Wigan Warriors 40-10 Hull Kingston Rovers — 2026 Challenge Cup Final
Wembley Stadium, London · Attendance: 56,383 (the competition's lowest final crowd since 1946)
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
2026 Challenge Cup Final: Wigan Warriors 40-10 Hull Kingston Rovers, at Wembley Stadium, London.
Sourcing caveat: The referee appointment was confirmed via a pre-match rugby-league.com officials article rather than the final match report itself.
Scoring timeline
| 4′ | Wigan Warriors — try, Farrimond |
| 36′ | Wigan Warriors — try, Farrimond |
| 40′ | Hull Kingston Rovers — try, Hiku |
| 44′ | Wigan Warriors — try, Nsemba |
| 52′ | Wigan Warriors — try, Keighran |
| 55′ | Wigan Warriors — try, Keighran |
| 64′ | Wigan Warriors — try, French |
| 70′ | Hull Kingston Rovers — try, Hiku |
| 73′ | Wigan Warriors — try, Thompson |
Tries with a sourced minute, in order scored. Tries whose exact minute isn't recorded in available sources appear in the Scorers table below but not here.
Scorers
| Wigan Warriors | Tries: Farrimond 4'; Farrimond 36'; Nsemba 44'; Keighran 52'; Keighran 55'; French 64'; Thompson 73' Goals: Keighran (6 goals: 37', 46', 54', 57', 66', 74') |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | Tries: Hiku 40'; Hiku 70' Goals: Martin (1/2 conversions — converted 71', missed off the post 40') |
Teams
| Wigan Warriors | Hull Kingston Rovers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jai Field | Fullback | Jack Broadbent | 14 |
| 2 | Zach Eckersley | Wing | Tom Davies | 2 |
| 3 | Adam Keighran | Centre | Peta Hiku | 3 |
| 4 | Jake Wardle | Centre | Oliver Gildart | 4 |
| 28 | Noah Hodkinson | Wing | Joe Burgess | 5 |
| 19 | Jack Farrimond | Five-eighth | Mikey Lewis | 6 |
| 7 | Harry Smith | Halfback | Tyrone May | 7 |
| 14 | Sam Walters | Front row | Sauaso Sue | 8 |
| 9 | Bradley O'Neill | Hooker | Jez Litten | 9 |
| 10 | Luke Thompson | Front row | Tom Amone | 10 |
| 11 | Junior Nsemba | Second row | Dean Hadley | 11 |
| 12 | Liam Farrell | Second row (c) | James Batchelor | 12 |
| 17 | Oliver Partington | Lock | Elliot Minchella | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 6 | Bevan French | Sam Luckley | 15 | |
| 8 | Ethan Havard | Rhyse Martin | 17 | |
| 13 | Kaide Ellis | Jack Brown | 18 | |
| 15 | Patrick Mago | Bill Leyland | 22 | |
| Matt Peet | Coach | Willie Peters | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Liam Moore (his fourth Challenge Cup Final appointment) |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Jack Farrimond (Wigan Warriors) — won the Lance Todd Trophy decisively |
Match report
Wigan dismantled a Hull KR side already weakened when forward Dean Hadley failed a concussion test in the opening minutes. Half-back Jack Farrimond ran the show from the fourth minute, scoring twice in the first half and setting the tone for a rout, while Junior Nsemba added a third before half-time. Hull KR's Peta Hiku kept them competitive with two tries either side of the break, but Wigan pulled clear after the interval through an Adam Keighran double, and Bevan French — scoring with almost his first touch on return from a 12-week hamstring injury — put the game beyond doubt. Keighran's six goals equalled the record for most points (20) by a player in a Cup final. The match ended in controversy: prop Sam Walters was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Bill Leyland with two minutes left, the first red card in a Challenge Cup final since 1993, and was later banned for seven matches. The 30-point margin was the largest in any Challenge Cup final since Leeds' 50-0 rout of Hull Kingston Rovers in 2015, though not an all-time record.
Round by round
Round 1
Round 2
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keighley 66–0 Heworth | Elm Park Way | — | 24 Jan 2026 |
| Hunslet 44–0 Stanningley | The Arthur Miller Stadium | 950 | 24 Jan 2026 |
| Swinton 44–26 Ince Rose Bridge | Ince Rose Bridge Sports and Community Club | 1,017 | 24 Jan 2026 |
| Barrow 76–4 Wigan St Judes | Parsons Meadow Playing Fields | — | 24 Jan 2026 |
| Sheffield 18–6 Whitehaven | Steel City Stadium | 427 | 24 Jan 2026 |
| Salford 42–10 Hammersmith | Dukes Meadows | — | 24 Jan 2026 |
| Widnes 76–0 Thatto Heath | Crusader Park | 1,400 | 25 Jan 2026 |
| Rochdale 60–6 Waterhead | Manor Park (Oldham RUFC) | — | 25 Jan 2026 |
| Batley 32–10 Hunslet ARLFC | Fox's Biscuits Stadium | — | 25 Jan 2026 |
| Workington 28–6 Blackbrook | Blackbrook Sports & Recreation Club | — | 25 Jan 2026 |
| Dewsbury 32–10 West Hull | FLAIR Stadium | — | 25 Jan 2026 |
| London 86–0 Wests Warriors | Athletic Ground (Richmond) | — | 25 Jan 2026 |
| North Wales 110–0 Bedford Tigers | Eirias Stadium | 289 | 25 Jan 2026 |
| Doncaster 24–22 Newcastle | Eco-Power Stadium | 843 | 25 Jan 2026 |
| Halifax 88–0 London Chargers | The Shay | 676 | 25 Jan 2026 |
Round 3
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huddersfield 52–6 Hunslet | South Leeds Stadium | 990 | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Warrington 34–6 Sheffield | Halliwell Jones Stadium | 2,908 | 6 Feb 2026 |
| St Helens 98–2 Workington | Fibrus Community Stadium | 4,169 | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Hull KR 104–0 Castleford Lock Lane | Sewell Group Craven Park | — | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Hull FC 60–0 Salford | CorpAcq Stadium | 1,976 | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Castleford 14–0 Doncaster | Eco-Power Stadium | 2,537 | 7 Feb 2026 |
| Leeds 25–12 Widnes | DCBL Stadium | 2,977 | 7 Feb 2026 |
| York 32–6 Barrow | Northern Competitions Stadium | 1,389 | 7 Feb 2026 |
| Leigh 60–6 North Wales | Eirias Stadium | 1,899 | 7 Feb 2026 |
| Catalans 56–4 Batley | Fox's Biscuits Stadium | 703 | 8 Feb 2026 |
| Goole 18–14 Halifax | The Shay Stadium | — | 8 Feb 2026 |
| Keighley 18–14 Midlands | Cougar Park | 634 | 8 Feb 2026 |
| Bradford 26–8 London | Cherry Red Records Stadium | 3,477 | 8 Feb 2026 |
| Oldham 46–0 Dewsbury | Bower Fold | 741 | 8 Feb 2026 |
| Wigan Warriors 83–0 Rochdale | Crown Oil Arena | 4,248 | 8 Feb 2026 |
Round 4
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield Trinity 24–14 Leeds | DIY Kitchens Stadium | 7,136 | 13 Mar 2026 |
| Wigan Warriors 30–6 Bradford | The Brick Community Stadium | 9,997 | 13 Mar 2026 |
| York 56–10 Keighley | LNER Community Stadium | 2,008 | 14 Mar 2026 |
| Warrington 78–10 Goole | Halliwell Jones Stadium | 3,195 | 14 Mar 2026 |
| Hull KR 52–12 Huddersfield | Accu Stadium | 2,736 | 14 Mar 2026 |
| Leigh 16–6 Hull FC | Progress with Unity Stadium | 5,535 | 14 Mar 2026 |
| St Helens 32–8 Castleford | OneBore Stadium | 4,354 | 14 Mar 2026 |
| Catalans 58–0 Oldham | Stade Gilbert Brutus | 3,809 | 14 Mar 2026 |
Quarter-Finals
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Helens 36–4 Catalans Dragons | — | — | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Hull KR 48–10 York Knights | Sewell Group Craven Park | — | 11 Apr 2026 |
| Warrington Wolves 24–10 Leigh Leopards | — | — | 11 Apr 2026 |
| Wigan Warriors 26–22 Wakefield Trinity | — | — | 12 Apr 2026 |
Semi-Finals
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Warriors 32–0 St Helens | Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington | — | 9 May 2026 |
| Hull KR 32–12 Warrington Wolves | Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster | — | 10 May 2026 |
Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Warriors 40–10 Hull Kingston Rovers | Wembley Stadium | 56,383 | 30 May 2026 |
Early rounds feature amateur and community clubs alongside professional ones; team names are linked only where this site has a team page for that exact club, matching the same safety-first approach used for the Final's own results table.
Sources
- 2026 Challenge Cup final — Wikipedia
- Sky Sports — Wigan Warriors vs Hull Kingston Rovers report
- rugby-league.com — Wigan Warriors lift the 2026 Betfred Challenge Cup
- Love Rugby League — Lance Todd Trophy: Jack Farrimond
- Rugby League Project - Round 1 Summary
- Rugby League Project - Round 2 Summary
- Rugby League Project - Round 3 Summary
- Rugby League Project - Round 4 Summary
- Rugby League Project - Final Results
- Sky Sports - St Helens vs Catalans QF report
- Sky Sports - Warrington vs Leigh QF report
- Sky Sports - Wakefield vs Wigan QF report
- Sky Sports - St Helens vs Wigan SF report
- Sky Sports - Warrington vs Hull KR SF report