West Ham United are the 1/2 favourites for promotion from the Championship with bet365 ahead of the 2026/27 season, an implied 67% chance of bouncing straight back to the Premier League at the first attempt. Fellow relegated side Wolverhampton Wanderers are next at 13/8, with Middlesbrough 5/2, Burnley 3/1 and Birmingham City and Southampton both 4/1 completing a bunched top six. Find all the latest odds below.
Championship promotion odds 2026/27
| Club | Odds |
|---|---|
| West Ham United | 1/2 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 13/8 |
| Middlesbrough | 5/2 |
| Burnley | 3/1 |
| Birmingham City | 4/1 |
| Southampton | 4/1 |
| Sheffield United | 5/1 |
| Norwich City | 11/2 |
| Wrexham | 11/2 |
| Millwall | 7/1 |
| Stoke City | 8/1 |
| Derby County | 8/1 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 9/1 |
| Bristol City | 12/1 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 14/1 |
| Portsmouth | 14/1 |
| Watford | 14/1 |
| Swansea City | 14/1 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 18/1 |
| Cardiff City | 18/1 |
| Preston North End | 20/1 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 20/1 |
| Charlton Athletic | 25/1 |
| Lincoln City | 33/1 |
Odds from bet365, correct at the time of writing.
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The six favourites for promotion
West Ham United (1/2)
West Ham are the clear favourites having finished 18th in the Premier League last season, and — unusually for a relegated club — they have kept their manager, with Nuno Espírito Santo staying on despite the drop. It is a division Nuno knows well, having won the 2018 Championship title with Wolves on 99 points.
The recruitment has leaned on quality over quantity, with Manor Solomon arriving from Tottenham and the experienced defender Joël Veltman signing on a free transfer from Brighton. Backed by parachute payments and Premier League pedigree throughout the squad, the London Stadium side are priced as the team most likely to go straight back up. They begin at Turf Moor against Burnley.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (13/8)
Wolves are back in the second tier for the first time since 2017/18 after a dreadful Premier League campaign that yielded just three wins and 20 points. César Peixoto, appointed in June from Portuguese side Gil Vicente, takes charge of the rebuild at Molineux.
The headline piece of business is a fairytale one: Raúl Jiménez has returned to the club on a free transfer from Fulham, six years after his first spell. Wolves have also added the vastly experienced former England full-back Kieran Trippier on a free from Newcastle, Czech international centre-back Ladislav Krejčí from Girona and striker Rafiki Saïd from Standard Liège. A curious sub-plot is that their title-winning manager of 2018, Nuno, is now the man to beat in the promotion race at West Ham.
Middlesbrough (5/2)
Middlesbrough go again after the heartbreak of losing the play-off final to Hull, having finished fifth on 80 points. Kim Hellberg, who took over in November 2025, has been given real backing in the transfer market.
Boro signed striker William Lankshear from Tottenham for a reported fee of more than £11m, while Maximilian Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Kyle Joseph, Jeremy Sarmiento and Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vítek have also joined on loan. The Riverside outfit have rebuilt the squad for another promotion push, although Birmingham took defender Dael Fry on a free transfer.
Burnley (3/1)
Burnley return to the Championship after finishing 19th in the Premier League, and they do so under new management. Scott Parker left by mutual consent following relegation, and after a lengthy search the Clarets appointed Belgian coach Nicky Hayen — formerly of Club Brugge and Genk — on a three-year deal in July.
The statement signing is midfielder Florentino Luís, brought in from Benfica for a fee reported at around €24m, with Lille’s Ugo Raghouber and goalkeeper Ben Amos also arriving. Turf Moor has been a fortress in recent promotion seasons, and Hayen’s side open the campaign at home to favourites West Ham.
Birmingham City (4/1)
Birmingham consolidated on their return to the Championship last season, finishing 10th and missing the play-offs by nine points, and Chris Davies remains in charge on a contract that runs to 2028. The heavily-backed St Andrew’s project is aiming higher this time.
Colombian midfielder Jhon Solís has joined from Girona, Argentine striker Luis Vázquez from Anderlecht and left-back Kristoffer Lund from Palermo, while the free-transfer capture of Dael Fry from Middlesbrough adds Championship know-how at the back. Goalkeeper James Beadle returns on loan from Brighton.
Southampton (4/1)
Southampton are the great “what if” of the market. They finished fourth last season but were controversially removed from the play-offs amid the “spygate” affair, and head coach Tonda Eckert — confirmed permanently through 2027 — was subsequently charged by the FA, leaving a cloud over the start of his campaign.
On the pitch, Saints have spent well: Lewis Dobbin arrived from Aston Villa, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Daniel Peretz signed at St Mary’s and Canada striker Cyle Larin came in from Mallorca. If the off-field noise settles, the squad looks more than capable of another top-six finish.
The rest of the field
Sheffield United (5/1) and Norwich City (11/2) head the chasing pack, with Wrexham (11/2) continuing their remarkable rise after a seventh-placed finish on their Championship debut. Millwall (7/1), Stoke City (8/1) and Derby County (8/1) are next, followed by West Brom (9/1) and Bristol City (12/1). Blackburn, Portsmouth, Watford and Swansea are all 14/1, with QPR and newly-promoted Cardiff 18/1. Preston and Bolton (20/1), Charlton (25/1) and League One champions Lincoln City (33/1) make up the outsiders.
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