Four teams. Four dreams.
The semi-finals of the 1895 Cup have arrived, but which two teams will be progressing to this year’s final?
On Saturday, Midlands Hurricanes will host London Broncos. Neither side have made it to a semi-final in this competition before.
To get to this stage, the Hurricanes defeated North Wales Crusaders, 0-48, on the road before coming out on the right side of a high scoring affair away at Oldham (34-40).
Meanwhile, Jason Demetriou’s high-flying Broncos have swept past Barrow Raiders (36-10), Keighley Cougars (62-6), and Doncaster (52-20) to reach the last four.
London are unbeaten in 2026 and are leading the way in the Betfred Championship with a six-point advantage at the top of the table.
Midlands, on the other hand, are sitting eighth in the table, and are searching for their first win since April.
The sides’ last meeting came in the league, with the Broncos running riot, 64-0. The Hurricanes will be hoping for a much more competitive encounter on Saturday, especially with silverware on the line.
On Sunday, Widnes Vikings will welcome Rochdale Hornets to town. The Vikings were finalists in the inaugural 1895 Cup Final, falling short to Sheffield Eagles at Wembley Stadium in 2019.
The Vikings also made the semi-finals in 2021 but were beaten by Featherstone Rovers in a close contest (24-18) and have been waiting for another chance ever since.
Allan Coleman’s side booked their spot in the semis with wins over Dewsbury Rams (10-50) and Newcastle Thunder (30-20) in the previous rounds.
For the Hornets, a 32-18 victory over two-time finalists Sheffield and a 24-6 victory over Goole Vikings is what secured their place.
Widnes and Rochdale have already met once in 2026, with the Vikings proving too strong, 16-34.
2026 will see the seventh instalment of the 1895 Cup. So far, there have been six different winners of six different finals since the competition was first integrated in 2019 - and there is set to be a new name once again on the trophy this year.
1895 Cup Semi-Final fixtures:
Saturday 13 June
Midlands Hurricanes v London Broncos (K.O. 2pm)
Sunday 14 June
Widnes Vikings v Rochdale Hornets (K.O. 3pm)
