IMG criteria set for major changes with London among big winners in new system

Major changes to the way clubs are graded in the IMG system will be implemented this year – which could dramatically alter the make-up of the rankings come October if the method remains in place. 

For the last two years, clubs have been scored across five different areas and can secure a maximum of 20 IMG points, with a score of 15 ensuring a Grade A. There will still be a total of 20 points up for grabs in 2026 – but in a very different way in some key aspects.

Love Rugby League can reveal that on-field performance now has a greater bearing on a club’s score than ever before. Previously, clubs could secure a maximum of five points in that area but it will now be six – 30% of the grading.

The old method saw clubs secure a maximum of four points based on their average league finish over the last three seasons, but they can now get a maximum of five – and crucially, the system has been adjusted so that it is the last two seasons which count, not three.

That would immediately benefit clubs like Wakefield – who were 1st in the Championship in 2024, a score which now won’t count – and York, who were 4th in the Championship two years ago. Their score will now be higher.

The previous system also score all three seasons weighted equally but now, 65% of a club’s score will be taken from the most recent season’s performance, with the other 35% coming from the season before.

Another intriguing change is the bonus points in performance for silverware. The Super League winners still claim 0.75 points and the Challenge Cup winners get 0.25 points – but the prize for winning the Championship has now risen from 0.25 points to 0.50 points.

London Broncos would stand to be major beneficiaries there should, as expected, they go on and win the Championship. The winners of the 1895 Cup get no bonus points this year; previously, they got 0.1.

The increase in points is also seen in finance, with clubs now able to score a maximum of 5 instead of 4.5 on their financial health. And that means there has been points removed from elsewhere in the grading: with catchment the area in question – that has now completely been taken out of the criteria.

A hugely controversial aspect of the system, clubs could previously get a maximum of 1.5 points on a sliding scale based on the population of their local authority: not necessarily the town or city they play in. And London will stand to hugely benefit from this again.

They only scored the lowest possible amount last year – 0.5 points – due to the fact they were graded on their local authority, Merton, rather than the city of London. Former Broncos owner David Hughes had criticised this nuance of the system in the past.

A club like Huddersfield, in contrast, scored the maximum 1.5 points because of the population of Kirklees. They will now lose that from their score entirely, as will other clubs – making what seemed to be a straightforward prediction about the IMG scores much more intriguing with six months to go until the next reveal.

This story was discussed in more detail on the new episode of the Love Rugby League podcast.

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