London Broncos rank 16th as Super League expansion talks advance

London Broncos have finished 16th in the club gradings used to determine Super League membership, leaving the Championship winners outside the normal qualifying places despite their trophy-winning season. According to the Guardian, London could nevertheless enter an expanded 15-team competition because the NRL wants a club in the capital included in a proposed investment partnership.

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The Broncos won all three domestic trophies available to them in 2026 after building a squad featuring NRL players under owner Darren Lockyer. Their ambitions also included reaching the top 14 in the Rugby Football League’s grading system. That assessment considers factors including attendances, finances and playing performance, rather than awarding top-flight places solely on league results. Barrow Raiders finished above London as the highest-graded Championship club.

The Guardian reports that the NRL has made London’s participation in Super League a condition of investing in the British game. Super League officials initially resisted when it became apparent that the Broncos would miss the qualifying positions, but the Australian organisation maintained its demand. The proposed partnership and London’s admission remain matters under discussion, rather than completed changes to the competition.

A move to 15 clubs would follow the expansion from 12 to 14 teams a year earlier and require further decisions about how Super League operates. An odd number of participants would mean introducing byes. Officials would also have to settle the division of central funding and review the schedule: retaining the current home-and-away arrangement would increase the fixture total from 27 to 29, according to the report.

Talks between the leagues are moving towards a conclusion, with hopes that an agreement can be reached during the forthcoming World Cup in Australia. Under the arrangement described by the Guardian, the NRL would assume administrative control of Super League in exchange for substantial investment, shifting authority away from the competition’s club owners.

Meanwhile, newly crowned Super League champions Wakefield Trinity led the 2026 gradings with 17.85 points out of 20, ahead of Leeds Rhinos. Eight clubs reached Grade A by scoring at least 15 points. The top 14 remained unchanged from the previous year, securing those clubs’ places for 2027 while London’s route depends on the wider negotiations.