BRIAN NOBLE’S second stint as head coach of Bradford Bulls will begin with a home game against London Broncos in Round One of the 2025 Betfred Championship, while Oldham and Hunslet each have attractive home openers following their promotion from Betfred League One.
Oldham will host Mark Applegarth’s York Knights at Boundary Park in Round One on Sunday February 16, while Hunslet kick off at Barrow Raiders before they welcome the Bulls to the South Leeds Stadium in Round Two on February 23.
The Championship has been reduced to 13 teams in 2025 as part of the process of producing three 12-team divisions from 2026, which means each team will play 24 fixtures spread over 26 rounds from February to September.
The season kicks off with a stand-alone match in France on Saturday February 15 as Toulouse Olympique host Widnes Vikings, while Featherstone Rovers will be London’s first visitors to the Cherry Red Records Stadium in Wimbledon in Round Two.
The champions will again be determined by a top six Play-Off series, culminating in the Betfred Championship Grand Final on the weekend of October 5 – at the home ground of the higher-ranked club.
Goole Vikings, the newcomers to the professional pyramid in 2025, launch their debut Betfred League One campaign with three consecutive home fixtures against Midlands Hurricanes, Dewsbury Rams and North Wales Crusaders, before work commences on a £7m redevelopment of the Victoria Pleasure Ground, their home stadium.
There is a fresh look to League One next year as Goole are one of four new clubs in the competition, with Dewsbury, Swinton Lions and Whitehaven dropping from the Championship to produce an 11-team league.
Swinton will host Whitehaven in Round One on February 23 while two more teams who will hope to be in the promotion reckoning after going close in 2024, Rochdale Hornets and Keighley Cougars, meet at the Crown Oil Stadium.
Dewsbury begin their campaign at home to North Wales Crusaders and Cornwall will open their fourth League One season by making the 900-mile round trip to face Workington Town.
Workington will also have home advantage for the return of the West Cumbrian derby against Whitehaven on Good Friday (April 18), when the Betfred Championship programme includes Halifax Panthers hosting Bradford, the South Yorkshire derby between Sheffield Eagles and Doncaster, and Widnes versus Oldham.
Promotion and relegation between the Championship and League One will be determined by a “Super Eight” competition including the bottom four teams from the Championship, and the top four from League One.
Each of the eight teams involved will play the four teams from the other competition – two at home, two away – over four weekends from September 21 to October 12, with the top two in the final table securing places in the 2026 Betfred Championship, and the bottom four confirmed to play in Betfred League One.
The teams finishing third and fourth in the Super Eight table will play off for the 12th and last place in the 2026 Betfred Championship at the home ground of the third placed team on the weekend of October 19.
Details of the structure of the 1895 Cup will be confirmed soon.
Betfred Championship Round One
Saturday February 15: Toulouse Olympique v Widnes Vikings.
Sunday February 16: Barrow Raiders v Hunslet, Bradford Bulls v London Broncos, Featherstone Rovers v Doncaster, Oldham v York Knights, Sheffield Eagles v Halifax Panthers.
Betfred League One Round One
Sunday February 23: Cornwall v Workington Town, Dewsbury Rams v North Wales Crusaders, Goole Vikings v Midlands Hurricanes, Rochdale Hornets v Keighley Cougars, Swinton Lions v Whitehaven.
Other key dates
January 25-26 – Betfred Challenge Cup Second Round (Championship and League One clubs enter)
February 8-9 – Betfred Challenge Cup Third Round (Super League clubs enter)
March 15-16 – Betfred Challenge Cup Fourth Round (no Championship or League One fixtures)
September 20-21 – Betfred Championship Elimination Play-Offs; first round of Super Eights
September 27-28 – Betfred Championship Semi Finals; second round of Super Eights
October 4-5 – Betfred Championship Grand Final; third round of Super Eights
October 11-12 – Fourth round of Super Eights
October 18-19 – Super Eights 3rd v 4th Play-Off
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