Twelve clubs have bid to join the expanded 14-team Betfred Super League next season.

It was confirmed at a league meeting in July that the number of teams in the 2026 Super League season would increase from the current 12 to 14.

A dozen clubs have met the deadline for lodging a formal expression of interest in joining the process for the proposed expansion and now have until September 12 to submit a full formal application.

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The league’s Club Grading System will then be the basis for a seven-person panel to make decisions on places 13 and 14, which will be confirmed on October 16.

Lord Caine will be joined by two fellow non-executive RFL directors – Abi Ekoku and Dermot Power – plus the RFL chief executive Tony Sutton and interim head of legal Graeme Sarjeant; Rugby League Commercial’s managing director Rhodri Jones; and Peter Hutton, the senior independent non-executive director of RL Commercial who is also a Super League (Europe) board member.

Clubs will be judged against five criteria – fandom, performance, finances, stadium and community – and the panel will then assess applications in terms of finance and sustainability.

These include their financial performance in 2025, detailed financial performance and sustainability forecasts for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 seasons and their ability to field a competitive team in 2026 and beyond.

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