Army to play RAF in rugby league Challenge Cup first round – Navy away in Yorkshire

The British Army will host the Royal Air Force in the first round of the 2025 Challenge Cup competition - the second year in a row there's been an all-military tie.

The match will be held in Aldershot on the weekend of 11 and 12 of January in a rematch of the RAF's 24-12 title-clinching Inter Services match in Wakefield.

The Royal Navy will travel to Yorkshire for a match against Mirfield ARLFC during the first-round weekend.

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If they secure a win, the Navy will host semi-professional League One outfit Workington Town in Portsmouth in round 2 on the weekend of 25 and 26 January.

The winner of the Army v RAF clash will travel to either Eastern Rhinos or Wests Warriors in the second round.

The match in Aldershot marks the second straight year of all-military action in the Challenge Cup after the Navy beat the RAF at RAF Cranwell.

The 2022 competition saw an Army v Navy clash in Aldershot in round 2 which the Navy won 14-10.