Premier League: York Knights and Toulouse Olympique have been selected for promotion to the Premier League

York, who finished at the top of the Championship table and won the League Leaders’ Shield this season, as well as lifting the 1895 Cup at Wembley, were founded as a Phoenix club in the early 2000s.

Their promotion to the Premier League means that top level rugby league will return to the city for the first time since 1985-86.

Founded in 1937, Toulouse were forced to return to the Union under the Vichy regime in World War II, but returned to rugby league in 1945 when the sport was permitted, reaching successive French Championship finals in the aftermath.

Toulouse, who became the first French club to reach the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup in 2005, briefly joined the British league system between 2009 and 2010 and has played continuously since 2016.

They were relegated from the Premier League after finishing last in their only spell in the top flight three years ago, and stunned York earlier this month to win the Championship grand final.

Lord Keane said Toulouse and York would be “worthy and worthy additions” to the Premier League and said the committee’s decision was unanimous.

“They are ranked 13th and 14th in the club classification, with a significant lead over any of the other applicants from the tournament,” he said.

“As determined on August 19, it has always been the Committee’s intent to use those rankings as one of the criteria in our deliberations, alongside enhanced financial scrutiny and competitiveness assessment.

“The committee’s deliberations were conducted on the basis of integrity, impartiality, independence and confidentiality. The committee was unanimous in its final decision to select Toulouse Olympique and York Knights.”