Be it winning the Grand Final, making the play-offs or simply just avoiding finishing bottom, each Super League side will have different expectations for the season ahead.
Teams who were in and around the top-end of the table will undoubtedly want to continue that, whilst teams at the foot of the ladder will want to improve.
However, success and goals for 2026 will vary from team to team, with some hoping to have vastly improved campaigns, and other just wanting to maintain their position.
With that in mind, we have analysed what each team’s realistic 2026 expectations should be, in what is set to be one of the most competitive Super League campaigns yet.
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Setting realistic expectations for each Super League side
Bradford Bulls: Avoid the wooden spoon
Achieving instant success after being promoted is never easy, and Bradford’s task is made so much harder when they had around six weeks notice before pre-season began. Head coach Kurt Haggerty has spoken previously on the challenges facing his side in terms of recruitment, and whilst they have built a side with plenty of Super League experience, it will take a huge effort for them to finish anywhere higher than 10th place.
Realistically, the Bulls faithful and the club will be happy if the side can avoid the wooden spoon, with their main competition being with the two other promoted sides. Sure, they will want to win every game they compete in, but focusing on those matches in particular will be key if they are to have a solid first campaign back in the top flight.
Castleford Tigers: 8th-10th
As the club enter a new era with Ryan Carr at the helm, both the fans and the club are expecting an increase in performances and results over the next few years. That being said, the Tigers can’t be expected to achieve that in the space of a year, so steady improvement, and a finish in and around mid table, would be deemed as a success. If they can pick up a few shock wins along the way, and have a decent run in the Challenge Cup, that will only help their case, and in 2027 and 2028, which is when Castleford can be looking to push into the top six and begin to push for silverware.
Catalans Dragons: Top six
After missing out in 2025, Joel Tomkins’ side will want to bounce straight back and reach the top six. Another team that are on a rebuild, the Dragons aren’t expected to be in and around the very top, like they were in 2021, a fifth or sixth placed finish would certainly be a perfect first full season under the former Wigan man.
Huddersfield Giants: 8th-10th
Finishing 10th in 2025, the Giants are expected to be around that mark again this year, however achieving it this time around will be a whole lot harder, with the three new sides providing extra competition. Chairman Ken Davy wants to see the side win the Grand Final in the next few years, and with a new stadium supposedly on the way, the Giants are looking to be yet another team to improve their standings in the competition.
Hull FC: Top six
After it went down to the final few round, FC missed out on the six by just three points, in what was John Cartwright’s first season at the helm. With another pre-season, a new-look spine and an air of confidence around the MKM Stadium, the club will be hoping that they can return to finals rugby for the first time since 2020.
Hull KR: Grand Final Winners
It’s near impossible to improve on the season the Hull KR have just had, after they scooped up every major trophy available to them. For the Robins, their goal will be to retain their Grand Final trophy, and will no doubt want to push deep into the Challenge Cup too.
Leeds Rhinos: Win the Grand Final
Finishing fourth, but going out in the first round of play-offs, Leeds’ season ended quite abruptly, as they bowed out of the competition before most people expected. Brad Arthur has committed to another season as boss, which is only a positive, and the goal for Leeds will be to rectify that finals exit and reach the Grand Final. History tells us that Leeds like to perform at the Theatre of Dreams, and if they go reach that stage will be pushing for a first Super League title since 2017.
Leigh Leopards: Reach the Grand Final
After a third-placed finish, the highest in the club’s history, Leigh will be happy if they were to just match that feat. However, we know that Leigh and owner Derek Beaumont are ambitious in their plans, so 2026 they will no doubt be targeting a place in the Grand Final. The side came 80 minutes from that, as they lost out to Wigan Warriors, meaning that the expectation this year will be to go on and reach Old Trafford.
St Helens: Top four
Saints are more than capable of reaching the Grand Final, but realistically, the first season under Paul Rowley should be about finishing strong and in a decent play-off place. Do that, and then knockout rugby can throw up any surprises, as the Saints know first-hand after their victory over Leeds. Rowley has a three-year deal with the club, and if he can win some silverware with the club in that time, it will be a success, but it does not have to be within the first 12 months.
Toulouse Olympique: Avoid the wooden spoon
Like Bradford, Toulouse’s only goal is to beat the other two promoted sides. The Olympians haven’t recruited as much as the other two sides, but what they do have in their arsenal is a season of the squad playing together consistently, meaning the transition from the Championship to Super League will be slightly easier.
Wakefield Trinity: Top six
Trinity will want to reach the six again, no doubt. However their ambitions will be made a whole lot harder if the likes of Hull FC, Catalans and Warrington all improve. If they can sneak into the six and have play-off rugby once again, it will be some achievement.
Warrington Wolves: Top six
Under-pressure coach Sam Burgess will need to get a heap of improvement from his players this year, else he could find himself without a coaching role for 2027. Some of the onus needs to be on the players too, and if they can find similar performances to those that helped them earn a third place finish in 2024, the Wire will no doubt improve.
Top four isn’t a necessity, but like Catalans they will be hoping to sneak into the fifth and sixth positions. If Warrington fail to make the six, it will be the first time since 2003, when they first made the finals, that they would have achieved the unwanted feat.
Wigan Warriors: Win the Grand Final
Wigan and Hull KR will be the favourites again this year, with Wigan looking for their first trophy since their 2024 quadruple-winning season. Matt Peet’s side will see Grand Final glory as a priority, and they will not want to go a second year trophyless, a feat that last occurred in 2014-15.
York Knights: Avoid the wooden spoon
York have recruited well, and of the three promoted sides are tipped to fare best in the top flight. Again though, their competition will be Toulouse and Bradford, and if they avoid finishing rock bottom of the table, they will be happy, and can then start to push on for a higher placed finish in the coming years. What goes against York though, is the IMG gradings. Currently, York are the lowest of the 14 sides, meaning that if any Championship side do enough to join Super League, it is likely that it will be them that fall into the second tier.
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