Super League clubs back 15 teams for 2027 and approve salary-cap changes

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Super League’s 14 clubs have voted to increase the competition to 15 teams for the 2027 season. The decision, taken at a shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday, 11 November, has been passed to the Rugby Football League Board.

The RFL will establish the entry criteria and appoint a panel to assess clubs before a recommendation is made. The announcement did not award the additional place to a named team.

London Broncos have been seeking a return to the top flight after a successful 2026 campaign. Under coach Jason Demetriou, they won the Championship Grand Final and the 1895 Cup. Former Brisbane Broncos player Darren Lockyer is part of the London club’s ownership group, but the club must still satisfy the RFL’s selection process.

Shareholders also approved two salary-cap measures. The first allows a player who misses eight consecutive cap-relevant matches through injury or illness to be excluded from the club’s cap calculation while unavailable.

Once the player returns, a further exemption will require another absence of eight consecutive qualifying matches. The measure is intended to give clubs room to recruit replacements for long-term absentees.

The second change covers players aged 23 or under on 1 January of the relevant season who have not played a cap-relevant match for any club in an earlier season.

Eligible players can make two such appearances without counting towards the cap. If they play between three and five matches, half their salary-cap value will count; beyond five appearances, the full value applies.

The young-player provision is designed to let clubs trial newcomers or cover injuries while limiting the initial effect on their salary-cap spending.