Super League will expand to 14 teams next year with a controversial process confirmed but more details have now been revealed with Leigh Leopards’ owner Derek Beaumont claiming it will be ‘robust’, as he assured fans it would all be done above board.
Expansion to 14 teams was something Super League owners ‘unanimously’ agreed upon late last year according to Beaumont, with the Leigh owner giving a lengthy interview with club media in the midst of this latest Super League change.
News of that expansion was formally confirmed on Monday with 12 of the 14 teams to be selected via IMG grading whilst the 13th and 14th will be confirmed through an application process, with a panel chaired by Lord Jonathan Caine, who was recently appointed to the RFL Board and is part of the ongoing Strategic Review.
The fact that two teams will effectively be cherry-picked has raised eyebrows among fans with obvious questions raised about clarity and transparency, however, Derek Beaumont has shed more light and asserted that it will be a fair and proper process.
How will Super League select the 13th and 14th teams for 2026
He first explained that the most important aspect for any club who joins Super League is sustainability and that would be assessed by ‘mechanics’ similar to the one in which Leigh themselves applied to join Super League and replace Toronto Wolfpack.
So important is sustainability that the panel could even reject applications and inform Super League clubs that they’re best to remain as a 12-team competition.
Beaumont revealed: “It’s a really really robust process with a robust panel and it’s open for that panel to turn around and say, ‘Actually we advise you that there aren’t two clubs who can come up sustainably with what’s being offered and fulfill the fixtures competitively. It would be damaging to Super League and therefore we’re making no recommendations’, which would force us to be 12.”
Speculating on which sides could be in with a chance of coming up, he said: “It’s a desired outcome that we have 14 and the best part of all of that for me is all the clubs in the Championship who think they’ve got a chance. I’m thinking Widnes, Bradford, York, Oldham, Featherstone, you could probably name them all.
“There will be some that want London with Gary Hetherington getting involved there and investment from Australia. Lord Caine will have a tough job.”
Nigel Wood to have no influence on Super League selection
Lord Caine’s credibility was also spoken of by Beaumont whilst it was confirmed that controversial figure Nigel Wood will not be involved in any way.
“The simple answer is that it’s got nothing to do with Nigel,” Beaumont said, before talking about Caine’s credentials.
“He [Caine} was a big negotiator in Northern Ireland and everything with Sinn Fein and I thought somebody like that is not going to compromise their reputation unless they can robustly stand up and justify their decision. I don’t see that changing one bit, wherever Nigel is.”
Fans will likely still ask questions until more clarity is officially given on the process, something that Super League Europe confirmed would happen when they released their statement.
Even so, some in the sport will still advocate for on-field performance to dictate the 13th and 14th team, including Doncaster CEO Craig Hall who spoke out recently.
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Eric T Cat
July 30, 2025 at 7:12 pm
That “robust” that Salford teeter on the edge of extinction, I’m just not seeing it. The situation at Salford has to be sorted out, they’ve been on the cusp of resolving matters since the start of the season, and are no nearer to a resolution. There’s no clear financial support or clear candidates to expand to 14 clubs. Relegate the club that finishes bottom, promote the winners of the Championship. Set a plan for two clubs to be added ro Super League but only when they have the financial backing, stadium, training facilities, youth development, and crowds over 4000, over the next three years. If the loop fixtures are that much of a problem then drop them, resurrect the old John Player Trophy or Floodlit trophy to fill in tge gaps.
Stephen Morris
July 30, 2025 at 9:57 pm
Beaumont lists several Championship clubs which might have a chance of promotion. But he does not mention Toulouse which is currently running second. That is because the clubs behind this expansion and Nigel Wood don’t want French clubs in Super League. They have no intetest in growing the game in France. They are only interested in promoting the game in a tiny sliver of England around the M62. This a recipe for the financial strangulation of rugby league which is underway as we speak. The TV contract has been cut in half. It is totally inadequate. Under the plans of Wood and others it will not be rectified. Beaumont and Nigel Wood are people devoid of vision and devoid of commitment to growth of the game nationally or internationally.