# 2025 Challenge Cup

The 2025 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup, is the 124th edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league, run by the Rugby Football League (RFL).

## Background

Following discussions in 2024, it was announced that the format will be revised and there will now only be seven rounds of competition, down from the nine rounds used in recent seasons. The changes will see the Championship and League One clubs entering in round 2 (round 3 in 2024), and the Super League clubs entering in round 3 (round 6 in 2024), with all 12 super league teams playing away in round 3. The change follows criticism that the previous format favoured Super League clubs, and reducing the opportunities for smaller clubs to stage a tie against a big club.
The competition started in January 2025, and will conclude with the final on 7 June at Wembley Stadium.
Toulouse Olympique have declined to take part, as in previous years.
The integrity of the competition came into question ahead of round 3 with the "Super League teams guaranteed to be played away from home" being reversed or moved to neutral venues for every tie between Super League and amateur clubs. This was done on the basis of amateur grounds not meeting the standards for matches involving professional clubs. The RFL was also criticised for failing for foresee this situation arising when the new format was announced.

### Format and dates

Challenge Cup competition format :
| Round | Date | Clubs involved this round | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Leagues entering at this round |
| Round 1 | 11–12 January | 34 | None | 34 | 34 UK based community teams |
| Round 2 | 25–26 January | 40 | 17 | 23 | All teams (except Toulouse) from the Championship (12) and League One (11) |
| Round 3 | 8–9 February | 32 | 20 | 12 | All 12 teams from the Super League |
| Round 4 | 15–16 March | 16 | 16 | None | None |
| Quarter-finals | 5–6 April | 8 | 8 |
| Semi-finals | 10–11 May | 4 | 4 |
| Final | 7 June | 2 | 2 |
The 34 clubs in the first round comprise:
* the three armed services clubs
* 15 from the National Conference League (NCL)
* one each from the Scottish, Welsh and Irish leagues
* GB Police
* 12 from other English regional leagues (outside the NCL)

## First round

The draw for the first and second rounds of the competition were made on 2 December 2024.
Wath Brow Hornets were originally drawn against West Bowling. On 6 January 2025 the Wath Brow club informed the RFL that they would concede the tie, citing "player safety" as the reason. The early rounds of the competition coincide with a period during which full contact training and playing is restricted for amateur teams that play during the summer by the RFL operational rules. Wath Brow considered that the risks to their players were too great to participate in the tie against West Bowling. The RFL invited Cutsyke Raiders to replace Wath Brow. As Cutsyke play during the winter, the club is not affected by the no-contact period.
A majority of the fixtures were postponed from the original weekend of 11/12 January due to bad weather but were rescheduled for the following weekend.
Number of teams per tier remaining in competition at start of round 1 :
| Super League | Championship | League One | Non-League | Total |
| 12 / 12 | 12 / 12 | 11 / 11 | 34 / 34 | 69 / 69 |
Challenge Cup round 1 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Waterhead Warriors | 012–8 | Leigh Miners Rangers | 18 January 2025, 12:30 | Peach Road | A. Williams | not recorded |
| Rochdale Mayfield | 64–16 | Telford Raiders | 18 January 2025, 13:30 | Keswick Street | J. Pemberton | not recorded |
| British Army | 22–16 | RAF | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Aldershot Military Stadium | C. Hughes | not recorded |
| Crosfields | 52–00 | Maryport | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Hood Lane Recreation Ground | L. O'brien | not recorded |
| Dewsbury Moor | 20–12 | Haresfinch | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Dewsbury Moor Sports Club | J. Stearne | not recorded |
| Lock Lane | 50–10 | Doncaster Toll Bar | 18 January 2025, 14:30 | Lock Lane Sports Centre | L. Grundy | not recorded |
| Mirfield | 20–26 | Royal Navy | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Slipper Lane | S. Quarmby | not recorded |
| Stanley Rangers | 20–34 | Hunslet ARLFC | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Lee Moor Road | O. Taylor | not recorded |
| West Bowling | 48–16 | Cutsyke Raiders | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Horsfall Stadium | | not recorded |
| West Hull | 90–00 | Edinburgh Eagles | 18 January 2025, 14:00 | Johnny Whiteley Park | O. Salmon | not recorded |
| Ince Rose Bridge | 56–12 | Longhorns | 18 January 2025, 14:30 | Pinfold Street | R. Schofield | not recorded |
| Thatto Heath Crusaders | 28–24 | Orrell St James | 19 January 2025, 14:00 | Close St | A. Billington | not recorded |
| Hammersmith Hills Hoists | 04–18 | Siddal | 11 January 2025, 17:00 | Chiswick Rugby Football Club | S. Jenkinson | not recorded |
| Aberavon Fighting Irish | 16–32 | Blackbrook | 12 January 2025, 13:30 | Vivian Park | K. Young | not recorded |
| GB Police | 04–52 | York Acorn | 19 January 2025, 13:30 | Portico Vine ARLFC | T. Jones | not recorded |
| Eastern Rhinos | 04–66 | Wests Warriors | 12 January 2025, 14:30 | Northern Gateway Sports Park | M. McKelvey | not recorded |
| London Chargers | 12–28 | Oulton Raiders | 18 January 2025, 14:30 | Streatham-Croydon RFC | R. Apsee | not recorded |
| Source: |||||||

## Second round

Number of teams per tier remaining in competition at start of round 2 :
| Super League | Championship | League One | Non-League | Total |
| 12 / 12 | 12 / 12 | 11 / 11 | 17 / 34 | 52 / 69 |
Challenge Cup round 2 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| London Broncos | 10–17 | Goole Vikings | 25 January 2025, 12:30 | Priory Lane | R. Cox | |
| Dewsbury Moor | 06–50 | Dewsbury Rams | 25 January 2025, 14:00 | Mount Pleasant | A. Belafonte | 1,252 |
| Hunslet ARLFC | 18–24 | West Hull | 25 January 2025, 14:00 | The Oval, Leeds | S. Jenkinson | not recorded |
| Lock Lane | 10–50 | Hunslet | 25 January 2025, 14:00 | Lock Lane Sports Centre | C. Hughes | |
| Featherstone Rovers | 88–10 | Waterhead Warriors | 25 January 2025, 14:00 | Post Office Road | A. Billington | |
| Wests Warriors | 36–18 | British Army | 25 January 2025, 14:00 | Twyford Avenue Sports Ground | M. McKelvey | not recorded |
| York Acorn | 22–20 | Oulton Raiders | 25 January 2025, 14:00 | Thanet Road | J. Hughes | not recorded |
| Whitehaven | 24–12 | Swinton Lions | 25 January 2025, 15:00 | Recreation Ground | S. Mikalauskas | 908 |
| Oldham | 60–10 | Rochdale Mayfield | 26 January 2025, 12:30 | Boundary Park | W. Turley | 1,032 |
| Cornwall | 00–52 | North Wales Crusaders | 26 January 2025, 13:00 | The Memorial Ground | A. Williams | |
| Royal Navy | 00–56 | Workington Town | 26 January 2025, 13:00 | United Services Recreation Ground | J. Pemberton | not recorded |
| Blackbrook | 12–34 | Ince Rose Bridge | 26 January 2025, 14:00 | Blackbrook Rugby & Recreation Club | M. Clayton | not recorded |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 46–00 | Siddal | 26 January 2025, 14:00 | Alexander Stadium | K. Moore | |
| Barrow Raiders | 86–60 | Crosfields | 26 January 2025, 15:00 | Craven Park | S. Houghton | 849 |
| Bradford Bulls | 30–40 | Doncaster | 26 January 2025, 15:00 | Odsal Stadium | C. Worsley | |
| Halifax Panthers | 48–60 | Thatto Heath Crusaders | 26 January 2025, 15:00 | The Shay | D. Arnold | 743 |
| Newcastle Thunder | 00–54 | Batley Bulldogs | 26 January 2025, 15:00 | Crow Trees Ground | T. Jones | |
| Rochdale Hornets | 16–34 | Widnes Vikings | 26 January 2025, 15:00 | Spotland | M. Lynn | 866 |
| Sheffield Eagles | 62–00 | West Bowling | 26 January 2025, 15:00 | Olympic Legacy Park | A. Sweet | 518 |
| Keighley Cougars | 12–72 | York Knights | 2 February 2025, 15:00 | Cougar Park | M. Lynn | |
| Source: |||||||

## Third round

The draw for the third round took place live on BBC Sport, on 14 January 2025. The draw was made by RFL vice president Danika Priim, and Betfred owner Fred Done.
Number of teams per tier remaining in competition at start of round 3 :
| Super League | Championship | League One | Non-League | Total |
| 12 / 12 | 11 / 12 | 6 / 11 | 4 / 34 | 33 / 69 |
Challenge Cup round 3 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Sheffield Eagles | 12–48 | Wigan Warriors | 7 February 2025, 19:30 | Olympic Legacy Park | J. Smith | 1,244 |
| Workington Town | 00–60 | Leigh Leopards | 7 February 2025, 19:30 | Derwent Park | L. Rush | 3,033 |
| York Knights | 02–44 | Hull KR | 7 February 2025, 20:00 | York Community Stadium | C. Kendall | 5,369 |
| Halifax Panthers | 00–14 | Catalans Dragons | 8 February 2025, 12:00 | The Shay | M. Griffiths | 806 |
| Wests Warriors | 00–92 | Leeds Rhinos | 8 February 2025, 12:00 | Headingley | M. Lynn | 1,310 |
| West Hull | 00–38 | St Helens | 8 February 2025, 14:00 | Craven Park | S. Mikalauskas | 5,500 (est) |
| York Acorn | 06–52 | Hull FC | 8 February 2025, 14:00 | Post Office Road | W. Turley | |
| Goole Vikings | 00–82 | Wakefield Trinity | 8 February 2025, 15:00 | Belle Vue | C. Worsley | 2,032 |
| Whitehaven | 04–44 | Warrington Wolves | 8 February 2025, 15:00 | Recreation Ground | A. Moore | 3,980 |
| Bradford Bulls | 18–16 | Castleford Tigers | 9 February 2025, 13:00 | Odsal Stadium | L. Moore | 2,946 |
| Batley Bulldogs | 26–40 | Dewsbury Rams | 9 February 2025, 14:00 | Mount Pleasant | R. Cox | |
| Featherstone Rovers | 68–00 | Ince Rose Bridge | 9 February 2025, 14:00 | Post Office Road | A. Sweet | |
| Midlands Hurricanes | 10–46 | Salford Red Devils | 9 February 2025, 14:00 | Alexander Stadium | A. Belafonte | 831 |
| North Wales Crusaders | 20–26 | Widnes Vikings | 9 February 2025, 14:30 | Eirias Stadium | D. Arnold | |
| Hunslet | 06–34 | Huddersfield Giants | 9 February 2025, 15:00 | South Leeds Stadium | T. Grant | 985 |
| Oldham | 42–40 | Barrow Raiders | 9 February 2025, 15:00 | Boundary Park | K. Moore | 1,064 |
| Source: |||||||

## Fourth round

The draw for the fourth round took place on Saturday 15 February 2025, live on BBC Two, during half-time of the Super League game between St Helens and Salford Red Devils, on the opening weekend of the 2025 Super League season.
Number of teams per tier remaining in competition at start of round 4 :
| Super League | Championship | League One | Non-League | Total |
| 11 / 12 | 5 / 12 | 0 / 11 | 0 / 34 | 16 / 69 |
Challenge Cup round 4 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Hull KR | 40–00 | Oldham | 14 March 2025, 20:00 | Craven Park | T. Grant | |
| Salford Red Devils | 26–16 | Bradford Bulls | 14 March 2025, 20:00 | Salford Community Stadium | J. Smith | 3,066 |
| St Helens | 22–14 | Leeds Rhinos | 14 March 2025, 20:00 | Totally Wicked Stadium | L. Moore | 7,531 |
| Catalans Dragons | 46–18 | Featherstone Rovers | 15 March 2025, 17:00 | Stade Gilbert Brutus | M. Griffiths | |
| Widnes Vikings | 16–26 | Warrington Wolves | 15 March 2025, 17:00 | Halton Stadium | J. Vella | 7,011 |
| Wigan Warriors | 22–26 | Hull FC | 15 March 2025, 17:45 | Brick Community Stadium | C. Kendall | 9,287 |
| Huddersfield Giants | 12–22 | Wakefield Trinity | 16 March 2025, 15:00 | John Smiths Stadium | A. Moore | 3,195 |
| Leigh Leopards | 62–40 | Batley Bulldogs | 16 March 2025, 15:00 | Leigh Sports Village | L. Rush | 4,717 |
| Source: |||||||

## Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on Monday 17 March 2025, live on BBC Radio 5Live sport.
Number of teams per tier remaining in competition at start of Quarter finals :
| Super League | Championship | League One | Non-League | Total |
| 8 / 12 | 0 / 12 | 0 / 11 | 0 / 34 | 8 / 69 |
Challenge Cup Quarter Final fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Catalans Dragons | – | Salford Red Devils | 4 April 2025, 19:00 | Stade Gilbert Brutus | | |
| Wakefield Trinity | – | Leigh Leopards | 4 April 2025, 20:00 | DIY Kitchens Stadium | | |
| Hull FC | – | Hull KR | 5 April 2025, 14:30 | MKM Stadium | |
| Warrington Wolves | – | St Helens | 6 April 2025, 14:30 | Halliwell Jones Stadium | | |
| Source: |||||||

## Broadcast matches

Broadcast matches :
| Round | Match | Date | Broadcast method |
| 1st | British Army v RAF | 18 January | Broadcast live on BFBS. |
| 1st | Waterhead Warriors v Leigh Miners Rangers | 18 January | Broadcast live on BBC Red Button. |
| 1st | Thatto Heath Crusaders v Orrell St James | 19 January | Streamed live on The Sportsman. |
| 2nd | London Broncos v Goole Vikings | 25 January | Broadcast live on BBC Red Button. |
| 2nd | Royal Navy vs Workington Town | 26 January | Broadcast live on BFBS. |
| 2nd | Keighley Cougars v York Knights | 2 February | Streamed live on The Sportsman. |
| 3rd | York Knights v Hull KR | 7 February | Streamed live on The Sportsman. |
| 3rd | Halifax Panthers v Catalans Dragons | 8 February | Streamed live on The Sportsman. |
| 3rd | Bradford Bulls v Castleford Tigers | 9 February | Broadcast live on BBC Red Button. |
| 4th | St Helens v Leeds Rhinos | 14 March | Streamed live on The Sportsman. |
| 4th | Wigan Warriors v Hull FC | 15 March | Broadcast live on BBC Red Button. |
| QF | Hull FC vs Hull KR | 5 April | Broadcast live on BBC One |
| QF | Warrington Wolves vs St Helens | 6 April | Broadcast live on BBC Two |