Wakefield chase first Super League crown after 58-year wait
Wakefield Trinity are one win away from ending a league title wait that stretches back to 1968.
They face Warrington Wolves in the Super League Grand Final — rugby league's championship decider — at Old Trafford on Saturday. It is Wakefield's first-ever trip to Old Trafford for a Grand Final, and for one of these clubs the night will end with a first Super League crown.
The 2026 Betfred Super League Grand Final kicks off at 6pm on Saturday 3 October, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, according to Sky Sports. The winners will become only the sixth different club to lift the trophy in the Super League era.
Wakefield had to do it the hard way. They beat Leigh Leopards in a knockout play-off at the DIY Kitchens Stadium on 18 September, then travelled to Wigan Warriors for the semi-final. Wigan, as League Leaders' Shield winners — the prize for finishing top of the regular season — hosted the tie at the Brick Community Stadium on 26 September, with the winners going to Old Trafford, according to Wakefield Trinity. Thirty supporters' coaches made the trip from Wakefield for that semi-final.
The turnaround behind that run starts with owner Matt Ellis. A lifelong fan and successful kitchen business magnate, Ellis brought in Daryl Powell as head coach almost immediately after taking control of the club, according to BBC Sport.
Under that partnership Wakefield won promotion back to Super League, lifted the 1895 Cup at Wembley and then made back-to-back play-off appearances. The second of those runs has carried them all the way to Old Trafford.
There is a personal edge for Powell. He previously coached Featherstone and Castleford before a spell at Warrington that ended prematurely. Saturday puts him on the opposite bench to his old club with the title on the line.
Winger Tom Johnstone told BBC Radio 5 live that Powell set the tone early with a simple message to the squad. He showed them a PowerPoint that read: 'You could be legends of this club.'
For supporters of a certain age, the contrast is stark. In 2006 Wakefield beat rivals Castleford on the final day to send their neighbours down and keep themselves in Super League. Survival was the ambition then. Now they are playing for the championship.
That shift is written into their ground too. Belle Vue, the club's historic home, is now known as the DIY Kitchens Stadium after a long-needed rebuild. Former custodians Michael Carter and John Minards started the renovation work that Ellis later continued.
What makes this stand out is how fresh it feels. Neither club has won a Grand Final before. For newcomers, that is the whole story in one line. Forget dynasties. This is two hungry sides, 80 minutes, and a 58-year wait on one side of the tunnel.
