# 2026 Wigan Warriors season
The 2026 [Wigan Warriors](https://www.edgepedia.org/wigan-warriors) season was the rugby league club's campaign in the Betfred Super League and the Betfred Challenge Cup, in which Wigan won the [Challenge Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/challenge-cup) for a record-extending 22nd time, claimed the League Leaders' Shield, and reached the play-off semi-finals before losing to Wakefield Trinity. Matt Peet coached the side and Liam Farrell captained it.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/11/super-league-2026-team-by-team-guide-to-the-new-season) • [2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Head coach / captain | Matt Peet (Coach of the Year); Liam Farrell[1](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/11/super-league-2026-team-by-team-guide-to-the-new-season) • [2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/) |
| Challenge Cup | Won 40-10 against Hull KR at Wembley on 30 May 2026, a record-extending 22nd title, before a crowd of 56,383[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/may/30/wigan-hull-kr-rugby-league-challenge-cup-final-match-report) • [4](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge_cup_2026/summary.html) |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Jack Farrimond, aged 20, for his man-of-the-match display in the final[5](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/wigan-vs-hull-k-r/report/64135) |
| League Leaders' Shield | Wigan's third in four years under Peet, secured on a club Super League record of successive wins[2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/) |
| Man of Steel | Hooker Brad O'Neill, 24, also the RLWBA Player of the Year and a Dream Team selection[2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/) |
| Heaviest defeat | 62-4 at Hull KR on 21 May 2026, with a much-changed youthful side a week before the Cup final[6](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/rugby/hull-kr-vs-wigan-warriors-challenge-cup-final-2026-free) |
| Season end | Lost the play-off semi-final 6-33 to Wakefield Trinity on 26 September 2026[7](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/teams/wigan-warriors/results) |
## Background
Wigan entered 2026 after a trophyless 2025 that followed the unprecedented quadruple of 2024, when the club became the first team of the [Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-league) era to hold the World Club Challenge, Challenge Cup, League Leaders' Shield, and Grand Final in the same season.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/11/super-league-2026-team-by-team-guide-to-the-new-season) • [8](https://www.superleague.co.uk/article/5719/2026-season-preview-wigan-warriors) Peet retained a clear nucleus of players: only six departed before the season, including Kruise Leeming (to [Catalans Dragons](https://www.edgepedia.org/catalans-dragons)) and Tyler Dupree (to Toulouse Olympique) on loan, while [Christian Wade](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-wade) returned to rugby union and Jacob Douglas, Harvie Hill, and Liam Byrne also left. Oliver Partington returned to the club where he made his debut as part of a swap deal with the Dragons, and new signing Oliver Wilson suffered a pre-season injury that ruled him out of the entire 2026 campaign.[8](https://www.superleague.co.uk/article/5719/2026-season-preview-wigan-warriors)
The 2026 Super League expanded to 14 teams, its largest field in 12 years, with Toulouse Olympique, York Knights, and Bradford Bulls joining.[9](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/sport/super-league-2026-free) Pre-season bookmakers made Wigan slight favorites to regain the title, with some firms placing treble-winning champions Hull KR at joint market leadership.[10](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/rugby/rugby-league/2026-super-league-prediction-betting-tips-odds-b2918108.html) The Guardian's team guide named Bevan French, described as Super League's standout player, as Wigan's key player and predicted a third-place finish.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/11/super-league-2026-team-by-team-guide-to-the-new-season)
## Challenge Cup campaign
Wigan opened the competition with an 83-0 win over Rochdale Hornets on 8 February, then beat Bradford Bulls 30-6 in March and edged Wakefield Trinity 26-22 in a quarter-final thriller at Belle Vue on 12 April.[7](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/teams/wigan-warriors/results) • [11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/c36r4r2kndxo) In the semi-final on 9 May, Wigan thrashed St Helens 32-0 behind a strong defensive display to reach Wembley.[12](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/st-helens-vs-wigan/report/64134)
**The final.** On 30 May at Wembley, Wigan beat Hull KR 40-10, scoring seven tries through Jack Farrimond (2), Adam Keighran (2), Junior Nsemba, Bevan French, and Luke Thompson, with Keighran adding six goals.[13](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cq6p3l576zdo) Farrimond, 20, scored both first-half tries and set up Nsemba shortly after the restart; French, included six weeks ahead of schedule after a March hamstring tear, came on for Farrimond shortly after the hour and scored within three minutes.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/may/30/wigan-hull-kr-rugby-league-challenge-cup-final-match-report) Wigan finished with 12 players after Sam Walters was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Bill Leyland, the first dismissal in a Challenge Cup final since 1993.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/may/30/wigan-hull-kr-rugby-league-challenge-cup-final-match-report) Farrimond received the Lance Todd Trophy as the final's official player of the match, and the attendance was 56,383 under referee Liam Moore.[4](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge_cup_2026/summary.html) • [5](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/wigan-vs-hull-k-r/report/64135) Earlier the same day, Wigan Warriors Women beat St Helens 54-6, making Wigan the first club to see both its men's and women's teams win at Wembley on the same day.[5](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/wigan-vs-hull-k-r/report/64135) It was Wigan's first silverware since 2024 and the eighth trophy of Peet's tenure.[5](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/wigan-vs-hull-k-r/report/64135)
## Super League season
Wigan's league form was strong from the start: the club conceded only 22 points across its first four league and cup games of 2026.[14](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cg7en1l4kj1o) Early results included a 34-6 win over Hull FC, a 54-0 demolition of Leigh Leopards in February, and a 36-16 win at Toulouse in March, before a surprise 16-34 home defeat to Huddersfield Giants on 28 March.[7](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/teams/wigan-warriors/results) The heaviest setback came on 21 May, when a much-changed youthful side lost 62-4 at Hull KR little more than a week before the Cup final.[6](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/rugby/hull-kr-vs-wigan-warriors-challenge-cup-final-2026-free)
From June the Warriors produced a sustained run: wins over Catalans Dragons (40-16), [Wakefield](https://www.edgepedia.org/wakefield) (48-10), York Knights (72-20), Hull FC (20-16), [Warrington](https://www.edgepedia.org/warrington) (30-18), [Huddersfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/huddersfield) (24-10), St Helens (16-14 and 38-16), Leigh (20-8), Toulouse (48-18), Bradford (34-6), Hull KR (46-0), Leeds (40-8), and Catalans again (50-12) carried them to the League Leaders' Shield on a club Super League record of successive wins.[7](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/teams/wigan-warriors/results) • [2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/) The Guardian noted in September that Wigan dominated the season's present while a prospective NRL partnership loomed over Super League's future, and identified Sam Burgess's Warrington as the likeliest disruptor of a Wigan v Leeds Grand Final.[15](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/14/super-league-new-era-national-rugby-league-wigan-warriors)
## Awards and players
At the annual Betfred Super League awards in Manchester on 29 September, Matt Peet was named Coach of the Year ahead of Brad Arthur ([Leeds Rhinos](https://www.edgepedia.org/leeds-rhinos)) and Sylvain Houles (Toulouse Olympique), and hooker Brad O'Neill won the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award over teammate Adam Keighran and Leeds full-back Lachie Miller.[2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/) O'Neill, 24, had already claimed the Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Association Player of the Year, a place in the Super League Dream Team, and the club's Players' Player of the Year, recognized for tough tackling, passing, and durability.[2](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/)
## References
1. [Super League 2026: team-by-team guide to the new season, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/11/super-league-2026-team-by-team-guide-to-the-new-season)
2. [Warriors win Coach of the Year and Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel, Wigan Warriors](https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2026/september/29/steve-prescott-mbe-man-of-steel/)
3. [Ruthless Wigan romp to dominant win over Hull KR in Challenge Cup final, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/may/30/wigan-hull-kr-rugby-league-challenge-cup-final-match-report)
4. [2026 Betfred Challenge Cup Final summary, Rugby League Project](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/challenge_cup_2026/summary.html)
5. [Challenge Cup final 2026: Wigan Warriors 40-10 Hull KR match report, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/wigan-vs-hull-k-r/report/64135)
6. [How to watch Hull KR vs Wigan Warriors: Challenge Cup Final 2026, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/rugby/hull-kr-vs-wigan-warriors-challenge-cup-final-2026-free)
7. [Wigan Warriors Results, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/teams/wigan-warriors/results)
8. [2026 Season Preview: Wigan Warriors, Super League](https://www.superleague.co.uk/article/5719/2026-season-preview-wigan-warriors)
9. [How to watch Super League 2026, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/sport/super-league-2026-free)
10. [2026 Super League prediction, betting tips, preview & odds, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/rugby/rugby-league/2026-super-league-prediction-betting-tips-odds-b2918108.html)
11. [Challenge Cup quarter-final: Wakefield Trinity 22-26 Wigan Warriors, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/c36r4r2kndxo)
12. [Challenge Cup: Wigan Warriors thrash St Helens to reach Wembley final, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/st-helens-vs-wigan/report/64134)
13. [Challenge Cup final: Wigan Warriors 40-10 Hull KR, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cq6p3l576zdo)
14. [Wigan: 'Scary' and 'ruthless' Warriors in mood to regain Super League crown, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cg7en1l4kj1o)
15. [Wigan dominate the present but NRL cash is key to Super League future, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/14/super-league-new-era-national-rugby-league-wigan-warriors)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › Rugby league (sport, clubs and competitions)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license