Challenge Cup final to return to Wembley in 2023

The Challenge Cup final will return to Wembley in 2023 after this year's showpiece event was held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It will be held on 12 August, with the women's final being played on the same day at the stadium for the first time.

Mark Foster, of the Rugby Football League (RFL), called Wembley the "spiritual home" of the final.

"We have been working for some time to get the women's final on the same day as the men's" he added.

The men's 2022 final was switched to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Wembley was being used for English Football League play-off matches in May.

Seventy-nine of the 121 editions of the men's final have been held at the national stadium.

The Women's Challenge Cup final, which was first held in 2012, has never been played at Wembley.

"It's already been a hugely significant year for women's sport in this country, which will continue with the Rugby League World Cup later this year," said Mr Foster, the RFL's chief commercial officer.

"I am delighted that, for the first time in Challenge Cup history, the women's final will be held at Wembley Stadium," he added.

The RFL's head of growth, Thomas Brindle, said the move was a "measure of how far the women's game has come".

"This is another big step for the women's game and adds even greater incentive among players and teams to reach the final," he added.