The defending champions were Catalans Dragons, who beat Warrington Wolves 20–14 at Wembley Stadium on 25 August 2018, to become the first non-British team to win the challenge cup in its 117-year history.

Canadian side Toronto Wolfpack also declined to enter for 2019, after both clubs were presented with a demand by the Rugby Football League (RFL) for roughly £750,000 (€830,000; C$1,226,000 approximately) as a bond insurance against reduced ticket sales, if either team reached the final.

[6][7] In January 2019 it was revealed that defending champions, Catalans Dragons, had also been asked to pay a £500,000 (€553,000) bond to enter the competition.

Catalans informed the RFL, that the club had no intention of paying, leading to the possibility, that for the first time ever, the competition would take place without the defending champions being in the tournament.

[15] The draw for the third round was made at St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry on 11 February and shown live on the BBC Sport website.

[19] The draw for the fourth round was made at Odsal Stadium, home of the Bradford Bulls on 12 March and shown live on the BBC Sport website.

Broadcasts of matches changed from on-line only to mainstream TV at this stage, with BBC and Sky Sports each televising two ties.

BBC One will show the first competitive meeting of West Yorkshire rivals Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos on Saturday 11 May.

On Sunday 12 May, BBC One will show the repeat of the 2018 Super League Grand Final between Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves.