A transformed competition format for the second tier of English rugby for the 2025-26 season and beyond, as well as a bold new-look identity has been revealed.
Re-branded ‘Champ Rugby’, the competition will become a 14-team league with play-offs designed to elevate player development, club sustainability and competitive integrity. Worcester Warriors, which recently gained a place after a rigorous selection process, and Richmond, the 2024-25 winners of National League 1, will join the existing 12 clubs that currently form the Championship.
The league’s new visual identity positions Champ Rugby as the proving ground for players, clubs and communities and is aligned to the growth trajectory for the league. It also supports the vision to inspire and engage current and future generations of rugby fans, while also bringing commercial sustainability and growth to its clubs.
All teams will play each other in home and away fixtures over 26 rounds. At the end of the 26-round Champ Rugby regular season, the table will be split into qualification stages. The teams ranked from third to sixth will take part in quarter finals to earn entry into the semi-finals, where the winners will take on the top two ranked sides.
The winners of the semi-finals enter the final to determine the Champ Rugby champion.
The overall winner will then face the bottom Premiership Rugby club in a promotion/relegation play-off, in both a home and away leg, to determine which league they will play in for the following campaign, subject to meeting the minimum standards criteria.
At the bottom end of the table, the team that finishes in 14th place will be relegated to National 1. The teams that finish in 12th and 13th will face-off in a one-legged fixture, with the loser taking part in a play-off against the winner of the National League 1 play-off to determine who will play in Champ Rugby for the following season. This play-off (Access Final) will be a one-legged fixture, with the winner joining the champion of National League 1 in Champ Rugby, subject to the teams meeting Champ Rugby Minimum Operating Standards.
