2026 Pre-Season Challenge: All You Need to Know

The Witzer Pre-Season Challenge kicks off on February 7 and will feature 16 matches across three weeks including four double-header matchdays.

From Queanbeyan and Mudgee in NSW to Mackay and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and Napier in New Zealand, the Pre-Season Challenge offers an early glimpse at the NRL stars in action as teams put the finishing touches on their Premiership preparations.

The Witzer Pre-Season Challenge launches with the four Las Vegas teams - Dragons, Bulldogs, Knights, Cowboys - featuring in Round 1 at Jubilee Oval.

In Round 2, the Raiders return to their spiritual home at Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan to face the Storm, while McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle plays host to a double-header featuring the Wests Tigers vs Roosters and Knights vs Bulldogs clashes.

In Round 3, a Leichhardt Oval double-header kicks things off before a massive day at Gosford's Polytec Stadium where the Sharks meet the Raiders and the Roosters meet the Eels.

The winning team will take home $100,000 and a huge shot of confidence to take into the 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership.

• Watch every game of the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge exclusive to Fox League, available on Kayo Sports.

The rules

Team Lists

Midweek Submission: Tuesday 3.00pm AEDT

28-player squad. (1-13 with 15 interchange players) 

1-hour Submission: One hour prior to kick-off

28-player squad (1-13 with 15 interchange players)

Interchange

Unlimited interchange will apply. Up to 28 players may be used in each game.

Bonus points

The addition of bonus points to go alongside points earned by winning or drawing a match ensures teams have something to play for in every contest, no matter what's happening on the scoreboard. 

Alongside points accumulated through results, the number of bonus points a team can snare each game could make all the difference on what is sure to be a congested ladder. 

The club with the most points at the conclusion of the two rounds will be declared the winner of the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge and claim the $100,000 in prizemoney.

Tiebreaker process 

Given the short duration of the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge, there is a good chance the winner will have to be decided via a countback, and the NRL has devised a system to find a winner should teams finish tied on points at the top of the ladder.

Defending champs

The Broncos piled on 80 points in two games to make it back-to-back Witzer Pre-Season Challenge titles. They kicked off with a 50-12 win over the Titans in Toowoomba before downing the Bulldogs 30-12 at Redcliffe. The Dragons were the only other team to win both their matches in last year's Pre-Season Challenge but the Broncos had a superior points differential and pocketed the $100,000. With the NRL premiers heading to England to face Hull KR in the World Club Challenge on February 19, a new champion will be crowned in the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge.

The Schedule

Round 1