BBC make Challenge Cup Second Round broadcast pick as all-Championship tie chosen
Mark Chapman presents a Challenge Cup game for the BBC
Next weekend’s all-Championship tie between Sheffield Eagles and Whitehaven in the Challenge Cup Second Round will be shown live on BBC iPlayer on Saturday, January 24 (2.30pm KO).
At this stage of the competition, the BBC’s Challenge Cup broadcast picks remain away from their terrestrial channels.
Accordingly, next weekend’s Second Round tie will be available to watch via the iPlayer and Red Button.
Due to a wealth of First Round ties being postponed and re-arranged, there are a mass of Second Round ties in which the line-up is yet to be officially confirmed.
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BBC make Challenge Cup Second Round broadcast pick as all-Championship tie chosen
This tie between Championship foes Sheffield and Whitehaven is one of only a handful which has been locked in for definite.
With the Third Round draw having already been done, the pair know that the winner of their clash will host Super League opposition.
Warrington Wolves will travel to either South Yorkshire or Cumbria next month, and if it’s the latter, it’ll be a repeat of a Third Round tie we saw last year.
Craig Lingard’s Sheffield side finished 11th in the Championship last year, winning just six of their 24 league games.
Haven meanwhile finished eighth in League 1 in 2025, taking 15 points from 18 games via seven wins and a draw.
As a result of the second and third tiers being merged ahead of this season, the pair will both compete in the Championship: and their 2026 campaigns coincidentally begin against one another this weekend.
The Eagles travel to Cumbria for a clash against Haven on Sunday, six days prior to the pair’s meeting in the Challenge Cup at the Steel City Stadium.
Elsewhere in the Challenge Cup, a First Round tie re-arranged for this weekend will be shown live on The Sportsman’s YouTube channel.
Siddal’s tie against Waterhead Warriors now kicks off at 2pm on Sunday, January 18 – and will be shown live by The Sportsman, as had been originally planned.
The winner of that tie earns a home game against Rochdale Hornets which will in turn be a battle for the privilege of hosting Super League heavyweights Wigan Warriors in next month’s Third Round.
