Rugby league’s 2025 key dates including Super League, Challenge Cup and Championship plans

Super League, Championship and League One clubs will learn their route through the 2025 season later this month when the fixtures are released.

The 2025 Super League fixtures are due to be released on Thursday, November 21 at 8am. Clubs are expected to tease their opening weekend fixtures the night before the schedule unveiling as they have done in previous years, which will also clear up when the mid-season break will be and who each team will play at Magic Weekend.

The release comes 12 weeks before the start of the new top flight season, which is understood to be scheduled in for the weekend of February 14, with a Thursday opener (February 13) a possibility. However, that won’t be the first competitive game Super League teams play next season, with the Challenge Cup third round to be held the week before the new league season gets underway.

The competition will have a new format next season, with Super League clubs entering at an earlier stage. Top flight outfits will enter in round three, with a seeded draw taking place to ensure they are drawn away from home at a lower league club.

The Challenge Cup will get underway for those NCL and community teams involved over the weekend of January 11, with the second round, which will include all Championship and League One clubs barring Toulouse Olympique, taking place two weeks later during the weekend of January 25.

The draw for rounds one and two is expected to take place on December 2. That comes just a week after the Championship and League One fixtures are released. November 26 is the date for the second and third tier schedules will be released.

Here’s all the key dates you need to know heading into the 2025 season

November 21 – Super League fixture release

November 26 – Championship and League One fixture release

December 2 – Challenge Cup first and second round draw

January 11-12 – Challenge Cup first round (NCL and community clubs enter)

January 25-26 – Challenge Cup second round (Championship and League One clubs enter)

February 8-9 – Challenge Cup third round (Super League clubs enter)

February 13-16 – Super League Round One

March 1 – Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas

June 7 – Challenge Cup final

October 11 – Super League Grand Final