,195
Huddersfield Giants 12-52 Hull KR – TBA
Leigh Leopards 16-6 Hull FC – 5,535
Castleford Tigers 8-32 St Helens – TBA
Catalans Dragons 58-0 Oldham RLFC  – TBA