Wigan CEO weighs in on Wembley debate as honest Challenge Cup admission made

Wigan Warriors’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kris Radlinski admits the Challenge Cup final may have to leave Wembley, but does not want that to happen unless absolutely necessary.

Saturday saw Wigan double winners under the arch, firstly retaining the Women’s Challenge Cup before the men’s side went on to lift the Challenge Cup for a record-extending 22nd time.

No club comes close to the Cherry and Whites when it comes to success in the competition, but this year’s showpiece in the capital drew a crowd of just 56,583.

That is the lowest attendance for a Challenge Cup final between two English sides since 1946, excluding the two in 2020 and 2021 impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As is the case every year, the age old debate about the cup final moving away from Wembley reared its head in the build-up to – and aftermath – of the weekend’s action.

And Radlinski’s views are, like many, split between head and heart.

‘We don’t sell Wembley out like we’ve done in the past, but it’s still on the bucket list of players’

Radlinski played in three Challenge Cup finals, but only one of those came at Wembley, with that in 1998 as Wigan were stunned by Sheffield Eagles.

His heroics in 2002 against rivals St Helens, scooping the Lance Todd Trophy as he helped his hometown club to glory, came in Edinburgh: and when Saints got their revenge two years later, the final came in Cardiff.

In an interview carried out ahead of the 2026 finals under the arch, Radlinski said: “We don’t sell Wembley out like we’ve done in the past, but it’s still on the bucket list of players.

“Players still want to go there and play in a big occasion.

“I’ve grown up watching the Challenge Cup, I still get the tingle when the draw comes out. We’ve got a magic to it, and it’s a great day out.

“In years gone past, every Super League team used to send fans down, and it’s probably lost that a little bit.

“I’d like us to get back to that stage where every fan is turning up in their own jersey for a bit day out.”

‘I would much rather see a Challenge Cup final with a sell-out crowd, but the idea was to sell Wembley out every year’

Wigan were involved in the only men’s Challenge Cup final to take place away from Wembley since 2007, with that coming at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022 when Matt Peet landed his first piece of silverware by beating Huddersfield Giants.

51,628 were present that day in North London, with circa 11,000 seats still empty in a state-of-the-art 62,850-capacity venue.

But 11,000 empty seats pale in comparison to the ~33,000 unused at Wembley on Saturday, with the national stadium’s capacity sitting at 90,000.

Radlinski added: “I don’t like seeing an empty Wembley.

“If Wembley’s full, then it shouldn’t move. But we can’t be ignorant to the economic challenges within the sport and within society, it costs a lot of money to get down there.

“I would much rather see a Challenge Cup final with a sell-out crowd, but the idea was to sell Wembley out every year.

“For that to happen, the sport needs to make a concerted effort rather than it just being the competing clubs.”