With the news that Super League will increase to 14 teams for 2026, pundit Jon Wilkin has given his verdict on the situation, labelling it as “the biggest story in the sport” whilst also critiquing how expansion teams will be selected.
News came on Monday evening that the 12 Super League clubs had voted to confirm the competition will expand to 14 teams from 2026 in a seismic change just a few months out from the start of a new campaign.
That league will be made up of the 12 highest scoring sides on the IMG grading system and a further two, selected from those who apply with the process overseen by Lord Jonathan Caine.
Wilkin has now had his say on Sky Sports’ Rugby League Verdict, criticising the method how new clubs will be selected and arguing against the constant changing nature of the sport.
Only last year was the composition of Super League determined by the IMG gradings yet now, that won’t be relevant for two of the fourteen teams who play in the competition and all of the remaining professional rugby league clubs given that gradings don’t dictate promotion and relegation from the Championship and League One anyway.
Jon Wilkin assesses Super League expansion
Asked for his initial thoughts when appearing on Sky Sports News, Wilkin spoke on just how big a change this is to Super League and the wider rugby league landscape.
Q: Put into words how big this news is for the sport
A: “I think it’s massive. It’s the biggest story in the sport since I think I’ve been involved. I think the timing of the announcement is interesting.
“Obviously, a game-wide strategic review is ongoing. There was talk that the results of that would be in by the end of this season but it’s already thrown up two big changes.
“There’s been a change in quota players so we’re increasing the number of imports that can come into our league which materially disadvantages young British rugby league players. Then we’ve increased teams from 12 to 14 so hastily and it throws up so many questions. I’ve just probably got to be careful about what I say.”
Q: Are you for or against expansion?
A: “I’m against the way it’s been done. I’m for the game growing. I’m for expansion.
“A coherent strategy would be useful in terms of what the plan is. I’m just against the concept.
“We were sold a vision of IMG and gradings. So instead of promotion and relegation, for the people who are watching this don’t understand the car crash that is rugby league, instead of promotion and relegation, the game got IMG on board. IMG said, ‘right, we’re going to give everyone a cute little score and based on that score, it depends on whether you can get into the league or not’.
“Now, just one year after the first round of the gradings, we’re just going to use those rules for 12 teams and the other two teams, we’re going to pick. Not only that, we’re going to pick the panel of people who pick those teams. For me, it is just weird.
“It’s just like being involved in a car crash for a sport repeatedly makes the weirdest choices. It just blows my mind. We’ve got 12 teams that will adhere to a set of rules and then we’re going to have two teams picked that don’t have to adhere to the same rules to get into the competition.
“There’s no guidance about what that will look like. There’s no indication of how those rules will be applied or who will be making the decisions or what the panel will look like.
“You’d be surprised if clubs like Toulouse aren’t very twitchy. There’s an anti-French rhetoric sort of knocking around the ether at the minute and they’re in one of those positions with the IMG gradings where they probably would get in. You’d argue that this probably suggests there’s not a chance they’re getting in.”
Q: Why do you think the 12 top-tier clubs would have voted for this expansion?
A: “Just shared grief. They want two more owners to share in their grief of losing money.
“I think, look, what do they want? Parity. Remove loop fixtures, which are just an annoyance, aren’t they? Loop fixtures don’t work. It distorts the parity of the competition.
“It (moving to 14 teams) makes it more orthodox and clean. It probably spreads the footprint of the game. There’s been a clamouring around having a London team in there. It gives them a chance to increase the footprint.
“It gives them a chance to package the game and make it investable in maybe a more shiny way and an easier way to sell into an investment in Qatar or Saudi Arabia, which is what Jason Harborow is on the board to do, to sell the game.
“Those are the reasons why you’d do it but that will all come out. The game will come out and tell us exactly the reasons why they’ve done it.
“The strategic review, which we’re all anxious to see, will tell us exactly the commercial decisions why it’s been done.
“On the podcast, we had an executive from the game last week who said the biggest issues in the game is revenues, costs, and people watching and playing. The expansion, therefore, simply has to meet those reasons. If it doesn’t meet them, then it’s just a gimmick.”
Eric T Cat
July 31, 2025 at 10:44 am
Picking London to get crowds of 1500 home fans plus whatever away support turns up is pointless. Putting the same financial burden on Toulouse as the Catalans are saddled with will be crippling to them. That rules out the leading candidates.Bradford as one of the four to have won Super League? Unfair on others. York have a claim but can they produce on the field? Doncaster have the facilities, but do they have the ambition and resources. I can’t see any other club with a realistic chance.