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2018 Challenge Cup
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<p>The 2018 Challenge Cup, also known as the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 117th staging of the <a href="/facts/Challenge_Cup/CoWIWDBT">Challenge Cup</a>, the main <a href="/facts/Rugby_league/wo9JLX7D">rugby league</a> knockout tournament for teams in the <a href="/facts/Super_League/SxKRInqj">Super League</a>, the British National Leagues and a number of invited amateur clubs. </p><p>The cup was won by <a href="/facts/Catalans_Dragons/sr1InwGw">Catalans Dragons</a>, who beat <a href="/facts/Warrington_Wolves/QIdtjMD1">Warrington Wolves</a> 20–14 at Wembley on 25 August 2018 to become the first non-British team to win the challenge cup in its 117-year history. The defending champions, <a href="/facts/Hull_F.C./hS6IrN66">Hull F.C.</a>, went out at the quarter-final stage. </p><p>The Catalans <a href="/facts/Fullback_(rugby_league)/uVW85x7N">fullback</a>, <a href="/facts/Tony_Gigot/2gQ6tdA9">Tony Gigot</a>, was voted the winner of the <a href="/facts/Lance_Todd_Trophy/YFMQP5Ih">Lance Todd Trophy</a>, becoming the first Frenchman to win the trophy since it was first awarded in 1946. </p><p>The format of the competition was eight knock-out rounds followed by a final. The first two rounds were composed entirely of 48 amateur teams. The 12 winners of the second round ties were joined in round three by the 14 <a href="/facts/League_1_(rugby_league)/eIlujull">League 1</a> teams. For the fourth round, the 13 winners from round 3 were joined by 11 of the 12 <a href="/facts/Championship_(rugby_league)/S5GIoJub">Championship</a> teams (<a href="/facts/Toulouse_Olympique/YsHPBDlV">Toulouse Olympique</a>. who play in the Championship, chose not to enter the 2018 cup competition). Round five saw four <a href="/facts/Super_League/SxKRInqj">Super League</a> teams entering the competition, namely those that finished in the top four positions of the <a href="/facts/Super_League_XXII/XDFumU7K">2017 Qualifiers</a>—<a href="/facts/Warrington_Wolves/QIdtjMD1">Warrington Wolves</a>, <a href="/facts/Widnes_Vikings/t6Ej1Xjn">Widnes Vikings</a>, <a href="/facts/Hull_Kingston_Rovers/oELHF9BC">Hull Kingston Rovers</a> and <a href="/facts/Catalans_Dragons/sr1InwGw">Catalans Dragons</a>. The remaining eight Super League teams joined in round six. </p>