 | |
| Duration | 9 Rounds |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 87 |
| Highest attendance | 62,717 ; (Final) |
| Lowest attendance | 92; West Hull v Dewsbury Moor (10 March 2019) |
| Aggregate attendance | 60,246 (est) |
| Broadcast partners | BBC Sport Sky Sports Fox League |
| Winners |  Warrington Wolves |
| Runners-up |  St. Helens |
| Biggest home win |  Oldham 80–10 Haydock (10 March 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Oldham 14–54  Widnes Vikings (31 March 2019) |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Daryl Clark Warrington Wolves |
The 2019 Challenge Cup known as the Coral Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 118th staging of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout tournament for teams in the Super League, the British National Leagues and a number of invited amateur clubs.
The defending champions were Catalans Dragons, who beat Warrington Wolves 20–14 at Wembley Stadium on 25 August 2018, to become the first non-British team to win the challenge cup in its 117-year history.[1][2] However, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 51–8 defeat, away to Hull F.C.
The format of the competition will be eight knock-out rounds followed by the final. The final will be held on the August bank holiday weekend, and from 2020 the final will move to July, but will still be played at Wembley Stadium. The day of the final will see three matches played back-to-back, with the Challenge Cup final being preceded by the Steven Mullaney Memorial Match (the RFL Champion Schools Final for Year 7s), and the final of the newly announced 1895 Cup for clubs in the Championship and League 1.[3]
A new sponsorship deal was announced in January 2019, with Coral replacing Ladbrokes (although both are part of the Ladbrokes Coral group).[4]
- ^ "Ladbrokes Challenge Cup Final; Catalans become first French team in 117 years, to win challenge cup". BBC Sport. 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Catalans Dragons beat Warrington in Challenge Cup final to make history". Guardian. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Big news for revamped Challenge Cup Final day". St Helens Star. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Challenge Cup: Catalans to defend Coral-sponsored trophy in 2019". BBC Sport. 21 January 2019.