Catalans Dragons, who have won the Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup in each of the last two seasons, have been handed a tricky away draw at Halifax Panthers as they aim to complete a hat-trick.
The Dragons, whose team is packed with France internationals and also England’s Perpignan-based star Sebastian Bechara, bounced back from the disappointment of a Cup Final defeat by Leeds in 2022 to beat the Rhinos in 2023 and followed up with an equally convincing win against Wigan Warriors last summer, with both their triumphs at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
The 2025 Final will be played on Saturday 14 June, seven days before the Betfred Men’s and Women’s Challenge Cup Finals at Wembley, at a new venue – Robin Park Sports Centre in Wigan, which was the venue for the Dragons’ European Club Challenge win in early 2024, and England’s international triumph over France in the autumn.
The Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup also has a new format in 2025, with the six teams who played in last year’s competition – the five Betfred Wheelchair Super League teams in 2024, plus the Catalans – seeded through to the quarter finals on the weekend of May 10.
The quarter finals will be played on the weekend of May 10, following a draw at RFL headquarters in Manchester last week.
In addition to the Halifax-Catalans tie, Hull FC will host Leeds, and Wigan will face Tom Coyd’s London Roosters.
The fourth tie will bring together two teams from the new qualifying round to be played on the weekend of April 26, and featuring the three clubs whose applications to the Betfred Wheelchair Super League were recently accepted – Sheffield Eagles, Warrington Wolves and Edinburgh Giants, who have a bye during the qualifiers.
The semi finals will be played on the weekend of May 17 – with the winners of the Wigan-London quarter final drawn to host Hull or Leeds, and Catalans or Halifax travelling to the winners of the quarter final involving the winners from the qualifying round.
Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup 2025:
Qualifying Round (April 26) – Sheffield Eagles v Warrington Wolves, Edinburgh Giants – Bye
Quarter Finals (May 10) – Wigan Warriors v London Roosters, Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos, Sheffield or Warrington v Edinburgh, Halifax Panthers v Catalans Dragons,
Semi Finals (May 17)
Final (Robin Park Sports Centre, Wigan, Saturday June 14)
