Wakefield Trinity leap to top of club grading rankings - and Castleford Tigers achieve Grade A status again

The Belle Vue club have followed up their first Super League Grand Final triumph with another feel-good factor as they have scored 17.85 out of a maximum 20 points across the grading model.

It was the highest score achieved by any club in 2026 (and joint-highest ever with Hull KR in 2025), coming after they finished eighth in last year's process which is run by the RFL.

Trinity, one of eight clubs to secure a Grade A (15 points plus), also recorded the biggest year-on-year increase of any club at +2.38 points, boosted by 0.75 bonus points for their Grand Final triumph under the Performance pillar.

Neighbours Castleford Tigers have also achieved Grade A status for the second year running after scoring 15.03.

Grading involves five pillars – fandom, finance, stadium, community and on-field performance.

Wakefield’s rise is one of the clearest examples of the progress the framework is designed to encourage: measuring and driving the sustainable development of the sport.

They were relegated from Super League in 2023 after receiving an indicative grading score of 12.52 (11th), then won the Championship Grand Final in 2024 to return to Super League with Grade A status, reached the Super League Play-Offs in 2025, and have now combined a Grand Final-winning season with first place in the rankings.

All 14 clubs who featured in the top 14 last year have retained their places and they are now automatically guaranteed a spot in Super League in 2027.

Wakefield become the fourth different club in as many years to take top spot since the process began following on from Leeds Rhinos (2023), St Helens (2024) and Hull KR (2025).

Leeds (17.03) are second, beaten Grand Finalists Warrington Wolves (16.72) third and League Leaders Shield winners Wigan Warriors (16.46) fourth.

Last year's Treble winners Hull KR are fifth (16.45), with Leigh Leopards (16.31), St Helens (15.59) and Castleford Tigers (15.03) completing the eight clubs to achieve Grade A status in 2026.

For Castleford it affirms continued progress after they were 11th in 2025.

Catalans Dragons (14.83) and Hull FC (14.72) have dropped from Grade A to Grade B after slipping from seventh and ninth respectively to ninth and tenth.

Bradford Bulls (13.93), Huddersfield Giants (13.50), Toulouse Olympique (13.44) and York Knights (13.24) complete the 14 and are all classed as Grade B.

From 2026, completion of the grading process was not mandatory. The final ranking therefore reflects the clubs who chose to take part in grading, rather than a ranking of every club across Super League and the Championship.

A dozen Championship clubs took part in the process – some for their own benchmarking purposes only - with five Grade B clubs emerging.

Barrow Raiders are the highest-ranked Championship club in 15th and Grand Final winners London Broncos moved up to 16th.

Doncaster RLFC made the second-highest year-on-year gain, improving by +1.36 points and climbing from 23rd to 17th after facing London in Sunday's title decider, while Widnes Vikings also claimed Grade B status.

Ian Nolan, RFL Chief Executive, said: “Wakefield Trinity’s rise to the top of the 2026 club grading rankings is a fascinating story for Rugby League and a strong example of how sustained progress on and off the field can be recognised through the grading framework.

"Their achievement sits alongside encouraging movement across the sport, from growing attendances and digital audiences to continued improvements in facilities and community delivery. The RFL will keep working with clubs to support responsible growth, long-term resilience, and the strongest possible future for the professional game.”