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2026–27 EFL Championship

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EFL Championship
Season2026–27
Dates14 August 2026 –
1 May 2027
Matches144
Goals416 (2.89 per match)
Top goalscorerWill Lankshear
(Middlesbrough)
(11 goals)
Biggest home winWest Ham United
6–0 Wrexham
(11 September 2026)
Biggest away winLincoln City 0–6
West Ham United
(14 October 2026)
Highest scoringMiddlesbrough 4–3
Norwich City
(12 September 2026)
Norwich City 3–4
Bolton Wanderers
(20 September 2026)
Longest winning runSwansea City
West Ham United
(4 games)
Longest unbeaten runMiddlesbrough
(10 games)
Longest winless runBurnley
(8 games)
Longest losing runNorwich City
(5 games)
Highest attendance62,264
West Ham United
1–2 Charlton Athletic
(22 August 2026)
Lowest attendance10,267
Lincoln City 0–0
Blackburn Rovers
(1 September 2026)
Total attendance3,318,677
Average attendance23,208
2027–28 →
All statistics correct as of 24 October 2026.

The 2026–27 EFL Championship (referred to as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the 11th season of the EFL Championship under its current title and the 35th season under its current league division format. This is the first season following the expansion of the post season play-offs from four teams to six.[1]

The 2026–27 season consists of 46 matchdays in total, with the fixture list released on 25 June 2026 at 12:00 BST.[2] The opening round of the league commenced between 14–17 August 2026.[3]

Team changes

[edit]

The following teams changed division since the 2025–26 season:

To Championship

[edit]

Promoted from League One

Relegated from the Premier League

From Championship

[edit]

Promoted to the Premier League

Relegated to League One

Stadiums and locations

[edit]
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Birmingham City Birmingham (Bordesley) St Andrew's 29,409
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Bolton Wanderers Horwich Toughsheet Community Stadium 28,723
Bristol City Bristol Ashton Gate 26,462
Burnley Burnley Turf Moor 21,990
Cardiff City Cardiff Cardiff City Stadium 33,280
Charlton Athletic London (Charlton) The Valley 27,111
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium 33,597
Lincoln City Lincoln Sincil Bank 11,400
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 34,742
Millwall London (Bermondsey) The Den 20,146
Norwich City Norwich Carrow Road 27,359
Portsmouth Portsmouth Fratton Park 20,867
Preston North End Preston Deepdale 23,408
Queens Park Rangers London (Shepherd's Bush) Loftus Road 18,439
Sheffield United Sheffield (Highfield) Bramall Lane 32,050
Southampton Southampton St Mary's Stadium 32,384
Stoke City Stoke-on-Trent bet365 Stadium 30,089
Swansea City Swansea Swansea.com Stadium 21,088
Watford Watford Vicarage Road 22,200
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich The Hawthorns 26,850
West Ham United London (Stratford) London Stadium 62,500
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Molineux Stadium 31,750
Wrexham Wrexham Racecourse Ground 10,771
Lancashire EFL Championship football clubs
Greater London EFL Championship football clubs

Personnel and sponsoring

[edit]
Team Manager(s) Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor(s)
Main Other(s)
Birmingham City Wales Chris Davies Austria Christoph Klarer Nike Coral[4]
List
Blackburn Rovers England Tony Mowbray England Todd Cantwell Umbro Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors[5]
List
Bolton Wanderers England Steven Schumacher Northern Ireland Eoin Toal Macron Victorian Plumbing[7]
List
    • Back: Ebuyer
    • Sleeve: Whites Beaconsfield
    • Shorts: Destinology
Bristol City England Michael Skubala Republic of Ireland Jason Knight O'Neills Victorian Plumbing[8]
List
    • Back: GoSkippy
    • Sleeve: Exacta Technologies
    • Shorts: Digital NRG
Burnley TBC Republic of Ireland Josh Cullen Castore Vertu Motors1[9]
List
Cardiff City Republic of Ireland Brian Barry-Murphy England Calum Chambers Castore Visit Malaysia
List
    • Back: DragonBet
    • Sleeve: Affluent Time
    • Shorts: Nyne Capital
Charlton Athletic Wales Nathan Jones England Lloyd Jones Reebok RSK Group
List
Derby County England John Eustace England Lewis Travis Puma Loaded[10]
List
    • Back: HSG UK
    • Sleeve: Tonic Weight Loss Surgery
    • Shorts: HSG UK
Lincoln City England Chris Cohen &
England Tom Shaw		 Zimbabwe Tendayi Darikwa Oxen[11] Home: Branston[12]
Away: Nana Tate[13]
List
    • Back: Gen2 Energy[14]
    • Sleeve Home: Easy Heat Pumps
    • Sleeve Away: Logicool
    • Shorts Home: None
    • Shorts Away: IFI Group
Middlesbrough Sweden Kim Hellberg England Luke Ayling Castore[15] Midnite[16]
List
    • Back: Perco Foods
    • Sleeve: Telcoss
    • Shorts: NOCO
Millwall Scotland Alex Neil England Jake Cooper Erreà Wiggett Group[17]
List
    • Back: Wiggett Group
    • Sleeve: FXD Capital
    • Shorts: None
Norwich City Belgium Philippe Clement Scotland Kenny McLean Joma Blakely Clothing[18]
List
    • Back: Green Light Consultancy Group
    • Sleeve: Willy's Pies
    • Shorts: BetWright
Portsmouth England John Mousinho England Marlon Pack Nike University of Portsmouth
List
    • Back: Aura.com (H) / TotalAV (A)
    • Sleeve: BeeBu
    • Shorts: MG Richmond
Preston North End Scotland Graham Alexander Northern Ireland Ali McCann Castore SpudBros[19]
List
Queens Park Rangers France Julien Stéphan Republic of Ireland Jimmy Dunne Erreà MrQ[21]
List
    • Back: Xtra Maintenance
    • Sleeve: Cubefunder
    • Shorts: MyGuava Business
Sheffield United England Chris Wilder England Japhet Tanganga Adidas[22] Midnite[23]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Village Hotel Club
    • Shorts: NOCO
Southampton Germany Tonda Eckert England Jack Stephens[24] Puma[25] P&O Cruises[26]
List
    • Back: Midnite
    • Sleeve: Garmin
    • Shorts: Midnite
Stoke City England Mark Robins Sweden Viktor Johansson Macron bet365
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Stoke City Foundation[27]
    • Shorts: None
Swansea City Portugal Vítor Matos Wales Ben Cabango Joma AG1[28]
List
Watford Italy Alessio Dionisi England Mattie Pollock Kelme BOXT[29]
List
West Bromwich Albion Scotland James Morrison United States George Campbell Macron Ideal Heating[30]
List
    • Back: Mega Riches
    • Sleeve: BarberBoss
    • Shorts: None
West Ham United Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo England Jarrod Bowen[31] New Balance BoyleSports[32]
List
    • Back: Athletes Elevated
    • Sleeve: Lilley Plummer Risks
    • Shorts:
Wolverhampton Wanderers Portugal César Peixoto Portugal Toti Gomes Sudu Midnite[33]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Wolf Competitions
    • Shorts: None
Wrexham England Phil Parkinson Scotland Dominic Hyam Macron Firefox[34]
List
  1. ^ Burnley's shirt sponsor was Finotive One until 14 August 2026 when the deal was ended prematurely.[36]

Managerial changes

[edit]
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager(s) Date of appointment
Blackburn Rovers Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill[37] End of contract 2 May 2026 Pre-season England Tony Mowbray[38] 5 June 2026
Bristol City England Roy Hodgson[39] End of interim spell England Michael Skubala[40] 29 May 2026
Watford England Edward Still[41] Sacked 3 May 2026 Italy Alessio Dionisi[42] 15 June 2026
Burnley England Mike Jackson[43] End of interim spell 24 May 2026 Belgium Nicky Hayen[44] 10 July 2026
Lincoln City England Michael Skubala[45] Signed by Bristol City 29 May 2026 England Chris Cohen &
England Tom Shaw[46]		 29 May 2026
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wales Rob Edwards[47] Sacked 11 June 2026 Portugal César Peixoto[48] 15 June 2026
Preston North End England Paul Heckingbottom[49] 13 September 2026 23rd Scotland Graham Alexander[50] 28 September 2026
Burnley Belgium Nicky Hayen[51] 24 October 2026 22nd

League table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Middlesbrough 12 7 4 1 27 17 +10 25 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Swansea City 12 7 2 3 16 13 +3 23
3 West Ham United 12 6 4 2 32 15 +17 22 Qualification for Championship play-off semi-finals
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 12 6 3 3 20 16 +4 21
5 West Bromwich Albion 12 6 3 3 16 13 +3 21 Qualification for Championship play-off quarter-finals
6 Southampton 12 7 3 2 24 12 +12 20[a]
7 Birmingham City 12 5 5 2 20 12 +8 20
7 Queens Park Rangers 12 5 5 2 20 12 +8 20
9 Stoke City 12 6 2 4 18 16 +2 20
10 Blackburn Rovers 12 5 3 4 19 16 +3 18
11 Portsmouth 12 5 3 4 16 15 +1 18
12 Sheffield United 12 4 4 4 16 15 +1 16
13 Millwall 12 4 3 5 19 20 −1 15
14 Bristol City 12 4 3 5 12 15 −3 15
15 Lincoln City 12 4 3 5 13 20 −7 15
16 Cardiff City 12 3 5 4 19 17 +2 14
17 Wrexham 12 3 5 4 15 18 −3 14
18 Bolton Wanderers 12 4 2 6 16 23 −7 14
19 Charlton Athletic 12 3 5 4 11 18 −7 14
20 Norwich City 12 4 0 8 20 22 −2 12
21 Watford 12 3 2 7 10 20 −10 11
22 Burnley 12 1 5 6 17 25 −8 8 Relegation to EFL League One
23 Derby County 12 1 4 7 10 21 −11 7
24 Preston North End 12 1 2 9 10 25 −15 5
Updated to match(es) played on 24 October 2026. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) Number of 12-point sending off offences; 9) Play-off (only if needed to determine promotion/relegation)[53]
Notes:
  1. ↑ Southampton were deducted four points due to multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs' training.[52]

Results

Home \ Away BIR BLB BOL BRI BUR CAR CHA DER LIN MID MIL NOR POR PNE QPR SHU SOU STO SWA WAT WBA WHU WOL WRX
Birmingham City — 2–2 2–2 4–0 3–0 1–1 2–2
Blackburn Rovers — a 2–1 2–1 3–1 1–2 1–2 2–0
Bolton Wanderers — 1–0 0–1 1–5 2–1 1–2 2–3
Bristol City 0–1 — a 0–1 0–2 2–1 0–1 1–0
Burnley a 1–2 — 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–2
Cardiff City 1–0 a — 3–1 2–2 1–1 a 5–1 1–1
Charlton Athletic 1–1 — 2–1 a 1–3 0–0 1–0 0–0 a
Derby County 1–2 2–2 — 0–1 0–3 0–1 1–1
Lincoln City 0–0 4–1 — 1–3 1–1 1–2 0–6
Middlesbrough 2–2 2–1 — 2–2 4–3 3–1 1–0
Millwall 4–0 a 2–2 — 3–0 a 0–1 2–2 0–3
Norwich City 2–1 3–4 4–1 — 0–1 0–1 1–2
Portsmouth 2–2 2–0 0–2 2–1 — 1–3 3–2 a
Preston North End 2–1 1–3 0–1 0–1 — 1–1 1–3
Queens Park Rangers 0–0 2–1 a 4–1 0–1 a 2–2 — 5–0 a
Sheffield United 0–0 3–2 1–1 3–0 1–3 — 0–1
Southampton 0–0 4–1 5–1 1–0 — 3–1 3–1
Stoke City 0–0 4–0 2–3 1–0 2–1 — 1–2
Swansea City 3–1 a 2–1 0–0 — 2–0 0–1 0–0
Watford 0–4 2–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 — 1–1
West Bromwich Albion 0–1 3–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 — a
West Ham United 1–2 3–0 a 1–1 2–3 — 4–2 6–0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2 1–3 1–1 4–1 1–0 1–0 —
Wrexham 1–2 1–1 4–1 2–1 1–1 1–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on 24 October 2026. Source: efl.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Play-offs

[edit]

Bracket

[edit]
Eliminators Semi-finals Final
3  
5 TBC Lowest-seeded eliminators winner
8 TBC  
 
4  
6 TBC Highest-seeded eliminators winner
7 TBC

Season statistics

[edit]
As of 24 October 2026

Top scorers

[edit]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 England Will Lankshear Middlesbrough 11
2 Iceland Andri Guðjohnsen Blackburn Rovers 8
3 Canada Cyle Larin Southampton 7
4 England Jarrod Bowen West Ham United 6
Republic of Ireland Jack Moylan Cardiff City
6 England Patrick Bamford Sheffield United 5
Spain Fer López Wolverhampton Wanderers
Greece Konstantinos Mavropanos West Ham United
Wales Kieffer Moore Wrexham
Australia Mohamed Touré Norwich City

Hat-tricks

[edit]
Player For Against Result Date
Ivory Coast Richard Kone Queens Park Rangers Swansea City 5–0 (H)[54] 24 October 2026

Clean sheets

[edit]
Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1 Chile Lawrence Vigouroux Swansea City 5
2 England James Beadle Birmingham City 4
England Michael Cooper Sheffield United
Denmark Mads Hermansen West Ham United
Sweden Viktor Johansson Stoke City
England George Wickens Lincoln City
7 Northern Ireland Pierce Charles Queens Park Rangers 3
Nigeria Arthur Okonkwo Charlton Athletic
Israel Daniel Peretz Southampton
Portugal José Sá Wolverhampton Wanderers

Discipline

[edit]

Player

[edit]

Club

[edit]
  • Most yellow cards: 33
    • Watford
  • Most red cards: 3
    • Lincoln City
  • Fewest yellow cards: 12
    • Middlesbrough
  • Fewest red cards: 0
    • Seven teams

Awards

[edit]

Monthly

[edit]
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Ref
August Portugal Vítor Matos Swansea City Canada Cyle Larin Southampton [55]
September Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo West Ham United Greece Konstantinos Mavropanos West Ham United [56]
October
November
December
January
February
March
April

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Format". EFL. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "EFL fixture release day confirmed for 2026/27 season". EFL. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "EFL kick-off dates confirmed for 2026/27 season". English Football League. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Coral announced as new Birmingham City principal partner". Birmingham City Football Club (Press release). Birmingham. 27 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Rovers renew Watson Ramsbottom partnership". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Suits Me to continue backing Rovers supporters for 2026-27". rovers.co.uk. Blackburn: Blackburn Rovers F. C. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Victorian Plumbing commits its future to Bolton Wanderers with new deal" (Press release). Bolton: Bolton Wanderers Football Club. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Victorian Plumbing to become Bristol City principal partner" (Press release). Bristol: Bristol City Football Club. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Burnley Football Club announces Vertu as official front of shirt principal partner" (Press release). Burnley: Burnley Football Club. 14 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Club Partner: Derby County announce Loaded as front of shirt (principal) partner". Derby County Football Club (Press release). Birmingham. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Imps extend partnership with Oxen". Lincoln City. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Branston continue front of shirt partnership for 2026/27". Lincoln City. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Introducing our new away shirt". Lincoln City. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Introducing our 2026/27 home shirt!". Lincoln City. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Castore announced as official technical kit supplier". Middlesbrough Football Club. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  16. ↑ "Midnite announced as principal partner". Middlesbrough Football Club. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Millwall announce Wiggett Group as new front-of-shirt sponsor". Millwall Football Club. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "Blakely named as new front-of-shirt sponsor". Norwich City Football Club. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "PNE team up with Spud Bros in new partnership". Preston North End Football Club. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Preston North End announces Dr. Oetker as official shorts sponsor". Preston North End FC. 12 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "QPR join forces with MrQ". Queens Park Rangers Football Club. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "adidas and Blades link up again". Sheffield United FC. 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  23. ↑ "United extend principal partnership with Midnite". Sheffield United FC. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Russell Martin on James Ward-Prowse and club captaincy". Southampton Football Club (Press release). Southampton. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  25. ↑ "PUMA officially becomes a Saint". Southampton Football Club (Press release). Southampton. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  26. ↑ "P&O Cruises becomes official front-of-shirt partner". Southampton FC. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  27. ↑ "Commemorative Stoke City Foundation shirts to be worn on Saturday". stokecityfc.com. Stoke-on-Trent: Stoke City FC. 17 September 2026. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "Swansea City agree landmark partnership with AG1". Swansea City Football Club (Press release). Swansea. 30 July 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Official: BOXT confirmed as new front-of-shirt sponsor". Watford FC. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  30. ↑ "Ideal Heating sign-up for record-breaking extension as principal sponsor". West Bromwich Albion FC. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "Jarrod Bowen appointed West Ham United Club captain" (Press release). London: West Ham United Football Club. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  32. ↑ "West Ham United announces Boyle Sports front of shirt sponsorship for 2026/27 season" (Press release). London: West Ham United Football Club. 30 June 2026.
  33. ↑ "Midnite become principal partner of Wolves". Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  34. ↑ "Wrexham AFC and Firefox announce multi-year front-of-kit partnership". wrexhamafc.co.uk. Wrexham AFC. 8 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  35. ↑ "Wrexham AFC names Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) as Official Bank Partner and Back-of-Kit Sponsor". rbc.com. Royal Bank of Canada. 17 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "Burnley terminate deal and announce new one in kit chaos days before season opener". Talksport. Talksport. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  37. ↑ "Club Statement: Michael O'Neill". rovers.co.uk. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  38. ↑ "Tony Mowbray returns to Rovers". rovers.co.uk. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  39. ↑ "Hodgson appointed as Struber departs". bcfc.co.uk. 27 March 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  40. ↑ "Skubala appointed City manager". bcfc.co.uk. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  41. ↑ "Club Statement: Ed Still". watfordfc.com. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  42. ↑ "Official: Dionisi Appointed As Head Coach". watfordfc.com. 15 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  43. ↑ "Club statement: Scott Parker". burnleyfootballclub.com. 30 April 2026. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  44. ↑ "NICKY HAYEN CONFIRMED AS NEW BURNLEY BOSS". burnleyfootballclub.com. 10 July 2026. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  45. ↑ "Skubala leaves Imps to join Bristol City". weareimps.com. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  46. ↑ "Cohen and Shaw take over as Head Coaches". weareimps.com. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  47. ↑ "Wolves part ways with Rob Edwards". wolves.co.uk. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  48. ↑ "Cesar Peixoto appointed Wolves head coach". wolves.co.uk. 15 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  49. ↑ "Club Statement: Paul Heckingbottom". pnefc.net. 13 September 2026. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  50. ↑ "Graham Alexander appointed Manager of Preston North End". pnefc.net. 28 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  51. ↑ "CLUB STATEMENT: NICKY HAYEN". burnleyfootballclub.com. 24 October 2026. Retrieved 24 October 2026.
  52. ↑ Johnson, Dale (19 May 2026). "Southampton expelled from play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough who have been reinstated to the play-off Final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  53. ↑ "Section 3 - The League". EFL Official Website. subsection 9 – Method of Determining League Positions. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  54. ↑ "Queens Park Rangers 5–0 Swansea City: Kone nets quickfire hat-trick as QPR thrash Swans". BBC Sport. 24 October 2026. Retrieved 24 October 2026.
  55. ↑ "Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month winners". EFL. 11 September 2026. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  56. ↑ EFL (2026-10-09). "Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month winners". EFL. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
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