The is a knockout competition for Rugby League clubs in Europe . Originally it was contested only by British teams, but in recent years the entry has been expanded to allow French and Russia n teams to take part.
It has been held annually since 1896 , with the exception of the duration of the First World War .
The clubs that formed the Northern Union had long been playing in local knockout cup competitions under the auspices of the Rugby Football Union . However, the rugby union authorities refused to sanction a nationwide tournament, fearing that this would inevitably lead to professionalism. After the Schism Of 1895 , the northern clubs were free to go-ahead, and they instigated the .
The first competition was held during the 1896-95 season (the second season of the new game), and 56 clubs entered to compete for the £60 trophy. The first final was held at Headingley in Leeds , on the 24th April 1897. Batley defeated St Helens 10-3 in front of a crowd of 13,492 (''see picture''). It is interesting to note that the St Helens side did not play in a standardised team jersey.
Initially, the final tie was held at one of the larger club grounds in the north, however, in 1927 the decision was made to relocate to the new Wembley Stadium in London.
In 1946, the Lance Todd Trophy was introduced and awarded to the man of the match. In itself, it is a prestigious trophy presented only at the Challenge Cup Final. The winner is selected by the members of the Rugby League Writers' Association present at the game and the trophy is presented at a celebratory dinner at The Willows, home of the Salford City Reds .
In recent years the redevelopment of Wembley has led to the Cup Final utilising a variety of venues. The final is one of the biggest rugby league events of the year in Britain, along with the Super League Grand Final .
The Challenge Cup final traditionally formed the end to the season, being played in late April or early May. The move to a summer season for rugby league in 1996 did not see the Challenge Cup moved, and it became instead essentially a pre-season tournament, with the final taking place early in the season. Many people felt that this led to a decline in the prestige of the cup.
It was changed to a Summer competition in 2005, with the first Summer Cup Final held on Saturday August 27 at the Millennium Stadium , Cardiff .
The modern Challenge Cup has 8 rounds prior to the final. Teams are seeded, entering at different stages. The precise format has altered slightly from year to year, however the basic format is as follows:
- The weaker of the amateur clubs involved go in the draw for this round with some receiving byes dependant on numbers. Teams from National League Three, the National Conference League Premier Division (and sometimes Division One dependent on numbers) and the Army, Navy and RAF are guaranteed exemptions to the First Round. Besides the forces, National Conference League and National League Three sides that have automatic right to entry (not all National League Three sides do) there are sixteen sides invited from the regional BARLA leagues, plus one or two university sides, a representative from the Rugby League Conference and a representative each for Wales, Scotland and Ireland (although these teams don't always enter in practice).
- Amateur teams from all the nations of the British Isles . Most of the teams are English and affiliated to BARLA .
- No new teams enter the competition at this stage
- (played at neutral venues)
''Note that in the years immediately following the Second World War the final was played over two legs, with the aggregate score being used.''
| '''Winners''' | '''Score''' | '''Runner-up''' | '''Venue''' | '''Attendance''' | | 1896-97 | Batley | 10 - 3 | St Helens | Leeds | 13,492 |
| 1897-98 | Batley | 7 - 0 | Bradford | Leeds | 27,941 |
| 1898-99 | Oldham | 19 - 9 | Hunslet | Manchester | 15,763 |
| 1899-00 | Swinton | 16 - 8 | Salford | Manchester | 17,864 |
| 1900-01 | Batley | 6 - 0 | Warrington | Leeds | 29,563 |
| 1901-02 | Broughton Rangers | 25 - 0 | Salford | Rochdale | 15,006 |
| 1902-03 | Halifax | 7 - 0 | Salford | Leeds | 32,507 |
| 1903-04 | Halifax | 8 - 3 | Warrington | Salford | 17,041 |
| 1904-05 | Warrington | 6 - 0 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Leeds | 19,638 |
| 1905-06 | Bradford | 5 - 0 | Salford | Leeds | 15,834 |
| 1906-07 | Warrington | 17 - 3 | Oldham | Broughton | 18,500 |
| 1907-08 | Hunslet | 14 - 0 | Hull | Huddersfield | 18,000 |
| 1908-09 | Wakefield Trinity | 17 - 0 | Hull | Leeds | 23,587 |
| 1909-10 | Leeds | 7 - 7 | Hull | Huddersfield | 11,608 |
| (replay) | Leeds | 26 - 12 | Hull | Huddersfield | 19,413 |
| 1910-11 | Broughton Rangers | 4 - 0 | Wigan | Salford | 8,000 |
| 1911-12 | Dewsbury | 8 - 5 | Oldham | Leeds | 15,271 |
| 1912-13 | Huddersfield | 9 - 5 | Warrington | Leeds | 22,754 |
| 1913-14 | Hull | 6 - 0 | Wakefield Trinity | Halifax | 19,000 |
| 1914-15 | Huddersfield | 37 - 3 | St Helens | Oldham | 8,000 |
| 1919-20 | Huddersfield | 21 - 10 | Wigan | Leeds | 14,000 |
| 1920-21 | Leigh | 13 - 0 | Halifax | Broughton | 25,000 |
| 1921-22 | Rochdale Hornets | 10 - 9 | Hull | Leeds | 32,596 |
| 1922-23 | Leeds | 28 - 3 | Hull | Wakefield | 29,335 |
| 1923-24 | Wigan | 21 - 4 | Oldham | Rochdale | 41,831 |
| 1924-25 | Oldham | 16 - 3 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Leeds | 28,335 |
| 1925-26 | Swinton | 9 - 3 | Oldham | Rochdale | 27,000 |
| 1926-27 | Oldham | 26 - 7 | Swinton | Wigan | 33,448 |
| 1927-28 | Swinton | 5 - 3 | Warrington | Wigan | 33,909 |
| 1928-29 | Wigan | 13 - 2 | Dewsbury | Wembley | 41,500 |
| 1929-30 | Widnes | 10 - 3 | St Helens | Wembley | 36,544 |
| 1930-31 | Halifax | 22 - 8 | York | Wembley | 40,368 |
| 1931-32 | Leeds | 11 - 8 | Swinton | Wigan | 29,000 |
| 1932-33 | Huddersfield | 21 - 17 | Warrington | Wembley | 41,874 |
| 1933-34 | Hunslet | 11 - 5 | Widnes | Wembley | 41,280 |
| 1934-35 | Castleford | 11 - 8 | Huddersfield | Wembley | 39,000 |
| 1935-36 | Leeds | 18 - 2 | Warrington | Wembley | 51,250 |
| 1936-37 | Widnes | 18 - 5 | Keighley | Wembley | 47,699 |
| 1937-38 | Salford | 7 - 4 | Barrow | Wembley | 51,243 |
| 1938-39 | Halifax | 20 - 3 | Salford | Wembley | 55,453 |
| 1940-41 | Leeds | 19 - 2 | Halifax | Bradford | 28,500 |
| 1941-42 | Leeds | 15 - 10 | Halifax | Bradford | 15,250 |
| 1942-43 | Dewsbury | 16 - 9 | Leeds | Dewsbury | 10,470 |
| 1942-43 | Leeds | 6 - 0 | Dewsbury | Leeds | 16,000 |
| 1942-43 | Dewsbury | 16 - 15 | Leeds | ''(aggegate score)'' | ''n/a'' |
| 1943-44 | Bradford Northern | 0 - 3 | Wigan | Wigan | 22,000 |
| 1943-44 | Bradford Northern | 8 - 0 | Wigan | Bradford | 30,000 |
| 1943-44 | Bradford Northern | 8 - 3 | Wigan | ''(aggegate score)'' | ''n/a'' |
| 1944-45 | Huddersfield | 7 - 4 | Bradford Northern | Huddersfield | 9,041 |
| 1944-45 | Huddersfield | 6 - 5 | Bradford Northern | Bradford | 17,500 |
| 1944-45 | Huddersfield | 13 - 9 | Bradford Northern | ''(aggegate score)'' | ''n/a'' |
| 1945-46 | Wakefield Trinity | 13 - 12 | Wigan | Wembley | 54,730 |
| 1946-47 | Bradford Northern | 8 - 4 | Leeds | Wembley | 77,605 |
| 1947-48 | Wigan | 8 - 3 | Bradford Northern | Wembley | 71,465 |
| 1948-49 | Bradford Northern | 12 - 0 | Halifax | Wembley | 95,050 |
| 1949-50 | Warrington | 19 - 0 | Widnes Vikings | Wembley | 94,249 |
| 1950-51 | Wigan | 10 - 0 | Barrow | Wembley | 94,262 |
| 1951-52 | Workington Town | 18 - 10 | Featherstone Rovers | Wembley | 72,093 |
| 1952-53 | Huddersfield | 15 - 10 | St Helens | Wembley | 89,588 |
| 1953-54 | Warrington | 4 - 4 | Halifax | Wembley | 81,841 |
| (replay) | Warrington | 18 - 4 | Halifax | Bradford | 102,569 |
| 1954-55 | Barrow | 21 - 12 | Workington Town | Wembley | 66,513 |
| 1955-56 | St Helens | 13 - 2 | Halifax | Wembley | 79,341 |
| 1956-57 | Leeds | 9 - 7 | Barrow | Wembley | 76,318 |
| 1957-58 | Wigan | 13-9 | Workington Town | Wembley | 66,109 |
| 1958-59 | Wigan | 30 - 13 | Hull | Wembley | 79,811 |
| 1959-60 | Wakefield Trinity | 38 - 5 | Hull | Wembley | 79,773 |
| 1960-61 | St Helens | 12 - 6 | Wigan | Wembley | 94,672 |
| 1961-62 | Wakefield Trinity | 12 - 6 | Huddersfield | Wembley | 81,263 |
| 1962-63 | Wakefield Trinity | 25 - 10 | Wigan | Wembley | 84,492 |
| 1963-64 | Widnes | 13 - 5 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Wembley | 84,488 |
| 1964-65 | Wigan | 20 - 16 | Hunslet | Wembley | 89,016 |
| 1965-66 | St Helens | 21 - 2 | Wigan | Wembley | 98,536 |
| 1966-67 | Featherstone Rovers | 17 - 12 | Barrow | Wembley | 76,290 |
| 1967-68 | Leeds | 11 - 10 | Wakefield Trinity | Wembley | 87,100 |
| 1968-69 | Castleford | 11 - 6 | Salford | Wembley | 97,939 |
| 1969-70 | Castleford | 7 - 2 | Wigan | Wembley | 95,255 |
| 1970-71 | Leigh | 24 - 7 | Leeds | Wembley | 85,514 |
| 1971-72 | St Helens | 16 - 13 | Leeds | Wembley | 89,495 |
| 1972-73 | Featherstone Rovers | 33 - 14 | Bradford Northern | Wembley | 72,395 |
| 1973-74 | Warrington | 24 -9 | Featherstone Rovers | Wembley | 77,400 |
| 1974-75 | Widnes | 14 - 7 | Warrington | Wembley | 85,098 |
| 1975-76 | St Helens | 20 - 5 | Widnes | Wembley | 89,982 |
| 1976-77 | Leeds | 16 - 7 | Widnes | Wembley | 80,871 |
| 1977-78 | Leeds | 14 - 12 | St Helens | Wembley | 96,000 |
| 1978-79 | Widnes | 12 - 3 | Wakefield Trinity | Wembley | 94,218 |
| 1979-80 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 10 - 5 | Hull | Wembley | 95,000 |
| 1980-81 | Widnes | 18 - 9 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Wembley | 92,496 |
| 1981-82 | Hull | 14 - 14 | Widnes | Wembley | 92,147 |
| (replay) | Hull | 18 - 9 | Widnes | Wembley | 84,969 |
| 1982-83 | Featherstone Rovers | 14 - 12 | Hull | Elland Road | 41,171 |
| 1983-84 | Widnes | 19 - 6 | Wigan | Wembley | 80,116 |
| 1984-85 | Wigan | 28 - 24 | Hull | Wembley | 99,801 |
| 1985-86 | Castleford Tigers | 15 - 14 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Wembley | 82,134 |
| 1986-87 | Halifax | 19 - 18 | St Helens | Wembley | 91,267 |
| 1987-88 | Wigan | 32 - 12 | Halifax | Wembley | 94,273 |
| 1988-89 | Wigan | 27 - 0 | St Helens | Wembley | 78,000 |
| 1989-90 | Wigan | 36 - 14 | Warrington | Wembley | 77,729 |
| 1990-91 | Wigan | 13 - 8 | St Helens | Wembley | 75,532 |
| 1991-92 | Wigan | 28 - 12 | Castleford | Wembley | 77,286 |
| 1992-93 | Wigan | 20 - 14 | Widnes | Wembley | 77,684 |
| 1993-94 | Wigan | 26 - 16 | Leeds | Wembley | 78,348 |
| 1994-95 | Wigan | 30 - 10 | Leeds | Wembley | 78,550 |
| 1995-96 | St Helens | 40 - 32 | Bradford Bulls | Wembley | 75,994 |
| 1996-97 | St Helens | 32 - 22 | Bradford Bulls | Wembley | 78,022 |
| 1997-98 | Sheffield Eagles | 17 - 8 | Wigan Warriors | Wembley | 60,669 |
| 1998-99 | Leeds Rhinos | 52- 16 | London Broncos | Wembley | 73,242 |
| 1999-00 | Bradford Bulls | 24 - 18 | Leeds Rhinos | Murrayfield | 67,247 |
| 2000-01 | St Helens | 13 - 6 | Bradford Bulls | Twickenham Stadium | 68,250 |
| 2001-02 | Wigan Warriors | 21 - 12 | St Helens | Murrayfield | 62,140 |
| 2002-03 | Bradford Bulls | 22 - 20 | Leeds Rhinos | Millennium Stadium | 71,212 |
| 2003-04 | St Helens | 32 - 16 | Wigan Warriors | Millennium Stadium | 73,734 |
| 2005 | Hull FC | 25 - 24 | Leeds Rhinos | Millennium Stadium | 74,000 |
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