1895 Cup
Sat 18th April 2026
Sun 19th April 2026
WHAT IS THE 1895 CUP?
The 1895 Cup is a rugby league knockout competition in England, introduced in 2019 and organised by the Rugby Football League.
Founded seven years ago, and named in honour of the 1895 Northern Rugby Football Union, this competition was created to provide a second and more realistic chance for clubs outside the Betfred Super League, to win silverware.
From 2019 to 2025, the 1895 Cup Final was held at Wembley Stadium, alongside the Men’s and Women’s Betfred Challenge Cup Finals. This excludes the 2022 final, which was played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, due to the national stadium being unavailable at that time.
In 2026, the final will be moved to a new venue, away from the capital, which is currently TBC.
The 2026 format initially features 19 Betfred Championship clubs, which includes the Preliminary Round, Round One, the Quarter and Semi Finals, as well as the main final which will take place on Monday 31 August.
There have been six different winners of six different finals since the 1895 Cup's inaugural year back in 2019.
The Player of the Match in the 1895 Cup Final receives the Ray French Award.
Previous Winners:
2025 - York Knights
Beat Featherstone Rovers, 5-4
2024 - Wakefield Trinity
Beat Sheffield Eagles, 50-6
2023 - Halifax Panthers
Beat Batley Bulldogs, 12-10
2022 - Leigh Centurions (now Leopards)
Beat Featherstone Rovers, 30-16
2021 - Featherstone Rovers
Beat York Knights, 41-34
2019 - Sheffield Eagles
Beat Widnes Vikings, 36-18
*In 2020, the 1895 Cup competition was cancelled due to COVID-19.
RAY FRENCH AWARD WINNERS:
2025 - Liam Harris (York Knights)
2024 - Luke Gale (Wakefield Trinity)
2023 - Louis Jouffret (Halifax Panthers)
2022 - Edwin Ipape (Leigh Centurions, now Leopards)
2021 - Craig Hall (Featherstone Rovers)
2020 - Competition cancelled due to COVID-19
2019 - Anthony Thackeray (Sheffield Eagles)