Challenge Cup: Leeds United's Elland Road to host 2022 triple-header

Elland Road will also play host to a men's semi-final in next year's Rugby League World Cup

Leeds United's Elland Road will host the Challenge Cup triple-header on Saturday, 7 May 2022.

It is the third season the men's semi-finals and women's final will take place on the same day and same venue.

The Rugby Football League is trying to surpass the 4,235 attendance at the 2021 Women's Super League Grand Final.

"The growing profile of women's and girls' rugby league has been a huge success story," RFL chief commercial officer Mark Foster said.

"Taking the 2022 Betfred Women's Challenge Cup Final to Elland Road represents another significant step forward."

It is not the only rugby league event the the stadium will hold in 2022, with the ground also playing host to a men's semi-final in next year's Rugby League World Cup.

Last season's Women's Super League Grand Final at nearby Headingley holds the record for the highest attendance in a domestic women's rugby league fixture.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will hold the men's final on 28 May as the showcase moves from its traditional Wembley home for one year only.

Wembley has hosted most Challenge Cup finals since 1929, with the event briefly moving to the Principality Stadium and Twickenham during its redevelopment in the early 2000s.

Meanwhile, Elland Road will also host the draw for the first round of next season's Women's Challenge Cup, with Leeds-born England football star Gemma Bonner conducting the draw.

The 2022 competition will have a new format, with the 16 competing teams drawn into four seeded groups of four teams, with each team participating in at least three fixtures.