The men’s and women’s Challenge Cup semi-finals pulled in a huge attendance, the highest since before the pandemic, with a combined attendance of over 25,000.
Four semi-finals took place over the weekend as the men’s and women’s Challenge Cup competitions approached the sharp end of the competition.
It was double delight for Wigan Warriors as both teams booked a berth at Wembley, both sides progressing without conceding a point.
Denis Betts’ side beat York Valkyrie 52-0 whilst Matt Peet’s men saw off rivals St Helens with a 32-0 victory, with the women now looking to defend their title and the men looking to win it for the first time since 2024.
Sunday’s semi-finals saw St Helens women defeat Leeds Rhinos as they set up a repeat of last year’s final, before Hull KR beat Warrington Wolves to keep up their Challenge Cup defence.
The attendances for both days has now been confirmed with a major increase on the 2025 numbers, and a post-covid high.
A crowd of 13,421 watched at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Saturday, whilst 12,054 were at the Eco-Power Stadium on Sunday, meaning 24,475 spectators watched the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
That’s a huge percentage increase from the 20,124 who turned up to watch in 2025, albeit Catalans Dragons were one of the clubs playing in 2025 with their diminished travelling support.
Not only does the attendance dwarf the 2025 numbers, it easily surpasses most recent figures with the 2026 figure being the highest combined attendance since 2018 when double-headers for the men’s semi-finals were hosted.
The 2018 semi-finals saw 26,086 attend the Macron Stadium for a double header of Catalans versus St Helens and Warrington Wolves versus Leeds Rhinos.
2026 Challenge Cup semi-final attendances
Saturday, 9th May @ Halliwell Jones Stadium
– Wigan Warriors 52-0 York Valkyrie // St Helens 0-32 Wigan Warriors – 13,421
Sunday, 10th May @ Eco-Power Stadium
– St Helen 30-14 Leeds Rhinos // Hull KR Warrington Wolves – 12,054
– Combined attendance – 25,475
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