'Unanimous decision': York Knights & Toulouse Olympique promoted to Super League 2026

York Knights' Liam Harris attempts a conversion during this month's Betfred Championship Grand Final loss to Toulouse Olympique at LNER Community Stadium. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

placeholder image — York Knights' Liam Harris attempts a conversion during this month's Betfred Championship Grand Final loss to Toulouse Olympique at LNER Community Stadium. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

York Knights and Toulouse Olympique have been handed the final two places in an expanded 14-club Super League for 2026.

The two sides, who finished first and second in the Betfred Championship this year, were chosen from nine applicants by an independent panel. Three of the other applicants – Bradford Bulls, Huddersfield Giants and Hull FC – secured their places in next season’s competition by finishing in the top 12 of the club gradings table published yesterday (Thursday).

London Broncos miss out despite a takeover led by outgoing Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington and appointment of former Wakefield Trinity captain Jason Demetriou as coach. RFL non-executive board member Lord Caine chaired the panel. He said: “After a thorough and robust process, we were pleased to be able to decide that Toulouse Olympique and York Knights will be worthy and deserving additions to the Betfred Super League next season.

“They were 13th and 14th on the club gradings, with a significant lead on any of the other applicants from the Betfred Championship. As was set out on August 19, it was always the panel’s intention to use those gradings as one of the criteria in our deliberations, along with enhanced financial scrutiny and an assessment of competitiveness.

“The panel’s deliberations were conducted on the basis of fairness, impartiality, independence and confidentiality. The panel was unanimous in its final decision to choose Toulouse Olympique and York Knights. We thank and congratulate all the clubs who engaged in the process for the quality of their applications and we look forward to seeing elite Rugby League played in the historic cities of Toulouse and York in 2026.”

Toulouse, founded in 1937, were the first French club to reach the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, in 2005. They had a two-year stint in the British league system in 2009-10 and rejoined in 2016. They spent 2022 in Super League and beat York in this year’s second-tier Grand Final.

York are returning to the top-flight for the first time since the 1985-86 winter season, a decade before the launch of Super League. Today’s announcement completes an incredible rise by Knights, who played their first game in 2003 - the season after the former York Wasps club went out of business - and had the Heworth amateur club as their home ground just 10 years ago.

Toulouse Olympique celebrate this month's Betfred Championship Grand Final win at York. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

Knights began life in the third-tier National League Two and were promoted to the Championship for the first time for the 2011 season. They were relegated two years later and were close to going out of business in 2017 before being saved when Jon Flatman, previously on the board at Wakefield Trinity, took over the club. Knights were promoted back to the Championship the following year. Aussie Clint Goodchild became Knights’ owner in 2022, the year after they moved into the city’s new Community Stadium.