Challenge Cup Third Round draw: Ball numbers confirmed as Super League clubs enter competition

The RFL have confirmed the ball numbers – and process – for Tuesday night’s Challenge Cup Third Round draw, which will see Super League clubs enter the competition.

Streamed live by the BBC online, via the Red Button and on the iPlayer, coverage of the draw will begin at 6.30pm (GMT) on Tuesday, January 14.

As part of the competition’s reinvigorated format, all 12 Super League clubs will enter in the last 32 (Third Round) in a seeded draw which guarantees them to be away from home to a side from outside of the top-flight.

Super League clubs will therefore need to win four matches to reach the Challenge Cup final, and the fifth – the final itself – if they’re to reign supreme.

The First Round, solely involving community clubs, was scheduled to be played out over the weekend just gone – but 14 of the 17 ties were postponed due to the cold snap, so a whopping 66 (yes, SIXTY SIX!) clubs will be involved in Tuesday evening’s draw.

31 of those will be community clubs, with 23 from the Championship and League 1, and the remaining 12 all coming from Super League.

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Challenge Cup Third Round draw: Super League clubs enter competition

To clarify, the Second Round draw has already been completed – and those ties will be played out over the weekend of January 25/26.

The 20 Second Round ties have each been given a number – relating to the order in which they came out of the hat in the draw that took place in December.

As an example, London Broncos v Goole Vikings was the seventh tie drawn out in the Second Round, and so will be allocated ball number 7 in Tuesday’s Third Round draw.

The draw for Round three will see one of the 20 balls drawn to face each of the 12 Super League clubs.

Wakefield Trinity, as the newest club to Super League, will discover their Third Round opponents first.

Wigan Warriors, as Super League’s reigning champions, will be the last to find out their Third Round opponents.

As we understand it, in-between those two, the draw will go in order of how the Super League table shaped up in 2024 – so Wakefield are essentially 12th on the table and first out, Hull FC will be second out as the side that finished 11th last season and so on.

Evidently, with 12 Super League clubs and 20 balls to match them against, the remaining eight balls once all top-flight teams have an opponent will enter into the traditional ‘free for all’ draw – being pitted against one another.

16 Third Round ties will be produced in total, and will be played over the weekend of February 7-9.

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Ball Numbers confirmed

Here are those all important ball numbers to look out for on Tuesday evening…

1 – GB Police, York Acorn, London Chargers OR Oulton Raiders

2 – Halifax Panthers, Thatto Heath OR Orrell St James

3 – Dewsbury Moor, Haresfinch OR Dewsbury Rams

4 – Barrow Raiders, Crosfields OR Maryport

5 – Mirfield, Royal Navy OR Workington Town

6 – London Broncos OR Goole Vikings

7 – Lock Lane, Doncaster Toll Bar OR Hunslet RLFC

8 – Waterhead Warriors, Leigh Miners OR Featherstone Rovers

9 – Wests Warriors, British Army OR RAF

10 – Whitehaven OR Swinton Lions

11 – Stanley Rangers, Hunslet ARLFC, West Hull OR Edinburgh Eagles

12 – Rochdale Hornets OR Widnes Vikings

13 – Oldham, Rochdale Mayfield OR Telford Raiders

14 – Keighley Cougars OR York Knights

15 – Sheffield Eagles, West Bowling OR Cutsyke Raiders

16 – Bradford Bulls OR Doncaster

17 – Blackbrook, Longhorns OR Ince Rose Bridge

18 – Midlands Hurricanes OR Siddal

19 – Cornwall OR North Wales Crusaders

20 – Newcastle Thunder OR Batley Bulldogs

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