Widnes Vikings’ next stop on their playoff journey takes them to the North East, as we gear up to face Newcastle Thunder in the Betfred Championship Qualifying Final.
🎟️Ticket information
Tickets are available HERE.
Newcastle Thunder have advised supporters to purchase tickets in advance to help ensure speedy and smooth entry on match day.
Full information can be found HERE.
đź“° Squad news
Head Coach Allan Coleman has named his 21-man squad to face Newcastle Thunder in the Betfred Championship Qualifying Final.
There are two changes from the squad that faced Oldham, Liam Bent returns to squad following an injury layoff, and Max Roberts slots back in.
Mike Butt comes out of the side to complete concussion protocol, Jumah Sambou also misses out after picking up a knock.
Our official 2026 squad news partner is Motorpoint Widnes
🥊 The opposition
Newcastle Thunder have enjoyed a very strong 2026 regular season, finishing second in the table and losing just three games in the process.
Their strong league finish means the North East outfit are fresh from a week off, having been awarded a bye in the first week of the playoffs.
⏪ Record against Newcastle
The two sides have already faced off once this season in the 1895 Cup Quarter-Final at Robin Park, where, despite being 18-0 down at the break, the Vikings fought back to win 30-20 in an epic comeback victory.
Last five meetings
Widnes 30 – 20 Newcastle (1895C-QF, 17/5/26)
Newcastle 6 – 50 Widnes (ChR21, 5/8/23)
Widnes 24 – 16 Newcastle (ChR7, 26/3/23)
Widnes 33 – 26 Newcastle (ChR19, 17/7/22)
Newcastle 12 – 6 Widnes (ChR7, 4/4/22)
🗣️ Adam Lawton looks ahead to Newcastle clash
🏉Officials
The referee for tomorrow evenings’ fixture is Liam Rush
📲 Follow the game with the Vikings
Not making the trip to the North East with us? You can keep updated with the Vikings’ official club coverage!
Vikings fans will be able to get full updates through our match coverage on our official X account – your hub to find out all the key news, including matchday line-ups, live game updates and post-game coverage.
