Premiership Rugby: Coventry apply for promotion to Premiership for 2025-26

Coventry’s bid comes as the 2025-26 campaign shapes up to be a landmark one, with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby (PRL) working to develop a ‘reimagined Tier 2’.

Under the proposal, the Championship will expand from 12 to 14 teams with the so-called Minimum Standards Criteria (MSC), external softened to make promotion more realistic for clubs in the second tier.

Former Premiership clubs Wasps, Worcester and London Irish have all applied for a place in the Championship next season, as all three plot their way back to the professional game after financial problems forced them out of business.

Previously, the MSC stated that minimum ground capacity had to be at least 10,000, depriving Ealing of the chance to go up for 2023-24.

But from next season, promoted sides will have four years to get their ground capacity up to that level.

“Along with our fellow Championship clubs, we are anticipating that some of the promotion criteria currently in place are relaxed,” Coventry executive chair Jon Sharp said in a statement, external.

“However, as the West Midlands’ highest-ranked club we must make our ambition clear here and now.

“We will therefore do whatever we can to meet the standards that allow us to bring Premiership rugby to our city.”