England/PREM Rugby: automatic promotion and relegation to be abolished from 2026-27

The Rugby Football Union (RFU), PREM Rugby, Champ Rugby, Premiership Women's Rugby and the Rugby Players Association have unveiled a reform of English professional rugby, effective from the 2026-27 season, on 01/03/2026.

The main changes affect the Gallagher PREM, the English top flight championship, which was known as the Gallagher Premiership Rugby until 2024-25. The traditional system of automatic promotion and relegation at the end of each season is to be abolished and replaced by an "expansion and demotion model." The business model of the 10 participating clubs will therefore no longer be affected by sporting results, following financial difficulties that forced three of them to withdraw from the professional circuit: Worcester Warriors, placed in partial liquidation on 26/09/2022, Wasps Rugby, placed in receivership and ceased trading on 17/10/2022, and London Irish, placed in administration on 07/06/2023.

Clubs seeking to join the Gallagher PREM will have to "go through a formal expression of interest and tender process" and meet mandatory requirements in terms of financial…