Barrow Raiders Ladies have been paired with York Valkyrie in the group stages of this season’s Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup.

The format of the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup was confirmed earlier today following the group stage draw, which took place at the DIY Kitchens Stadium in Wakefield – with a new team taking part in the competition in 2026.

For the first time, Catalans Dragons, who play in the French division, will also feature in the Women’s Challenge Cup, playing all of their games in England. 

All eight Betfred Women’s Super League teams will also compete for a spot at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 30 May, alongside two clubs from the Northern Championship – Cardiff Demons and London Broncos. 

The 11 teams have been drawn into three groups of three and one group of two. As in previous years, the draw has been seeded with one of the last season’s top four teams – Leeds Rhinos, St Helens, Wigan Warriors and York Valkyrie – in each group, alongside one or two teams selected from the remaining eight. 

Following Salford Red Devils’ demise, they have dropped out of the competition. No-one of suitable standard took the invitation to replace them, meaning we will remain in a group of two and will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, regardless of the outcome of our cup fixture against York.

The three rounds of group fixtures are scheduled to take place on the weekends of April 4/5, 11/12 and 18/19. Teams in Group A, B and C will play two games over the three weekends, with the top two teams progressing to the quarter-finals. 

The quarter-finals will then be played at the home ground of the team that finished top of their group on April 25/26. The fixtures for this will be based on the initial draw. 

Following the quarter-finals, all games will be played as double-headers alongside the men’s competition, starting with the semi-finals on May 9/10 and culminating with the 2026 Women’s Challenge Cup final on Saturday 30 May at Wembley Stadium. 

Tickets for the 2026 Challenge Cup Finals day are available online now from only £25 for Adults and £10 for Under 16s – Get yours here! 

Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup group stage draw

Group A

  • St Helens
  • Catalans
  • Huddersfield

Group B

  • Leeds Rhinos
  • London Broncos
  • Leigh Leopards

Group C

  • Wigan Warriors
  • Cardiff Demons
  • Featherstone Rovers

Group D

  • York Valkyrie
  • Barrow Raiders

Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Key Dates:

  • Round 1: April 4/5
  • Round 2: April 11/12
  • Round 3: April 18/19
  • Quarter-finals: April 25/26
  • Semi-finals: May 9/10
  • Final: Saturday 30 May

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