London Broncos have a ‘big focus’ on the Challenge Cup in 2026 with the club’s owners sending a message to round three opponents Bradford Bulls.
The Broncos were one of the teams, alongside the Bulls, who were vying for a spot in Super League in 2026 but London came up short with Lord Caine evaluating that the club weren’t quite close enough as he instead approved bids from Toulouse and York.
London’s IMG score was their ultimate downfall and despite being consigned to the Championship, they have build a squad that certainly rivals the squads of the promoted Super League clubs and would give many of the existing teams a good game.
As such, the Challenge Cup is a competition firmly on the Broncos radar and co-owner Grant Weschel has sent Bradford Bulls, their round three opponent, a warning message with the Australian claiming that game is a chance to prove their Super League credentials to everyone.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Bench Podcast ahead of their round two win over Wests Warriors, Weschel said: “Assuming we get past Wests Warriors, we’ve got a big game in the Challenge Cup against Bradford and that’s I believe our chance to show that we can punch above our weight and take on a Super League club. The Challenge Cup is going to be a big focus for us.
“It’s our chance to show everyone how serious we are.”
London Broncos intent to prove their Super League value with Challenge Cup run
Bradford were the only team to defeat a Super League side in round three of the competition last year when they beat Castleford Tigers but London will be hoping that they can flip the script and land a big win of their own, something Weschel believes will attest to the club’s process since missing out on Super League.
On what a Challenge Cup run would mean, he said: “To show what we said we were going to do in that bid process, we’ve done a lot of it so far but I think if we can win a couple of games against Super League clubs then it would be our ultimate chance to show any doubters what we’re going to do.
“There are a lot of doubters who say rugby league should stick to the north and I think JD came out and said ‘we should stick it to the north’, so that lets you into his mindset ahead of the Challenge Cup.”
Weschel admitted: “We’re respectful of the big clubs there and what they’ve done but we want to take our place in the competition and there is a big focus on the Challenge Cup.”
A win against Bradford would almost very likely land London a game against another Super League club, which would be another chance to prove their credentials as they push for promotion in 2027.
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