The 2026-27 Sky Bet Championship promises to be one of the most competitive in years, with three relegated Premier League clubs headlining the field.
West Ham United, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers all dropped out of the top flight in 2025-26. They replace Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City, who went the other way.
Coventry stormed to the 2025-26 title with 95 points and 97 goals, with Ipswich sealing the second automatic spot. Hull then edged Middlesbrough 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley to claim the third promotion place.
For those not in the know, perhaps new to football, the promotion system in England allows three teams from the Championship to move up to the Premier League at the end of each season. This comes at the expense of the bottom three in the top flight, who drop down to Championship level.
The top two teams in the Championship qualify automatically, making those spots some of the most lucrative in football. The third promotion place is decided by the play-offs, contested by the teams finishing third to sixth. Across two two-legged semi-finals and a final at Wembley, dubbed the richest game in football, the winner joins the automatic pair in the Premier League.
So who are the favourites to win the league this time around?
2026-27 Championship winner odds
You have to be 18+ to gamble. UK only. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing. GambleAware.
West Ham
West Ham are clear favourites at 9/4 after their relegation on 39 points. The Hammers retain Premier League-level resources and the sort of squad depth that usually tells over a 46-game season. Parachute payments give relegated clubs a major financial edge, and the market expects West Ham to use it.
Wolves
Wolves endured a miserable 2025-26, finishing bottom with just three wins and 20 points. A full reset is required at Molineux, but relegated sides with their wage base rarely stay long prices for the Championship title. They sit second in the betting at 5/1.
Burnley
Burnley went straight back down after promotion, winning only four games all season. The Clarets know this division well, though, having won it as recently as 2022-23, and 15/2 reflects that pedigree.
The chasing pack
Middlesbrough will feel they have unfinished business after losing the play-off final to Hull. Michael Carrick’s side, or whoever is in the dugout come August, went agonisingly close on 80 points and 10/1 makes them the pick of the non-relegated sides.
Millwall (third on 83 points) and Southampton (fourth) both fell short in the play-off race last season and go again. Wrexham, seventh in their first Championship campaign, are 14/1 to complete a remarkable fourth promotion in five seasons.
The new arrivals
Three clubs come up from League One: champions Lincoln City, runners-up Cardiff City and play-off winners Bolton Wanderers. Lincoln return to the second tier for the first time in over six decades, while Cardiff bounce back at the first attempt. All three are among the outsiders in the outright market.
Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City and Oxford United went down to League One, with Wednesday enduring a miserable, points-deducted campaign.
READ MORE:
Premier League predictions & tips
Football Accumulator tips
Latest live streaming fixtures