WORCESTER Warriors will feature in a new-look second tier competition for the 2025/26 season.
The second tier will now be known as ‘Champ Rugby’ while promotion and relegation play-offs have also been introduced.
Some 14 teams will contest the league with Worcester Warriors and the promoted team from National League One to join the current 12 Championship clubs.
Teams will play each other home and away over 26 rounds of fixtures.
At the end of the regular season, the league will split into qualification stages.
Teams ranked third to sixth will take part in quarter-finals to earn a place in the semi-finals.
The winners will then play the top-two ranked sides with the semi-final victors to then play-off to determine the overall league champions.
The overall champions will then face the Premiership’s bottom club in a promotion/relegation play-off.
And the play-off will take place over two legs.
At the bottom end of the table, the team in 14th place will be relegated to National League One.
The teams in 12th and 13th place will also play-off in a one-legged fixture.
The loser will then face the winner of the National League One play-off to determine who will play in Champ Rugby the following season.
That final will also be a one-legged tie with the winner joining the National League One champions in Champ Rugby.
Tier 2 board chair, Simon Gillham said: “We are excited to announce the structure of Champ Rugby, which will bring a highly competitive and gripping conclusion to the season, providing both aspiration and jeopardy.
“We have worked closely with the clubs and stakeholders on developing a compelling league format that rewards ambition and plays a key role in growing the sport, supporting both player and club development.
“Building up English rugby’s second tier competition is critical to the transformation of the elite game in this country, and we are at the start of that journey.
“Delivering high quality event day experiences, gripping on-field drama at the conclusion of the season and more compelling digital and visual content will support our transformation aims for the league.
“We have developed a really strong brand identity which we believe showcases everything the league represents and the impact we know it will have on the sport, our players, communities and fans.
“It will appeal to both existing supporters of the league as well as being exciting and compelling for a new and younger audience as well as importantly potential sponsors and investors in the league.
“We look forward to seeing the new brand roll-out across both central Champ Rugby channels as well as those of the clubs as preparation for the 2025-26 season starts in earnest.”
A detailed fixture release will be announced in the coming weeks.
