Toulouse Olympique XIII and York RLFC have been chosen by an independent panel to complete an expanded 14-team Super League in 2026, as London Broncos miss out.
The Super League clubs voted to expand the competition to 14 for 2026, with the first 12 teams to come via the gradings system already in place.
Instead of using gradings for all, an independent panel was created to choose the further two teams – chaired by RFL board member Lord Jonathan Caine – to make the decision.
They decided that Toulouse and York, who finished 13th and 14th in the gradings system, should be the two teams to complete the top flight. Nine clubs submitted applications.
The move up to Super League for Toulouse and York means London Broncos miss out on a spot despite their recent consortium takeover headed up by NRL legend Darren Lockyer.
Toulouse Olympique fans will be celebrating again at the news they are returning to Super League
The Broncos have made recent huge signings such as NRL stars Reagan Campbell-Gillard and have Jason Demetriou committed as head coach.
However, it is Grand Final winners Toulouse plus top of the Championship table York that have been chosen on their merits.
They join the top 12 which was announced via gradings on Thursday which saw Bradford Bulls make a huge jump from 16th to 10th, taking the place of struggling Salford Red Devils.
“Obviously, you have seen the gradings that have been published and Toulouse are just outside the top 12 in 13th place and York are obviously in 14th place,” said Lord Caine on Sky Sports when making the announcement.
“These two teams did finish first and second in the table, they did contest the Grand Final.
“What I can’t do is go into individual applications because a lot of the information that was provided to us was done of necessity in confidence, not least your financial material.
“But we are confident as a panel that we have made the right decisions and that both of those teams will be competitive in the Super League next season.”
Hull KR lead the way in the IMG gradings, with Bradford Bulls coming from the Championship in 10th
On the gradings, Toulouse finished in 13th on 13.25 points, with York behind on 13.04. London are then in 16th on 11.65.
Therefore, if done by gradings alone, the decision would not have been any different.
It marks a return to Super League for Toulouse since their one season in which they took part in 2022 and were subsequently relegated. For York, it is their first chance in Super League after climbing through the ranks.
How have London reacted?
Upon the announcement of the decision, London Broncos released a statement expressing their disappointment at the decision but say they remain committed to the Championship for 2026 and are confident of their future involvement in Super League.
They say many of their big signings remain committed to the club regardless of which league they are in and Demetriou will be in charge of “guiding the next chapter”.
“This remains an exciting period for the club. The Broncos are building with purpose and clarity, and there is real belief in what can be achieved,” said Darren Lockyer.
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“Our coach and many of our great player signings for 2026 were committed to this regardless of the Super League decision and we will work hard together to achieve a new goal of winning the Championship in 2026.”
“The future of the London Broncos is bright,” said club owner and co-chair Gary Hetherington. “We know where we’re going, and we believe in the path we are on. London will be back at the top in no time.”
How was the decision made?
So, how did the panel come to their decision? Well, they looked at three main components: The existing gradings structure, finances, and potential for on-field competitiveness.
That meant making sure that the clubs had a forward business plan and would be able to handle the jump in standard from competing in the Championship to Super League.
The seven members of the panel them met across five separate occasions before coming to their decision.
“I should add that the decision of the panel was absolutely unanimous,” added Lord Caine.
“At the outset, on August 19, I promised that this would be a fair, impartial, independent and, of necessity, confidential process.
“So it was a very deep dive into the applications that we received and all the applications were of an extremely high standard.”
