Celtic
Challenge
Celtic Challenge News
'It’s just going to get bigger': O'Brien looking forward to riding the Green Wave again
Gwalia Lightning's shining star Courtney Greenway: One of the busiest players around?
Why Celtic Challenge may not be an appealing enough competition for Ireland players
Sky Phimister: 'All I can do is keep putting in performances for Glasgow'
King makes return as Wolfhounds emerge victorious in Celtic Challenge derby
Celtic Challenge Latest News
Celtic Challenge 2025-26
The Celtic Challenge is the domestic women's rugby competition for teams based in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Founded in 2023, it was the first cross-border competition in the women's game.
The teams involved in the 2025-26 season are Wales’ Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning, Scotland’s Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, and Ireland’s Clovers and Wolfhounds.
Don’t miss a moment of the action. You’ll find all of the latest news, fixtures and results on RugbyPass, as well as replays and highlights on RugbyPass TV.
Celtic Challenge History
The Celtic Challenge was launched in 2023 and aims to provide top-quality domestic competition for the teams from the three Celtic nations, ensuring high-performance resources for aspiring players.
Initially contested by one team from each nation, the competition now consists of two teams from each nation. Ireland have proven to be the most successful nation, with the Wolfhounds winning both previous editions of the competition.
Celtic Challenge Format
In the Celtic Challenge, each of the six sides (two from each nation) plays a total of ten matches, in a full home and away round robin format.
At the end of the season, the top four sides advance to the play-offs, with the top two teams hosting the bottom two. The winners of the two semi-finals then progress to the final. The winner of this one-off match is crowned Celtic Challenge winners.