History will be made at Wembley Stadium on Saturday (12 August) – and Rugby League fans can secure their copy of the matchday programme right now.
For the first time, the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final will be part of Rugby League’s traditional showpiece occasion as cup holders St Helens defend their crown against two-time winners Leeds Rhinos. And as the Betfred Men’s Challenge Cup Final returns to Wembley, Hull KR and Leigh Leopards are looking to end their respective cup droughts. A bumper cup finals triple-header concludes with an all-West Yorkshire AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final between Halifax Panthers and Batley Bulldogs, winners of the very first Challenge Cup.
Saturday’s match programme is packed with exclusive features on all three finals – and finalists – and other highlights including:
- Rugby League World editor Lorraine Marsden catches up with ex-soldier and Leeds Rhinos player Bethan Dainton, and St Helens’ Eboni Partington who shone for Saints in the 2023 cup final;
- Anthony Broxton, author of new book Hope and Glory: Rugby League in Thatcher’s Britain, looks back at one of the biggest shocks in Challenge Cup history: the 1983 final between Featherstone Rovers and Hull FC;
- Journalist Ross Heppenstall looks at the opposing coaches for the men’s final: Adrian Lam and Willie Peters;
- Daily Mirror correspondent Dave Craven charts Elliot Minchella’s road to success;
- Gary Carter of The Sun tells of a Wembley hero’s quest for more cup glory;
- Rugby League historian, journalist (and former Leigh Chairman) Mike Latham reflects on famous Wembley triumphs for Leigh and Hull KR
- Sheffield Eagles Foundation heritage officer Richard King describes how the south Yorkshire club is keeping alive memories of a famous day in 1998.
The Wembley Finals Day match programme is available to order online now.
The Betfred Women's Challenge Cup Final will kick-off at 11.50am, followed by the men's final at 3pm and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final at 5.30pm. Tickets, starting from just £20 Adults and £10 Under 16s, are on sale online now.
