On Friday, the RFL confirmed the format for the 2026 1895 Cup. With 19 clubs across England and Wales competing for the trophy and five of the six previous winners either competing in the Super League (in the case of Wakefield, Leigh and York) or out of the competition altogether (in the case of Featherstone and Halifax) for 2026, there is a real opportunity for those competing to make some history in winning the Cup for the very first time.
The Midlands Hurricanes have only ever competed in the 1895 Cup twice. In 2024, the Canes exited the competition at the Group Stage following defeats to Doncaster and Sheffield Eagles, and in 2025 the Canes defeated Whitehaven 52-24 in the First Preliminary Round before losing 7-6 in the Second Preliminary Round to a late Izaac Farrell drop-goal. With the Canes already knocked out of the 2026 Challenge Cup following a last-minute try from Farrell a couple of weeks ago, Head Coach Mark Dunning will see the 1895 Cup as another opportunity for the Canes to try and earn some silverware.
The balls for the Preliminary and First Rounds are as follows:
1. Barrow Raiders
2. Batley Bulldogs
3. Dewsbury Rams
4. Doncaster RLFC
5. Hunslet RLFC
6. London Broncos
7. Midlands Hurricanes
8. Newcastle Thunder
9. North Wales Crusaders
10. Rochdale Hornets
11. Salford RLFC
12. Sheffield Eagles
13. Swinton Lions
14. Whitehaven RLFC
15. Widnes Vikings
16. Workington Town
17. Goole Vikings
18. Keighley Cougars
19. Oldham RLFC
The Preliminary and First Round draws will take place today (Sunday 15 February 2026) at 17:40 on BBC Radio Leeds. For the Preliminary Round draw, six balls will be drawn from balls 1-16 to determine the three Preliminary Round fixtures and the remaining 10 teams will receive a bye into the First Round. Balls 17-19 will be exempt from this draw altogether as they represent the three Championship teams still in the Round of 16 for the Challenge Cup. On the conclusion of the draw for the Preliminary Round, balls 17-19 will be added for the purpose of the First Round draw.
The Preliminary Round will take place during the weekend of 14/15 March 2026, with the First Round taking place during the weekend of 18/19 April 2026. The Quarter-Finals will take place during the weekend of 16/17 May 2026, with the Semi-Finals during the weekend of 13/14 June 2026. The final is set to take place on Sunday 30 August 2026, with the venue for the final to be confirmed in due course.
