The 2025 RFL League One was a professional rugby league football competition played in the United Kingdom and the third tier of the sport for Rugby Football League (RFL) affiliated clubs. The sponsors for the league were the bookmakers, Betfred and the league continued to be known as the Betfred League One.
Eleven teams were due to compete in the league playing 20 matches each over 22 rounds in the regular season. On 2 April, after four rounds had been played, Cornwall announced that the club were withdrawing from the league with immediate effect and would not be fulfilling their remaining fixtures.[1]
Cornwall's membership of the RFL was terminated on 2 May and the club's three results for 2025 expunged.[2] The competition continued as a 10 club league with each team playing 18 games.[3]
The season was the 22nd and final season of the third-tier competition as League One and the Championship merged at the end of the season.
Team changes
The league had increased in size from 2024 with 11 teams competing, up from nine in 2024. At the end of the 2024 season Dewsbury Rams, Swinton Lions and Whitehaven were relegated from the Championship replacing Oldham and Hunslet who won promotion. Goole Vikings were admitted to the league, the first new team since Cornwall in 2022.
Structure changes
Until 2023 promotion and relegation was on a 2-up, 2-down basis between the Championship and League One but was subject to a review of the league structure.[4]
In March 2024 the RFL completed the review and announced that the first steps will be taken to equalise the number of teams in the Championship and League One at 12 each by the start of the 2026 season. Following the 2-up, 3-down system in 2024, 2025 was to have seen the return of the Super 8s format with the top four teams in League One meeting the bottom four teams in the Championship to decide which division those clubs will play in for 2026.[5]
However, following the decision to expand Super League from 12 to 14 clubs from 2026, the decision was taken on 27 August 2025 to merge the Championship and League One competitions for 2026. The Super 8s therefore became redundant and were cancelled.[6]
Kick chasers will only be offside if they are influencing the play rather than automatically being offside for being within 10 metres.
Drop-outs that fail to travel 10 metres or go out on the full result in a play-the-ball rather than a penalty.
Attacking players as well as defending players can be green-carded if play has to be stopped due to an injury. Previously only defending players could be green-carded.
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Cornwall (until 2 April)
Dewsbury Rams 
Goole Vikings 
Keighley Cougars 
Midlands Hurricanes 
Newcastle Thunder 
North Wales Crusaders 
Rochdale Hornets 
Swinton Lions 
Whitehaven 
Workington Town