Ranking every Super League club’s start to 2026 from easiest to toughest with Leigh SECOND

The Super League fixtures are now out for 2026 – and every club knows exactly who they will play and when throughout next season.

As is the case every year, some clubs have trickier starts than others – although of course, every team will play every other team home and away (with the exception of Magic).

But a good start can make or break a season – which means the first five games is very intriguing. And we’ve put together a system that determines exactly who has the easiest start, and who has the toughest.

But before we reveal the list – here’s how it all works.

The formula

It’s pretty simple. In order to keep things straightforward we have ranked all 14 clubs from 1 to, you guessed it, 14 based on their league position last year. That means for the purposes of this exercise York are 12th, Toulouse 13th and Bradford 14th. The other 11 are based on where they finished on the 2025 Super League table.

That gives each club a number, and the cumulative score of every team’s first five opponents is added together. The team with the lowest score faces the toughest start – and the club with the highest score has, on paper at least, the easiest start to 2026.

Without further ado, here’s how they rank:

14. St Helens

The easiest start in 2026? That belongs to Paul Rowley’s St Helens.

They face only one team that made the play-offs last year early on – Leigh in Round 2. They also face two of the three promoted sides, meaning they will fancy a quick start.

First five: Warrington, Leigh, Catalans, Bradford, Toulouse

13. Wigan Warriors

Last year’s Grand Final runners-up have a very good start on paper. Two of the three promoted teams are in their first five, as are the lowest-ranked Super League side from 2025 in Castleford.

First five: Castleford, Hull FC, Leigh, Toulouse, York

12. Bradford Bulls

Ahead of their first season back in the top flight for almost a decade, the Bulls will be quietly confident of claiming a couple of scalps early on. They have another fellow promoted side in Toulouse on their opening quintet of fixtures, as well as the likes of Catalans and Huddersfield.

First five: Hull FC, Catalans, Toulouse, St Helens, Huddersfield

11. Hull KR

For the interests of simplicity, we’ve included Rovers Round 2 clash with Warrington in here. With that in mind, they face four teams ranked in the bottom half of this list in their first five. A great chance to hit the ground running.

First five: York, Warrington, Leeds, Huddersfield, Catalans

10. Wakefield Trinity

Fresh from making the play-offs in 2025, Wakefield will look to come out of the gates flying next year. They have a good chance to do exactly that too, with a fairly decent opening five.

First five: Toulouse, Huddersfield, Warrington, Hull FC, Leigh

9. Huddersfield Giants

Huddersfield play only one team from last year’s top five in their start to the season: though it is defending champions Hull KR. They also face West Yorkshire rivals Bradford and Castleford.

First five: Catalans, Wakefield, Castleford, Hull KR, Bradford

8. Hull FC

Heading towards the middle of the pack now in terms of tough starts. The Black and Whites start with, on paper, the most favourable game of Bradford and they also face York. However, they also have to play three of last year’s top six.

First five: Bradford, Wigan, York, Wakefield, Leeds

7. Toulouse

The French side have an okay start in comparison to some other teams: though there are some tricky tests in the shape of St Helens and Leeds after the first three rounds.

First five: Wakefield, Castleford, Bradford, Wigan, St Helens

6. Castleford Tigers

We’re heading towards the top end of this list now, and a new-look Castleford will be hopeful of starting well under Ryan Carr. A daunting opening weekend clash against Wigan is the toughest of their first five.

First five: Wigan, Toulouse, Huddersfield, Leeds, St Helens 

5. Warrington Wolves

The Wire start with a big game against St Helens before a clash against Hull KR. However, things do ease up from there, with games against York and Castleford in their first five.

First five: St Helens, Hull KR, Wakefield, York, Castleford

4. Leeds Rhinos

Leeds face newly-promoted York and Castleford in their first five which means their start ranks favourably. However, there is also a huge opening weekend clash with Leigh and a showdown with Hull KR in Las Vegas.

First five: Leigh, York, Hull KR, Castleford, Hull FC

3. Catalans Dragons

The Dragons had a difficult year in 2025 but compared to some other teams, they have a more favourable start. They face one of the newly-promoted teams in Bradford – but they also have Hull KR in their first five.

First five: Huddersfield, Bradford, St Helens, Leigh, Wigan

2. Leigh Leopards

Leigh made a great start to 2025 which laid the foundations for a strong campaign. However, they’ll do well to do something similar next year – their first three games are Leeds, St Helens and Wigan!

First five: Leeds, St Helens, Wigan, Catalans, Wakefield

1. York Knights

However, the toughest start in 2026 – by some distance – is afforded to one of Super League’s newly-promoted sides in York Knights. They face the champions and the runners-up in their opening five, and don’y play a team who finished lower than eighth!

First five: Hull KR, Leeds, Hull FC, Warrington, Wigan

And here is the formula!