Women’s National Championship set for exciting Play-Off weekend as promotion race reaches its Semi-Final stages

The Women’s National Championship’s top four teams meet this weekend in two decisive semi-finals, with promotion to the 2026 Betfred Women’s Super League now within reach. 

Teams in contention: 

Manchester Swinton Lionesses 

Warrington Wolves 

London Broncos 

Cardiff Demons 

Semi-Final 1: Swinton Lionesses vs Warrington Wolves - Sunday 6 September (K.O. 2pm)

League leaders Manchester Swinton Lionesses face fourth-placed Warrington Wolves in an intense derby clash that promises to add another chapter to an increasingly fierce rivalry.  

The two sides are no strangers to one another, having recently met in the Challenge Shield Final, where the Lionesses emerged victorious following a dramatic and strongly contested encounter.  

Warrington, however, will be determined to turn the tables when the two sides meet again with a place in the Championship final at stake.  

Semi-Final 2: London Broncos vs Cardiff Demons - Sunday 6 September (K.O. 2pm)

Second-placed in the league table, London Broncos will take on third-placed Cardiff Demons in another highly anticipated encounter.  

The fixture brings together two evenly matched sides and prolongs a historic rivalry within the women’s game.  

Both teams have demonstrated their quality throughout the season and will know that there is little to separate them when they take to the field.  

Together, the two semi-finals set up a high-stakes closing stretch in which every result will shape the final route to promotion.  

The victorious sides will progress to the Women’s National Championship Final on Sunday 20th September, where they will battle for the chance to become the number one contender for promotion to the Betfred Women’s Super League.  

The winner of that final will then face the bottom-placed team from the Betfred Women’s Super League Shield Competition in the fixture coined as the Promotion Play-Off Final.  

That decisive clash will take place on Sunday 27 September 2026, serving as a double-header to the 2026 Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final.