Hull FC will take on newly promoted opposition in the first round of Super League.
Hull FC will begin their 2026 Super League season against one of the competition’s newly promoted sides, with John Cartwright’s outfit hosting Bradford Bulls at the MKM Stadium on Saturday 14 February. The game will kick-off at 5:30 pm.
The Bulls are one of three promoted sides to Super League next season, joining Toulouse Olympique and for the first time ever, York Knights. They last competed in the top flight in 2014 and, at one point, dropped down to League 1 before earning promotion back to the top flight.
A four-time Super League title winner, they were ranked 10th in IMG’s gradings this year, earning them automatic promotion at the expense of Salford Red Devils. York and Toulouse were chosen by an independent panel but ironically finished 13th and 14th in the gradings anyway.
Meanwhile, the competition will be 27 rounds long, with the Magic Weekend the only loop fixture in 2026. The remaining 26 games will be made up of standard home and away fixtures.
As confirmed on Tuesday, Hull will play Hull KR at the Magic Weekend, which will be staged at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium next season. The full Magic fixtures can be found here.
As for the opening round, York will open the new Super League season on Thursday, 12 February, hosting the Robins at LNER Community Stadium. On Friday, Catalans Dragons host Huddersfield Giants before Warrington Wolves take on St Helens.
There is another double header on Saturday, with Warrington Wolves facing St Helens before the Hull-Bradford game, with Castleford Tigers closing out the round against Wigan Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
The Super League season begins with Challenge Cup action the week before, with the last 32 round taking place on the weekend of 7/8. The draws for the first round were made on Monday and can be found here, with Super League sides to be pitted against oppositions ranging from the Championship to the community game.
Before the Challenge Cup, the Black and Whites will also play two pre-season games against Huddersfield Giants (Sunday 25 January) and Wigan (Sunday 1 February).
Super League Round One
Thursday February 12: York Knights vs Hull KR (8pm)
Friday February 13: Catalans Dragons vs Huddersfield Giants (6pm UK time)
Friday February 13: Warrington Wolves vs St Helens (8pm)
Saturday February 14: Leigh vs Leeds (3pm)
Saturday February 14: Hull FC vs Bradford Bulls (5:30 pm)
Saturday February 14: Wakefield Trinity vs Toulouse (8:00pm)
Sunday February 15: Castleford Tigers vs Wigan Warriors (3:00 pm)