 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(February 2026) |
| Duration | March – August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 19 |
The 2026 RFL 1895 Cup (also known as the 2026 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup) will be the seventh staging of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league competition for English and Welsh clubs competing outside of Super League. Due to the merging of the Championship and League One, this make the competition solely for the Championship clubs.
The tournament for 2026 had a slightly revised format from previous years, with just the single preliminary round, down from two preliminary rounds in 2025.
The final will not be played at Wembley Stadium, as has been the case for previous seasons.
The preliminary round will comprise three ties, drawn from the 16 teams not longer in the 2026 Challenge Cup. [1] The ties will be played over the weekend of 14/15 March.
Drawn concurrently with the preliminary round on 15 February, the first round will comprise eight ties; the winners of the preliminary round, the 10 teams who were not drawn for the preliminary round, and the three teams who qualified for the fourth round of the Challenge Cup – Goole Vikings, Keighley Cougars and Oldham. [1] The ties will be played over the weekend of 18/19 April.
The ties will be played over the weekend of 16/17 May.
The ties will be played over the weekend of 13/14 June. This is a weekend scheduled for league matches so some fixture rearrangement will be required.
The final will be played on 31 August. This is also a weekend scheduled for league matches so some fixture rearrangement will be required.