Wakefield Trinity have been crowned the best-rated club in Super League by IMG after completing a remarkable rise on and off the field.
The West Yorkshire outfit have rocketed from eighth to first in the latest IMG gradings, scoring 17.85 out of a maximum 20 across the grading model – Fandom, Finance, Stadium, Community and On-Field Performance.
It is the joint-highest ever score with Hull KR in 2025, and the biggest year-on-year increase of any club at +2.38, boosted by 0.75 bonus points for their Grand Final triumph at Old Trafford against Warrington Wolves.
It caps an extraordinary turnaround for a club who only returned to the top flight from the Championship two years ago.
Wakefield’s crowds have also increased year-on-year at the DIY Kitchens Stadium under ambitious owner Matt Ellis. They become the fourth different team to be at the top of the IMG gradings after Leeds Rhinos (2023), St Helens (2024) and Hull KR (2025).
All 14 clubs who finished in the top 14 last year have retained their places and are now guaranteed a spot in Super League in 2027.
Leeds (17.03) are second, beaten Grand Finalists Warrington Wolves (16.72) third and League Leaders’ Shield winners Wigan Warriors (16.46) fourth.
After their historic campaign in 2025, Hull KR have dropped to 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.
Castleford regain Grade A in eighth place with a score of 15.03, having been 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.
London Broncos are ranked 16th, with Barrow Raiders the highest-graded Championship club at 15th.
However, London Broncos are expected to be promoted to Super League following an expected partnership between RL Commercial and the NRL.
Doncaster 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 Championship title decider, while Widnes Vikings also claimed Grade B status at 18th.
From 2026, completion of the grading process was not mandatory.