RFL Championship Round 1 fixtures in full as London Broncos set for heavyweight opening clash

Louis Chapman Coombe 02 Dec 2025 11:59 AM

The opening round of the 2026 Championship season has been officially confirmed, with the pick of the games seeing title hopefuls London Broncos and Widnes Vikings facing each other.

Both sides applied for a place in the newly expanded 14-team Super League ahead of 2026, losing out to York Knights and Toulouse Olympique, but are among the favourites to earn promotion come the end of the season.

2026 is the first iteration of the newly expanded second-tier, with 21 teams featuring in the competition after League One and the Championship merged at the end of last season.

Championship round one fixtures confirmed

The opening game of the season takes place at the CorpAcq Stadium, with financially stricken Salford Red Devils facing local rivals Oldham.

As first reported by Love Rugby League, the relegated outfit, who will play in the second-tier for the first time in 17 years this season, will host a standalone season opener against local rivals and potential title contenders Oldham on Friday, January 16th.

That fixture is set to take place two days before the rest of the teams get their respective seasons underway, with the remaining nine opening round clashes taking place on Sunday, January 18th.

Elsewhere in the opening weekend, Midlands Hurricanes will take on Newcastle Thunder in the second official game of the season, with their game kicking off at 2 pm at the Alexander Stadium.

There are a further eight fixtures getting underway in the traditional 3 pm slot, with Barrow Raiders and Workington Town facing each other in a Cumbrian derby, Batley Bulldogs squaring off against West Yorkshire rivals Featherstone Rovers, Doncaster taking on Halifax Panthers, Hunslet welcoming Dewsbury Rams to the South Leeds Stadium, Keighley Cougars coming up against Goole Vikings, Whitehaven facing Sheffield Eagles and Swinton Lions taking on Rochdale Hornets.

However, the clash between the Capital outfit and the Vikings at the Cherry Red Records Stadium will likely steal the limelight, with both sides out to prove a point against their fellow title chasers.

North Wales Crusaders are not in action on the opening round, with them handed a bye.