Warrington and Wakefield meet with a sixth Super League Grand Final winner guaranteed

Warrington Wolves and Wakefield Trinity will meet in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday, 3 October, with a first Grand Final title guaranteed for the winner. The match is scheduled to kick off at 6pm. Only five clubs have previously lifted the Grand Final trophy, making this a chance for either side to add a sixth name to that list.

NewsJaws previously reported on Wakefield’s victory over Wigan in its semi-final and previewed the Warrington–Wakefield final. The latest pre-match picture includes the teams’ announced squads. The match has yet to be played, so neither a winner nor a score is known.

Why the Warrington–Wakefield final guarantees a new champion

Wigan Warriors, St Helens, Bradford Bulls, Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR are the five clubs to have won a Super League Grand Final, according to Sky Sports’ review of previous winners. Hull KR joined that group in 2025, beating Wigan 24-6. Saturday’s final therefore guarantees a new winning club for a second consecutive year. It does not mean only five clubs have reached the final: Sky Sports counts 11 finalists once Wakefield is included.

The finalists finished third and fourth in the regular-season table, with Warrington ahead of Wakefield, Sky Sports reported. Their two league meetings offer no clear guide to the final: Sky recorded a 27-16 Warrington win in one and a 25-18 Wakefield win in the other. Both now face a single match for a title neither has won in the Grand Final era.

How Warrington and Wakefield reached Old Trafford

Wakefield’s route was more emphatic. Trinity beat league leaders Wigan 33-6 to reach the club’s first Super League Grand Final. Super League’s account describes three Wakefield tries in seven second-half minutes, scored by Tom Johnstone, Jack Sinfield and Corey Hall. Further tries followed from Ky Rodwell, Mason Lino and Max Jowitt. The result ended Wigan’s bid for a treble and gave Wakefield the opportunity to contest the title at Old Trafford.

Warrington have reached four previous Grand Finals and lost each one, Sky Sports reported. Wakefield are making their first appearance. Their different records give the finalists different histories to confront, but the immediate task is the same: beating the other side on Saturday to become the competition’s sixth Grand Final-winning club.

Players and squads ahead of the Grand Final

Wakefield coach Daryl Powell cautioned against assuming the Wigan performance would be enough on its own. ‘We have to get the same performance level,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘I think we have to be at a very high level to beat Warrington and we all know that.’ His comments put the emphasis on repeating Wakefield’s semi-final standard against a different opponent.

For winger Tom Johnstone, the occasion is tied to a return to his longtime club. He told BBC Radio 5 live that Wakefield had given him an opportunity as a youngster and that representing Trinity made this final special. Johnstone previously reached a Grand Final with Catalans in 2023, when his side lost to Wigan, according to the BBC. Wakefield’s Jay Pitts, 36, is due to retire after Saturday’s match; Powell said Pitts had played through a period affected by a bicep injury.

Warrington’s Irwin, 18, has made 21 appearances this season, scoring six tries and kicking 82 goals, the BBC reported. His semi-final penalty has already put him at the centre of Warrington’s route to the final. Team-mate Matty Ashton told BBC Radio Merseyside that Irwin had a chance to become the youngest player to score in a Grand Final. That remains a possibility, dependent on what happens in the match.

The BBC reported one change in Warrington’s named squad from the semi-final: Jordy Crowther comes in for Max Wood. Wakefield named an unchanged squad, including Josh Rourke as he continues his return from a knee injury sustained in August. A place in a provisional squad does not itself establish who will play on Saturday.

Kick-off and the occasion at Old Trafford

Wakefield Council leader Karl Johnson said venues across the district would show the game and predicted that the city would ‘stop at 6pm on Saturday night’. The council pointed to Trinity’s spell in the Championship as recently as 2024 when describing the significance of a first Grand Final appearance. Those remarks reflect the council’s view of the occasion; the size of any local audience is not yet known.

Super League says Sir Kevin Sinfield is scheduled to deliver the match ball at Old Trafford as the final stage of his seven-day challenge in support of people affected by motor neurone disease. Sky Sports says it will carry the match, with coverage beginning at 5pm before the 6pm kick-off. The result will determine which club joins the five previous Grand Final winners.