For the first time, there will be two Welsh sides in the RFL women’s pyramid this year, as North Wales Crusaders have entered the competition, coming in at the fourth tier in the new Northern League 3.
Their fixtures are not yet out, but Crusaders, who have been playing friendly matches for the last few years, will take on Bronte Barbarians, Crosfields, Keighley Cougars, Oldham, Wigan St Patricks and York Acorn.
Cardiff Demons remain in the RFL National Championship, reaching the play-offs last season.
The 2026 Women’s National Championship will feature 12 teams competing across 12 rounds and will follow the format as advised by WRL, where every side plays each other once and their local rivals twice, Cardiff’s rivals being London Broncos, to whom they travel to open this season on the first day of BST on Sunday 29th March.
Cardiff’s other opponents will be Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Hull FC, Hull KR, Manchester Swinton Lionesses, Oulton Raidettes, Salford RLFC, Sheffield Eagles, Warrington Wolves and Widnes Vikings. The fixtures, which you can download to your calendar, can be seen here.
The top four teams will progress into the play-offs where they will play in semi-finals, the winners going into the Grand Final, and will then progress to the promotion play-off final against the side who finishes bottom of the Betfred Women’s Super League.
Cardiff have been drawn into a group with Super League sides Wigan Warriors and Featherstone Rovers in the Challenge Cup, travelling to Wigan on Saturday 4th April to open their season, hosting Featherstone a week later.
Wales Women’s head coach Tom Brindle said: ““It’s a really exciting time for women’s rugby league in Wales. With the World Cup coming up at the end of the year, there’s a real buzz around.
“Cardiff Demons are back competing in the Challenge Cup, testing themselves against the best, and continuing to play a massive role in supplying a large part of the Wales squad, and that level of competition is only helping us grow.
“On top of that, the introduction of the North Wales Crusaders women’s team is a huge positive for the game. It strengthens our pathway across the country and shows how much the women’s game is moving forward. The big aim for us now is to keep that momentum going and inspire even more women and girls to get involved and play.”
