2025 1895 Cup: Preliminary Round draw and schedule for newly-revamped tournament revealed

The first two rounds of the 2025 1895 Cup have been drawn: with League One clubs discovering their opening steps on the road to Wembley next summer.

Two Championship or League One sides will play alongside the Challenge Cup final at the national stadium in London in June – and a newly-revamped format of the competition has been unveiled with the drawing of two new preliminary rounds.

The 11 League One clubs will be whittled down to just four across two rounds exclusively for third-tier teams. Six have been drawn against one another in the first preliminary round, with those three winners progressing to round two, where they will face the other five teams that have been given byes.

And that draw for the first preliminary round of the cup has been made. Midlands Hurricanes will play Whitehaven, Rochdale Hornets will face Cornwall and Newcastle Thunder will take on North Wales Crusaders.

The three winners of those ties move on to the second preliminary round, where Goole Vikings, Workington Town, Swinton Lions, Keighley Cougars and Dewsbury Rams await.

Goole will face the winners of Newcastle v North Wales, Workington will play Dewsbury, Rochdale or Cornwall will host Swinton and Keighley will play Midlands or Whitehaven.

The winners of those four ties progress to the last 16: where the 12 Championship clubs – Toulouse will not take part in 2025 – await. It will then be a straight knock-out all the way to the Wembley final on June 6.

1895 Cup First Preliminary Round

Midlands Hurricanes v Whitehaven RLFC