Super League is entering its 30th season and it will undoubtedly be a 12 months to celebrate! Do you want to learn about sports but don’t know where to start? Let us help you…
First things first: what is Super League?
Super League is the highest European level of rugby league. Since 1996, 11 clubs from the Rugby Football League’s top division and a new team, Paris Saint-Germain, have come together to kick off the summer rugby era and usher the sport into a new era.
To date, 29 competitions have been held, and 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Super League.
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Wigan Warriors look back on their path to a second successive Super League title as they claim an unprecedented quadruple win.
Among the 24 clubs that have participated in the Super League to date, only 4 people In the year-end grand final, Wigan Warriors (8th), St. Helens (9th), Bradford Bulls (7th), and Leeds Rhinos (8th) received big awards.
Talk about domination!
Get them on your side: What are the core rules?
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Take a look at exclusive footage of Wigan Warriors players, staff and fans celebrating their Super League final victory over Hull KR at Old Trafford.
Let’s describe the sport in the simplest terms.
Rugby league is a 13-on-13 rugby game, with each team scoring points by attempting six tackles before the ball is handed over to the opposing team. The game length is 80 minutes and is divided into two halves of 40 minutes each.
Each team has a bench of four players who can be substituted throughout the game.
Unlike soccer, the clock stops when injuries, penalties, tries, etc. occur.
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Wigan Warriors lifted the Super League trophy after beating Hull KR in the grand final at Old Trafford.
It’s worth a try four pointsSubsequent conversions incur additional costs. two points. Even penalty kicks are worth it. two points. Drop goals are worth the extra one point.
The 13 players have four main roles: forward, back, hooker and halfback.
Forwards primarily focus on driving the ball forward and gaining as many meters as possible. The back appears to be attacking the edge. The hooker is there to control the play of the ball (when players are tackled and the ball is distributed). The halfback controls the distribution of the ball.
Simply put, 13 players have 6 chances to get down the field and cross the try line. Simple, right?
Fight for Victory: How many teams are there?
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Check out St Helens’ top five tries of the 2024 season.
Over the years, there have always been 12 clubs competing in the Super League and this will be no different in 2025.
Castleford Tigers, Catalans Dragons, Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC, Hull KR, Leeds Rhinos, Leigh Leopards, Salford Red Devils, St Helens, Warrington Wolves, Wakefield Trinity and Wigan Warriors will battle it out from February to be crowned champions in October. It is planned.
Over the years, 12 clubs have had the opportunity to qualify for the top competition, including London Broncos, Bradford Bulls, Widnes Vikings, Halifax Panthers, Sheffield Eagles, Crusaders, Oldham, Paris Saint-Germain, Gateshead Thunder, Workington Town and Toronto. Wolfpack, Toulouse Olympique.
Often touted as the Northern England competition, the Super League certainly has an international influence!
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Check out Hull KR’s top five tries from the 2024 season as they reach the Grand Final for the first time.
knockout? Point competition? Super League format…
The Super League competition is almost a mix of Premier League football and a knockout format.
Therefore, 12 teams will compete over 27 rounds of the regular season, with the top six advancing to the playoffs.
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George Williams sent Warrington Wolves into the Super League play-off semi-finals with a superb drop goal against St Helens.
The top two teams will then have a week off, with the third-place team playing the sixth-place team and the fourth-place team playing the fifth-place team.
In playoff matches, the lowest ranked team will play the regular season winner, i.e. the winner of the League Leaders’ Shield, while the second placed team will still play the higher ranked team.
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Hull KR fans sing ‘A little Respect’ ahead of the Super League semi-final against Warrington Wolves.
The winner of both matches will advance to the grand final for the Super League title.
No relegation?! Welcome to the IMG Standards.
Super League has entered the franchise era (sort of)!
From 2025, Super League teams will no longer be determined by promotion or relegation. Instead, the 12 teams will be those that earn the most points across a variety of criteria, including fandom, on-field performance, finances, stadium, and community.
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Jon Wilkin gives his thoughts on Wakefield Trinity replacing London Broncos in Super League next year after being granted A grade status as part of a restructuring of the sport.
The IMG rating system gives clubs 20 points. You need to earn a minimum of 15 points to become a Grade A club, and 7.5 points to become a Grade B club.
The idea is that A-grade clubs will automatically be in the Super League, with the best-performing B-grade clubs making up the remaining 12 clubs taking part in the competition.
As grade points improve and one day there are more than a dozen clubs qualifying for Grade A, the top league will likely expand, as happens in franchised sports such as the NRL and NFL.
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Wigan Warriors’ Harry Smith and Liam Marshall take on Hull KR’s Jack Brown and Jack Broadbent in a 9-dart challenge.
Strong vs. Weak: Who will win?
There is one team that has a huge bullseye on its back heading into 2025: Wigan Warriors.
The Warriors completely dominated 2024, winning all four major trophies – the Grand Final, World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield.
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Joe Cullen wants to travel to Las Vegas to watch Wigan stars Liam Marshall and Harry Smith face Warrington Wolves at the Allegiant Stadium in 2025.
Teams like St Helens, Warrington Wolves and grand final runners-up Hull KR will be the teams looking to knock off Wigan, but Matt Peet’s side don’t look set to slow down.
In other words, Wigan are having a ‘Fergie’s Manchester United’ moment and everyone else is keen to stop them firmly in their tracks.
2025 Super League – Key dates and things to watch out for
March 1: Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas
April 17-19: Round 8 – Rival Round
May 3-4: Magic Round (Newcastle St James’ Park)
July 24: August 31 – Round 20 – Rounds split over two weekends.
September 4-7: Round 25 – Rivals Round Fixture Reversal
September 18-21: Round 27 – Last round of the regular season (date and time to be determined)
September 26-27: elimination playoffs
October 3-4: semifinal
Saturday, October 11: Grand Final (Old Trafford)
sky sports We will be broadcasting live again every Super League match this season. Two matches from each round will be broadcast exclusively live, while the remaining four matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
