After a thrilling Super League campaign in 2023, the attention turns to Super League XXIX, with several teams expected to challenge for the title.

The upcoming campaign will be the 29th Super League season, and it will be the Wigan Warriors that will defend their title after their sixth Grand Final success, with the Cherry and Whites beating Catalans Dragons in the final.

What	Super League XXIX
Where	Various
When	February 2024 - October 2024
How to watch	Channel 4, Sky Sports

History of Super League

Super League started in 1996, with 12 founding teams moving the sport from a winter to a summer sport.

Only five of those teams remain in the competition today, with Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, St Helens, Warrington Wolves, and Wigan Warriors all still fighting it out at the highest level.

Sadly, Bradford Bulls, Halifax Blue Sox, London Broncos, Oldham Bears, Paris Saint-Germain, Sheffield Eagles, and Workington Town have either dropped down the leagues or, in PSG's case, dissolved. 

Plenty of teams have come and gone after trting their luck in Super League, and it still remains the pinnacle of the 13-man code in the northern hemisphere.

How does Super League work?

The regular season in 2024 will see each side play 27 fixtures - 13 home and 13 away, while they will also play at Magic Weekend at St James' Park in Newcastle.

At the end of the regular season, the Play-Off series will group the top-six ranked teams together to fight it out for a place in the Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Relegation was scrapped from the top tier after the RFL's strategic partner recommended a new plan to try and improve the game.

Who are Super League's most successful team?

St Helens are Super League's most successful team, with the Merseyside club winning the title on no fewer than 10 occasions.

Saints first won the title in 1996, before then getting their hands on the trophy in back-to-back years in 1999 and 2000.

Their fans celebrated twice more before 2010, as they lifted the famous trophy in 2002 and 2006. After only winning the competition once between 2010 and 2018, when they beat Wigan Warriors 14-6, Saints fans will have started to panic as their rivals began to challenge their superiority.

However, they dominated the English game since 2019, winning four straight Grand Finals in Super League.

In 2019, St Helens beat Salford 23-6 in the final in what was coach Justin Holbrook's final game in charge. 

He did not lose a single home game all season before Kristian Woolf took the reins at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Woolf won all three Grand Finals that he led St Helens to, with their 24-12 victory over Leeds Rhinos his final game in charge before returning to Australia to coach in the NRL.

In 2024, it will be Wigan who will be defending the crown after they defeated Catalans 10-2 in the Grand Final.

However, there have already been several deals sealed as teams reshape their squads ahead of the new season.

Catalans Dragons have lost Sam Tomkins and Mitchell Pearce after they both decided to retire, but the Dragons have agreed to sign Theo Fages from Huddersfield, while Tariq Sims and Jayden Nikorima will join from NRL side Melbourne Storm.

St Helens hooker James Roby called it a day at the end of last season, but the Saints have already signed Daryl Clark as his replacement.

Defending champions Wigan have also made some eye-catching signings, bringing in Kruise Leeming, Adam Keighran, Tiaki Chan, Sam Walters and Luke Thompson.

When is Super League 2024?

The new season gets underway in February, meaning most clubs only get a few months away from training before they prepare for the new campaign.

After winning their sixth Grand Final, Wigan will only play once in the new campaign before they take on the Penrith Panthers in the World Club Challenge, meaning they will then have to play catch up later in the season.

As per usual, Easter Weekend is set for a bumper round of fixtures as "Rivals Round" takes centre stage, while Magic Weekend will also return in 2024, with all 12 clubs heading to Newcastle for six games across two days.

The play-offs will feature the top six teams in the table, while the season will reach its climax in October, for the Grand Final at Old Trafford.

Where to watch Super League on TV

Channel 4 and Sky Sports will share broadcasting rights throughout the campaign.

In a new landmark deal, Sky Sports has confirmed it will broadcast every Super League match live for the first time in 2024 as part of a historic new three-year rights deal.

As part of the deal, Sky Sports will show all six matches in each Super League round live, totalling around 170 games each year across channels and platforms. That will include Magic Weekend fixtures, playoffs and all three Grand Finals - Men's, Women's and Wheelchair.

The investment also means that video referees will now feature in all Super League matches, which organisers hope will improve the consistency and integrity within the sport.

Those wishing to attend any match in 2024 can visit the RFL website to purchase tickets.