Prem commits to English clubs after report of Welsh entry

England's top club competition, the Premiership (usually called the Prem), says it will keep growing with English clubs. The statement came after a report suggested two Welsh teams could join.

According to that report, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), which runs the game in Wales, is in advanced talks with Prem Rugby and the Rugby Football Union (RFU), England's governing body, about turning the Prem into a cross-border competition. The Guardian reported the claim on Tuesday 28 October.

In a joint statement, Prem Rugby and the RFU said their resources are focused on helping English clubs across the pyramid, the tiers of club rugby below the top flight, that want to join the league. They added that responsibility for expansion sits with the Men's Professional Rugby Board, which has set detailed entry criteria for any club that applies. The statement did not name any Welsh side.

Joining would not be cheap. A club could face costs of up to £23.5m. That covers a "P-share", which secures a slice of the league's central income and a vote in its affairs, plus the cost of running a Premiership Women's Rugby programme.

Wales has its own money problems. The WRU reported a loss of £18.1m for 2025-26 last week. It says the figure strengthens its case for cutting the number of professional regions, the teams that play in its major competition, from four to three.

The Prem wants to grow from 10 teams to 12 by the 2029-30 season. Reuters reported in February that the expanded league will run on a franchise model, which means places are granted to clubs rather than won by going up or down the leagues. There will be no automatic promotion or relegation. Reuters also noted that the league's structure has changed before, growing to 14 teams for the 2022-23 season.

Any Welsh move would need the RFU's approval, because it would turn the Prem into a cross-border competition. That makes the RFU a central player in any decision, alongside the WRU and the league itself.

For now, the public position is clear. The Prem and the RFU say they want English clubs to take the next steps. Whether a Welsh side ever joins will depend on talks that have not been concluded.