Tadej Pogacar stretches advantage as Thymen Arensman lifts Ineos Grenadiers
Behind, Pogacar marked moves from main rival Jonas Vingegaard before narrowly beating him to second, adding another six seconds to an overall lead that now stands at four minutes 13 seconds, but the main news in the general classification was Evenepoel abandoning from third place.
That saw 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley rise to fourth, although he was distanced at the top of the final climb by Florian Lipowitz, who inherited third place and the best young rider's white jersey.
The final episode of the Tour's Pyrenean trilogy followed the path of the famous stage won by Greg LeMond in 1986, with the Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin and the Peyresourde coming before a first visit to Superbagneres since Robert Millar, now Pippa York, won here in 1989.
It took until the Tourmalet for a break to get clear as Lenny Martinez went in search of the king of the mountains points he needed to make the polka dot jersey he wearing on behalf of Pogacar his own, with Arensman among those trying to chase down the young Frenchman.
Evenepoel, who suffered in the heat on the previous two days, fared no better on a damper, cooler day, and climbed off early on the Tourmalet, with his team saying the Belgian 'did not feel himself'.
Arensman was among three riders to catch Martinez before the Peyresourde, where he launched his own move and opened up a gap on the main group of favourites who until that point has been closing in.
The Dutchman's gap grew to three and a half minutes before the the final climb and he fought hard on punishing gradients to keep the chasing pack at bay.
'I can't really believe it,' said the 25-year-old. 'I had to be really patient the first week and I had to wait until the mountains and then the first opportunity I got to I was already second (on the Puy-de-Sancy).
'That was already an amazing experience in my first Tour, but this is unbelievable now.'
TV footage showed that an Ineos team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the crowds on the Peyresourde. The PA news agency understands the Ineos car stopped to check on the spectator who was said to be okay.
A team spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts and sincere apologies go out to the fan who was accidentally and regretfully hit by one of our race cars while supporting the riders during today's stage.
'Like all teams we take great care to maintain a safe race environment for everyone – including the passionate fans who make our sport so special.'
Pogacar had been backed by many to chase a third consecutive stage win, but he was happy just to mark Vingegaard.
'I didn't have the firepower in me to counter-attack and give it all to the finish, so I committed just to control the stage until the last 200 metres and then do the sprint for second place,' he said. 'It's all good, I'm happy to be in yellow.'
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Tour de France Femmes 2025: Lorena Wiebes wins stage three sprint but Vollering suffers crash
Update: Date: 2025-07-28T16:31:04.000Z Title: That's all for today. Content: Lorena Wiebes won a chaotic sprint in Angers while Marianne Vos reclaimed the yellow jersey Blood, sweat and gears: best images from the men's race William Fotheringham on Tadej Pogacar | Email Amy Amy Sedghi Mon 28 Jul 2025 18.21 CEST First published on Mon 28 Jul 2025 13.15 CEST 6.21pm CEST 18:21 As predicted, stage three ended in a bunch sprint, and the favourite for the win, SD Worx-Protime's Lorena Wiebes, took the victory. But there were also unexpected developments. A four-rider breakaway spiced up the day, with punchy moves from EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson, Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier, Movistar's Sara Martín and Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi's Catalina Soto Campos. In fact, Latimier – the only rider to be making her debut at the Tour this year and a professional for less than three months – was awarded the stage's most combative rider. There was also a dose of chaos, with a big crash at about 3.5km before the finish, which took down Demi Vollering. Looking very sore, she had to be helped up and pushed by her FDJ-Suez teammates towards the finish line. Thank you for reading today's live blog. There will be full race report from Jeremy Whittle posted here soon. 6.00pm CEST 18:00 Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez), 10pts Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco), 6pts Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly), 2pts Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco), 2pts Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team), 2pts 5.57pm CEST 17:57 After the stage, Marianne Vos, who came second in the sprint finish and has regained the yellow jersey, spoke to reporters. Of the finish she said: It was very hectic … very fast. Of course everyone was fighting for potistion and I think when we went right on to the river there was a big crash behind me. I hope everyone is well. Asked about being back in the yellow jersey, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider said: That's a big bonus … I went from yellow to green to yellow. Updated at 6.09pm CEST 5.54pm CEST 17:54 Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), 130pts Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 112pts Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), 55pts Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), 53pts Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), 47pts 5.50pm CEST 17:50 Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 8hrs 19mins 6secs Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), +6secs Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), +12secs Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), +16secs Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), +19secs Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx Protime), +21secs Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), +21secs Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), +25secs Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), +25secs Chloé Dygert (Canyon/SRAM), +25secs 5.45pm CEST 17:45 1. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) 2. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) 3. Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) 4. Megan Jastrab (Picnic-PostNL) 5. Liane Lippert (Movistar) 5.39pm CEST 17:39 Lorena Wiebes unleashes her powerful sprint and she takes the win. Marianne Vos rolls over the line in second place. It was said before today's stage that this was Wiebes's to lose and it really was in the end. Updated at 5.42pm CEST 5.38pm CEST 17:38 1km to go: The lead outs for the sprinters are getting under way. Vos and Wiebes are in the mix. 5.36pm CEST 17:36 3km to go: Big crash at 3.4km to go. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) is down! None of the riders will lose time as it has happened in the 5km 'safe' zone but that's not of much solace to those that are hurt or wanting to compete in the sprint. Demi Vollering is also down and looks very sore. She's helped up by her team. Updated at 5.37pm CEST 5.33pm CEST 17:33 5km to go: The peloton are heading towards the finish, but have some speed bumps and road furniture to navigate. Lorena Wiebes is visible near the front. Updated at 5.34pm CEST 5.32pm CEST 17:32 7km to go: Soto Campos gets the jump on the other two in the breakaway and gets a small gap, but Jackson and Martín manage to catch her. Oh, and that's it for the break – the peloton, visible over their shoulders, has swallowed them up. A bunch sprint it is then! 5.29pm CEST 17:29 10km to go: Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier has been dropped from the breakaway. EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson puts the power down again but the trio are playing about attacking each other. The peloton are going to have an easier job bringing down the time gap if they don't work together. 5.18pm CEST 17:18 18km to go: According to the Tour race centre, the average race speed so far is about 43km/h. The breakaway's lead has been whittled down by the peloton – it now sits at just 38secs. Seven riders, including Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) and Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ), are about 30secs off the back of the main bunch. 5.14pm CEST 17:14 After 21 stages and 3,338km, this year's Tour de France came to an end in Paris on Sunday. Here are the Guardian's favourite images from the last three weeks: 5.05pm CEST 17:05 27km to go: The gap between the break and the peloton has dropped to 1min 32secs. Here are the full results from the intermediate sprint earlier: Intermediate sprint result: 1. Jackson, 25pts 2. Soto Campos, 20pts 3. Latimier, 17pts 4. Martín, 15pts 5. Wiebes, 13pts 6. Vos, 11pts 7. Vollering, 10pts 8. Van Agt, 9pts 9. Bredewold, 8pts 10. Vas, 7pts 11. Kopecky, 6pts 12. Swinkels, 5pts 13. Andersen, 4pts 14. Le Net, 3pts 15. Gillespie, 2pts 4.55pm CEST 16:55 36km to go: Demi Vollering attacks at the end of the intermediate sprint and a group of about ten riders follow. The peloton have it under control and they don't get away. There's a crash near the back of the bunch. Eugenia Bujak of Cofidis looked as if she hit the ground hard but gets stiffly back on her bike. 4.51pm CEST 16:51 38km to go: As the peloton approach the intermediate sprint, Vos moves up as does Chabbey. Wiebes doesn't want to be left behind and pushes out on the left, making a big jump which underlines the power this sprinter has, and she crosses the line first. Updated at 5.12pm CEST 4.48pm CEST 16:48 40km to go: The breakaway approach the intermediate sprint with EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson on the front. The group decide to carry on working together rather than sprint individually for the line. It means their rhythm and pace isn't disrupted. 4.42pm CEST 16:42 44km to go: I've just come back from a holiday in France, so watching the peloton move through the villages, town and countryside is soothing to watch. Not sure if they're feeling the same vibes. The peloton continue to smoothly ride together, preparing for the more hectic sections later on in the run in to the finish. The breakaway have 2mins 43secs on the bunch. 4.34pm CEST 16:34 49km to go: The 142 riders in the peloton are 2mins 20secs behind the breakaway of four: EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson, Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier, Movistar's Sara Martín and Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi's Catalina Soto Campos. It's less than 10km now to the intermediate sprint. 4.21pm CEST 16:21 60km to go: SD Worx-Protime continue to drive the peloton, reducing that gap to the breakaway (now at 2mins 50secs). After a turn on the front, Martín moves over for Jackson to lead the breakaway. The four seem to be working well but there's still a way to go with the peloton after them. Updated at 4.35pm CEST 4.10pm CEST 16:10 67km to go: The peloton have been chipping away on the leading quartet's gap – it's down to 3mins now. Also, this is interesting via the race centre: Of the leading quartet, Clémence Latimier, is the only rider to be making her debut at the Tour this year. In fact the 21-year-old from Isère has been a professional for less than three months. 4.01pm CEST 16:01 Kim Le Court-Pienaar is loving being in the yellow jersey, so much so that she is also sporting a yellow helmet, bike and gloves today. Speaking to the race centre before stage three, the AG Insurance-Soudal rider said: It's incredible, I'm really happy. It was a bit of a surprise; I didn't expect to be in yellow. There are two sprint stages, today and tomorrow, and it's going to be tough. We can't stress too much or lose too much time; that's the goal today. If we lose the jersey tonight, that's fine. We'll try to regain it later when the course suits me a little better. I don't think my status in the peloton has changed. The others tell me it has. But I don't feel it! Updated at 4.27pm CEST 3.54pm CEST 15:54 80km to go: The breakaway (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) are still plugging away – they've lost about another 15secs on their lead but still have more than 3mins on the bunch. It's less than 40km now until the intermediate sprint. 3.41pm CEST 15:41 88km to go: The gap between the peloton and the breakaway has decreased slightly. It now stands at 3mins 34secs. SD Worx-Protime are driving the bunch, with its sprinter Lorena Wiebes visible in her European champion jersey. Updated at 3.51pm CEST 3.33pm CEST 15:33 97km to go: Former professional road and track cyclist Dani Rowe has been speaking on TNT Sports about the possible dangers in the approach to the finish line. She says there is a narrow pinch point after a slight downhill, plus railway line or tramtracks to ride over in another section. Matt Stephens spoke to Lorena Wiebes about the finish and she said she was excited for it. The SD Worx-Protime said: The final will be super hectic … I like it when the final is a bit more technical. 3.25pm CEST 15:25 99km to go: With under 100km to go, the breakaway (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have almost 4mins on the peloton. Email me with your predicitions. Do you think one of these four could take today's stage or will the peloton bring it back for a bunch sprint finish? 3.14pm CEST 15:14 109km to go: Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels Cycling Team) tried to get away from the peloton and bridge across but it was a big ask when the breakaway are so far ahead. She's been caught. Morgane Coston (Roland Le Dévoluy) and Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) drop off the back of the peloton and lag by 10secs. Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) and Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike) are caught up in a crash in the peloton but they swiftly remount their bikes to continue. 3.04pm CEST 15:04 114km to go: The gap between the breakaway and the peloton just keeps growing. It now stands at 3mins 50secs. Although the break threatens the ambitions of those hoping for a bunch sprint, the yellow jersey wearer, AG Insurance-Soudal's Kim Le Court Pienaar shouldn't be worried. The best placed rider in the quartet, Alison Jackson was 11mins 59secs behind her on the GC at the start of today's stage. Updated at 3.44pm CEST 2.56pm CEST 14:56 119km to go: And there it is; the peloton have caught Avoine and Brauße. The breakaway (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have a sizeable 3mins 23secs on the bunch. The race radio has just warned about narrow roads coming up. 2.53pm CEST 14:53 122km to go: That means Jackson gets her first QOM points, snagging two, while Martín gets one mountains classification point. The chasing pair (Avoine and Brauße) are only 12secs ahead of the peloton so it's looking likely that they'll get caught soon. Meanwhile, the breakaway are increasing their gap. Updated at 4.01pm CEST 2.50pm CEST 14:50 126km to go: Jackson was the first to reach the summit of the Côte de la Richardière, followed by Martín. The front four have almost 3mins on the peloton now. The chasing duo (Avoine and Brauße) trail by 2mins 40secs. 2.44pm CEST 14:44 A favourite for today's stage, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) spoke to the Tour race centre before stage three. She said: I'm not too upset about yesterday, today's a new chance and also tomorrow so I'm excited for today's stage. The pressure [to win] is always there and we have to deal with it. It's not an easy job to finish it off. Sprint stages are always a bit tricky so we'll do our best and we'll go for the highest step of the podium. It's always special to win on the Tour de France, especially the first time when I won on the Champs-Élysées, it's something I will never forget. 2.38pm CEST 14:38 131km to go: As the riders head towards the only categorised climb of the day, the category four Côte de la Richardière (1.7km at 4.6%), the situation looks like this: Four riders (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have a gap of 2mins 35secs on the peloton, while behind the breakaway, the chasers (Avoine and Brauße) have joined together and are 1min 40secs behind the quartet. 2.33pm CEST 14:33 137km to go: The breakaway of four (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have increased the gap to the peloton and are now 1min 45secs ahead. Alison Avoine of St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 gives chase as does Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit Pro Cycling). 2.27pm CEST 14:27 141km to go: Aude Biannic tries to join her Movistar teammate in the breakaway. She's 10secs ahead of the peloton but 55secs behind the four out front. 2.22pm CEST 14:22 144km to go: A group of counterattackers go after the four out the front but it's not long before they're caught up by the peloton. The gap to the bunch grows to 35secs for the breakaway. 2.20pm CEST 14:20 148km to go: Brauße's attack doesn't stick and she's also swallowed up by the peloton. It's been a lively start with plenty of small attacks but the peloton is on high alert. Saying that though, a group of four manage to get away. It includes, EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson, Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier, Movistar's Sara Martín and Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi's Catalina Soto Campos. They have about 20secs on the bunch. 2.09pm CEST 14:09 154km to go: Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit Pro Cycling) is the next to give it a go. So far, she's managed a 10sec gap on the peloton. A couple of other riders try to bridge across. 2.06pm CEST 14:06 157km to go: Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) attacks and manages to briefly get ahead, but the peloton swiftly reel her back in. 2.03pm CEST 14:03 160km to go: And we're off! Without Longo Borghini, 146 riders set off as the race flag is dropped. Updated at 2.28pm CEST 1.59pm CEST 13:59 Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team ADQ will not start today due to illness. The Italian champion's team issued this statement on social media: Unfortunately, Elisa Longo Borghini will not start stage three of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift due to a gastrointestinal infection. After fighting through the first two stages, her condition worsened and, together with the team, she made the tough decision to withdraw. Updated at 2.01pm CEST 1.53pm CEST 13:53 Stage three of the Tour de France Femmes 2025 is under way. The peloton have rolled out from La Gacilly. There's a short 2.6km neutralised section before the racing begins. 1.51pm CEST 13:51 The race radio has just chimed in, saying that racing on stage three will get under way in six minutes. There's no live TV coverage of today's stage for me until later, so updates will be coming via the official race radio and centre for the start. Updated at 1.53pm CEST 1.42pm CEST 13:42 And who's wearing which jersey: Yellow jersey – Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), 4hrs 37mins 25secs Green jersey – Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 71pts Polka dot jersey – Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez), 10pts White jersey – Julie Bego (Cofidis), 4hrs 38mins 13secs 1.36pm CEST 13:36 Here's a reminder of the top ten on GC after stage two: Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), 4hrs 37mins 25secs Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 4hrs 37mins 25secs Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), +6secs Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), +10secs Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), +13secs Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), +15secs Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx Protime), +15secs Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), +19secs Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), +19secs Chloé Dygert (Canyon/SRAM), +19secs Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) of Mauritius finished third in yesteday's stage so took the overall leader's yellow jersey. The Dutch rider Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), who wore the leader's jersey after winning Saturday's opening stage, finished fifth and surrendered her overall lead to Le Court Pienaar. 1.27pm CEST 13:27 Stage three is the second longest stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Here is the route profile: Updated at 1.27pm CEST 1.20pm CEST 13:20 Here's a look at today's stage, Monday 28 July: La Gacilly to Angers, 163.5km, with the race director of the Tour de France Femmes, Marion Rousse: La Gacilly hosted both the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir and this year's Tour de Bretagne. This stage start in front of the covered market is a logical and well deserved continuation of that trend. A little further on, memories of Tour stage starts in 1983 and 2004 will be rekindled at Châteaubriant, which is home to a well-renowned club and an operational velodrome. After racing on country roads with no significant difficulties, the riders are very likely to serve up a bunch sprint for the fans in Angers. 1.15pm CEST 13:15 Today's 163.5km flat stage is being heralded as a day for the sprinters, with flat roads to Angers resulting in a classic bunch sprint. There's a category four climb (1.7km at 4.6%) at 34km in and an intermediate sprint later on, at 123.9km. However, the final run to the finish line is technical, with a number of sharp corners in the last kilometre. The final is technical, though, with multiple sharp corners in the last 1.2 km of the stage. Eyes will be on SD Worx-Protime's Lorena Wiebes after she was denied a sprint finish on stage two by Mavi García's breakaway. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) could be Wiebes's main challengers. I would love to know your thoughts on the race so far and any predictions you have for today's stage – you can get in touch via the email linked at the top of the page. The riders will begin with a neutralised start at 1.50pm CET/12.50pm BST, with the finish expected at approximateLy 5.30pm CET/4.30pm BST. While we wait for the peloton to get going, here's a recap of yesterday's events:
Scotsman
5 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scots cyclist 'honoured' to be up there with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard
Oscar Onley's fourth place finish at Tour de France equals high GC finish of Philippa York Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As grounded as he is talented, Oscar Onley has achieved something remarkable over the last three weeks but could probably still stroll along Princes Street unrecognised. The Kelso cyclist has just battled the world's best at the Tour de France and achieved the highest finish by a Scot since the mid-Eighties. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Onley, 22, went wheel to wheel with the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard across 21 brutal stages and finished in fourth place in the general classification. In doing so he matched the achievement of compatriot Philippa York (then known as Robert Millar) in 1984. Team Picnic PostNL team's British rider Oscar Onley cycles to the finish line of the 19th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France. | AFP via Getty Images This is just Onley's second Tour de France but when he completed the race in Paris on Sunday he was only 12 minutes and 12 seconds behind Slovenia's Pogačar, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG cyclist winning for the fourth time. 'I'm just enjoying what I'm doing and to be able to be up there with Pogačar and Vingegaard is an honour,' Onley said mid-race as he vied for a stage win alongside the sport's two giants. He was to be denied this year but the Team Picnic PostNL rider can point to a third-place finish in stage seven as a breakthrough moment and there were also a couple of fourth and fifth-place finishes along the way. But it was the way he came through the mountain stages that marked him out as a real contender. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I guess this is a really big moment in my career. I don't really realise it yet but I think just from talking to other riders in the bunch, going forward, we have something to build on and an exciting project for the future,' Onley told CyclingWeekly. 'It's definitely sparked a bit of a dream I guess.' Team Picnic PostNL team's British rider Oscar Onley, left, UAE Team Emirates - XRG team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, wearing the leader's yellow jersey, and Team Visma - Lease a bike team's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard on the ascent of Col de la Loze during the 18th stage of the Tour de France. | POOL/AFP via Getty Images Born in London, Onley moved to the Scottish Borders as a child and attended Kelso High School. He joined local club Kelso Wheelers but also showed an aptitude for cross-country running before committing to cycling. It has proved a wise choice. He is now team leader for Picnic PostNL and his future looks dazzlingly bright. 'We never really had the plan to go for GC [general classification] in the beginning,' Onley told ITV after the race. 'It was more just see how it goes. To be honest, I've never even thought about a top five in the Tour before, so to get it in my first try in GC is quite incredible and I'm excited for the future. 'It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races as well as these are the top guys and in top shape in the biggest race. So if I can do it here then why not in other races? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Oscar Onley cycles to the finish line of the 13th stage of the Tour de France, a 10.9km individual time trial between Loudenvielle and Peyragudes, in the Pyrenees. | AFP via Getty Images 'There was no pressure from the team. They've handled that really well because I think as soon as you say you are going for GC, there's a lot more attention on you. I've just taken every day as it's come really and not made any extra stress as the Tour is already stressful enough, just to ride and compete.'
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Never watching this nonsense again' rant fans as major league confirms two-team expansion for 2026 season
Three new clubs could be in the league OUT MY LEAGUE 'Never watching this nonsense again' rant fans as major league confirms two-team expansion for 2026 season SUPER LEAGUE clubs have brought forward the expansion to 14 clubs to next season. It was expected the addition of two more sides would not come until 2027, to tie in with the next broadcasting deal. 2 The Super League will expand to 14 teams for the 2026 season Credit: PA 2 Two teams will be selected by an independent panel Credit: Getty But at a meeting of top flight sides in Leeds today, the majority voted to expand for 2026. It has angered fans, who reacted: "I'm never watching this nonsense again." Another said: "The death has started." But other disagreed, commenting: "Finally! About time. This should have happened years ago." READ MORE IN SPORT WADE IN Christian Wade's attitude sees him make mark in THIRD professional sport IMG's grading system will decide 12 of the clubs who will make up the larger competition, which will see the end of despised loop fixtures and keeping the 13 home matches. However, two teams others will be chosen by an independent panel. This means those from outside the top 14 can be picked if they do not make the 12, so the prospect of Toulouse Olympique being overlooked is open. And with Salford set to still be relegated despite the expansion, there is the prospect of three clubs, including Bradford, coming up. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK If the Red Devils do stay in, that will mean a miraculous escape after months of chaos under the shambolic ownership of Sire Kailahi and Curtiz Brown. However, a Bulls' return would spark many complaints given the link with new Rugby League Commercial chair Nigel Wood, who headed the "club-led strategic review". Until March, he was chairman at Odsal – the condition of which, with one seated and covered stand - is another source of anger among supporters. And a raising of the overseas quota rules, allowing teams to have ten foreign players from 2026, has raised fears of a dilution of talent across 14 teams. London Broncos, currently 10th in the Championship and Oldham, only promoted from League One last year, are also keen on a place at the top table. A Super League statement said: 'The 12 existing Super League clubs have voted to extend the competition to 14 teams for the 2026 season, subject to conditions. 'This would be done by combining the club grading system introduced to determine Super League membership as part of the sport's long-term strategic partnership with IMG in 2022, with an independent panel to be chaired by Lord Jonathan Caine. 'The top 12 clubs under grading at the conclusion of the 2025 domestic season will therefore be joined by two clubs recommended by that panel – provided the panel judges there are two applications of sufficient merit against the set criteria. 'The Super League clubs have the right to determine the number of the clubs in the competition. 'The possibility of immediate expansion to 14 clubs was one of a number of options put to a meeting of the existing 12 clubs.'
