Wigan Warriors are the defending champions, having won seven Super League Grand Finals including in 2024, and were looking to win three successive Grand Finals for the first time after also winning the 2023 final. Hull Kingston Rovers, meanwhile, were making their second consecutive appearance at a Grand Final in an attempt to win their first ever treble, having finishing top of the Super League table and lifted the League Leader's Shield and having also won the 2025 Challenge Cup final.[1][2]
Hull Kingston Rovers defeated Wigan 24-6 to claim their first Super League title, and in doing so, became the fifth winners of a Grand Final and achieved their first ever treble.[3]
Hull Kingston Rovers finished the regular season as league leaders, earning the team a bye to the semi-final. They played the lowest ranked winner from the eliminators, which was St Helens.
Final score: Hull Kingston Rovers 20-12 St Helens[4]
2024 Grand Final winners Wigan finished the regular season in second place, earning the Warriors a bye to the semi-final. They played the highest ranked winner from the eliminators, which was the Leigh Leopards, a repeat of their 2024 semi-final fixture.
Final score: Wigan Warriors 18–6 Leigh Leopards[5]
Pre-match
Broadcasting
In the United Kingdom, both regular providers Sky Sports, via their Main Event channel, and the SuperLeague+ streaming platform aired the Grand Final, with highlights of the Grand Final also aired a day later on BBC Two.[6] Live radio coverage of the final was also provided by BBC Radio 5 Live.[7]
Sky Sports' coverage was also shared with Fox League in Australia and Fox Sports in the USA, Digicel in the Pacific Region, Premier Sports Asia in South East Asia, Dubai TV, Sportsnet in Canada, SportsMax in the Caribbean and Sportdigital in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. A deal agreed between IMG and Sport Media Group also saw the Grand Final broadcast for the first time on Sport Media's main channel in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova and Ukraine.[6]
Liam Moore refereed the match and was aided by touch judges Marcus Griffiths and Richard Thompson. The video referee was Jack Smith, while the reserve referee was Chris Kendall.[10]
Team selection
Hull KRs' squad remained largely unchanged from their semi-final victory against St Helens, with the exception of Noah Booth replacing Eribe Doro, and the retiring Michael McIlorum's selection initially being in doubt due to recovering from a fractured ankle;[11] McIlorum finished his career by playing in the Grand Final with his ankle still fractured, although he was substituted during the first half.[12]Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who was to also retire after the Grand Final, initially faced a three match ban due to committing a Grade C head contact offence in the semi-final fixture, however this ban was overturned upon appeal.[13]
The Wigan Warriors squad remained unchanged following their semi-final match against Leigh.[14]
Prize money
Prize money was £200,000 for the victors and £140,000 for the runners-up.[15]
By winning the Grand Final, Hull Kingston Rovers claimed their first Super League title, becoming the first new winners of a Grand Final since the Leeds Rhinos in 2004 and also becoming rugby league champions for the first time since 1984-85. Following victories in the Challenge Cup Final and winning the League Leader's Shield, Hull Kingston Rovers also achived their first ever treble, becoming only the seventh club to do so. By comparison, Wigan's loss in the Grand Final represented their first season of rugby league since the appointment of coach Matt Peet in 2022 where they did not win a single trophy.[3]
Television viewing figures for the Sky Sports broadcast averaged at 455,000 during the match, marking a rise in viewership by 22% when compared to the 2024 final, which itself saw a 40% rise.[18]
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