The roster for the 2026/27 Championship season was announced over the bank holiday, after West Ham United were relegated on the final day of the Premier League season, after Bolton Wanderers’ victory against Stockport County in the League One play-off final.
While it is still over two months away, and there is a World Cup to look forward to in the interim, supporters are already speculating on whether this year will be their year.
This season, the number of play-off spots is expanding to six teams, so there’s more chance for a team to be promoted.
As Hull City demonstrated this season, it is not impossible for the lowest-ranked play-off side to be celebrating promotion to the Premier League in late May, so there will be plenty of optimism surrounding Championship clubs, more than there typically is before the start of a season.
But who currently has the best chances of promotion? Football League World has ranked each side’s chances over two months before the curtain raiser on August 14.
24Lincoln City
This is Lincoln City’s first second-tier season since 1960/61. In some ways, while a promotion push would be a wonderful tale, the Imps’ only goal this season will be to remain in the Championship.
The Imps will have a better chance of survival than most critics are letting on, given the continuity surrounding the squad and the fact that Lincoln likely won’t need to tinker with their system too much, as they didn’t dominate the ball or play like clear favourites in large parts of their League One title-winning season, anyway.
However, in terms of promotion prospects, the Imps will be the clear bottom pick this season.
23Blackburn Rovers
With the new Squad Cost Ratio financial guidelines in place, not only will a team’s revenue and income determine how much money they may spend on players and managers, but owners will also be questioned about how much they want to support their clubs.
Some financial supporters will be willing to invest up to £15 million per season in their club, which may be the difference between a play-off or promotion-caliber team and one that is not.
The Venkys aren’t exactly the most popular ownership group in the Championship due to their funding in the past, and it’s unclear as to how much support their incoming manager will receive over the summer, which could detrimentally affect Blackburn Rovers’ chances at returning to being a play-off contender.
22Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic achieved their goals in the 2025/26 season, remaining in the second division for the first time since the 2019/20 season.
This will be the first time that they’ve spent consecutive years in the Championship in over a decade, and, almost like Lincoln in a way, their primary goal will likely be to remain established in the second tier.
While ambition is not out of the question, and the Addicks will undoubtedly aim to be in or near the top eight if possible, Nathan Jones’ side may not be as eager to make the play-offs this season as some of their divisional rivals.
21Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers are back in the Championship after seven years away, and after a long and tiresome push to get out of League One over the past five years, the Trotters will definitely not want to be returning any time soon.
As a result, you can anticipate Steven Schumacher to be backed in the transfer market once more, as he was in the third division, and some quality acquisitions to replace some of their exiting loan players, such as Amario Cozier-Duberry, Mason Burstow, and Johnny Kenny.
That support, with a filled Toughsheet Stadium, should make Bolton perhaps better suited for promotion than the three sides already listed, even if a return to the Premier League isn’t on their mind right now.
20Cardiff City
Cardiff City will likely be in a similar position to Bolton, although without the latter’s spending capacity.
However, the Bluebirds ended 16 points ahead of Steven Schumacher’s team in League One, and while this is not always the case, it is possible that some catching up may be required to compete on their level.
With numerous exciting youngsters ready to have a crack at the Championship, plus the intrigue surrounding how Brian Barry-Murphy will get on in his first season in the dugout in the second-tier, the Bluebirds will just have the edge over some of their relegation rivals in terms of how likely they are to land in the top eight and have a chance at promotion.
19Portsmouth
Some positive news came out of Portsmouth near the beginning of the offseason: John Mousinho appears to be remaining at Fratton Park next season. Now, the onus is on the higher-ups at Pompey to back him appropriately.
The 40-year-old has been clear that he wants to see plans put in place to see how Portsmouth can move forward as a club, following a couple of relegation near-misses since winning League One back in 2024.
The next stage will be to establish themselves in mid-table rather than immediately aiming for promotion, which explains their low placement on the list; yet, with Pompey showing moments of brilliance under Mousinho, perhaps they could surprise some people if the support is there?
18 Stoke City
Stoke City started last season strong and remained in the promotion race for the first four months. From December onwards, though, only Sheffield Wednesday picked up fewer points than the Potters.
It resulted in another second-tier finish between 14th and 18th, their eighth in a row since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, therefore predicting that they’ll be more likely to be promoted than the bulk of the other teams in the division is absurd.
However, under Mark Robins, they have demonstrated play-off potential, and their demanding fans will not accept any more mediocrity, giving them a better chance of promotion than others.
17Preston North End
It’s a recurring joke among football supporters that Preston North End will finish mid-table in the Championship no matter the year. Other than their relegation near-miss in 2024/25, five of their last six campaigns have seen the Lilywhites finish between 10th and 14th.
But, like Stoke, Preston showed some ability to be a play-off team this season before falling away in the second half of the campaign; they have a man at the helm in Paul Heckingbottom, who has promotion credentials, and could smash their transfer record by signing exciting attacking midfielder Alfie Devine this summer.
That ambition could propel them to a top-eight finish, but other clubs are expected to be more ambitious this summer.
16Watford
Nobody really knows what Watford’s plans are this summer, and when predictions start being made on where the Hornets could finish in the Championship, there’ll be genuine shouts of them being relegation candidates or possibly even finishing inside the top eight.
Watford are looking for yet another new manager, and the identity of that person will undoubtedly determine whether or not they are taken seriously next year, but their roster as a whole includes some individual talents who might propel the Hornets into the play-offs.
If Imran Louza continues, Watford have a better chance than others, but given how competitive the league is expected to be next season, it’s difficult to place them in the top half.
15Bristol City
Bristol City are hoping to reclaim their play-off berth in the following season, after a disastrous 2025/26 season overall.
Their search for a manager continues, following Roy Hodgson’s interim term of seven games, which propelled them into the top half. Lincoln manager Michael Skubala is expected to take over, and Robins fans will be hopeful that he can move the club forward.
Again, like with Watford, they could be capable, but there may be more ambitious clubs in the division who will fancy their chances more than Bristol City.
14Swansea City
Swansea City were steady under Vitor Matos once the Portuguese head coach came to the club in late November, and actually picked up just one point fewer than eighth-placed Hull in the 30 games he managed.
The Swans have already worked hard to sign this year’s top scorer, Zan Vipotnik, to a new contract, and if he can duplicate his 23-goal season in Swansea colours next season, the South Wales club may be in the mix if they upgrade elsewhere.
With Snoop Dogg as part of the ownership group, there was a positive vibe about the club, and if the rapper wants to make Swansea ‘the Vegas of Wales,’ investing money in enhancing the team might help them do so, as they could reach the play-offs for the first time since 2021.
13QPR
This past season, QPR made significant investments in their playing roster, bringing in intriguing young players like as Kwame Poku, Richard Kone, and Ronnie Edwards.
And, with a more than leaky defence, it appears very clear from a neutral standpoint where Julien Stephan’s team has to improve this summer.
If the higher-ups at Loftus Road show as much ambition as they did last year, and nail it with the signings, the play-offs could be calling. The fact that the Hoops are still ranked in the bottom half here, however, highlights how difficult it could be to even crack the top eight, even with a favourable timeframe.
12West Brom
West Brom’s 2025/26 campaign almost bordered on disaster, but with survival in the bag, the Baggies will be hoping that normal service resumes next season, and they can get back to being one of the premier sides in the Championship.
The club’s run to safety under James Morrison was amazing, with seven clean sheets in eight games leading up to their final-day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, when they were already safe despite a points deduction.
With some of the best defensive stats in the division based on the underlying numbers, they’ll have a solid foundation to build on, and they’ll fancy their chances of promotion if they get some good attacking additions through the door, especially with the extra play-off spots to compete for.
11Sheffield United
Similar to West Brom, the sooner the past season is forgotten at Sheffield United, the better, and fans at Bramall Lane are eager for the points totals to be reset.
The Blades are having to be a little more careful financially this summer, with this being their first Championship campaign without Premier League parachute payments since the 2018/19 term, but they’ll still have a squad capable of challenging for the play-offs at least next season.
Time will tell as to what Chris Wilder’s side looks like, but ahead of his first full season back in the dugout, Blades fans will like their chances more compared to last year under Ruben Selles.
10Millwall
It’s difficult to foresee what will happen a year from now, but there could be discussions that this past season was a missed opportunity for Millwall to end their 36-year absence from the top flight.
Plenty of sides are going to be retooling and upgrading over the summer, and while that’s not to say that Alex Neil’s side will be sitting on their hands over the offseason, there may be certain sides that will overtake the Lions in terms of promotion odds this summer.
Last season’s third-place finishers will still fancy their prospects of going one better, but so will many others.
9Norwich City
Norwich City were one of the league’s finest teams under Philippe Clement, and it was only a poor start under Liam Manning, which put them second-bottom in the division, that prevented the Canaries from breaking into the top six.
They almost made it, with their play-off hopes dying on the penultimate day of the season, but with a whole season ahead, there’s a lot of anticipation for what Norwich can do with the Belgian manager in the Carrow Road dugout for the entire year.
If the Canaries can stay relatively injury-free, and the summer window can reflect the quality brought in this past January, where the likes of Mo Toure and Paris Maghoma joined the ranks, there may be nothing stopping them from securing a Premier League return.
8Birmingham City
It’s been mentioned before, but Birmingham City being eighth just reflects how many sides will be preparing for a promotion push this season. The Blues fell short last year, and with Tom Wagner’s objectives, they won’t be prepared to stay in the Championship for a third consecutive season.
Therefore, with the commercial revenue behind them, that will rival some parachute payment clubs, plus an owner who will likely be injecting a good chunk of the £15 million top-up allowance that the new SCR allows, it’d be hard to look against the Blues next year.
However, they will not be alone in receiving this financing, and the quality of their transfers last summer, in particular, is expected to fall short of some of their contemporaries, resulting in this eighth-place ranking.
7Southampton
Southampton has been fined four points for spying, which they were found guilty of, as well as for being caught ahead of their play-off semi-final encounter against Middlesbrough.
As of writing, that is the length of their sentence, and if that is all, and they are not deducted any more points, there will be some hope at St Mary’s that they can return to the Premier League this season.
The Saints will still receive parachute payments this summer, and their squad is still easily capable enough of promotion, even with one or two departures.
Tonda Eckert’s future remains uncertain, but regardless of who is in charge come mid-August, Southampton should be expected to bounce back in 2026/27.
6Derby County
As of writing, it’s been heavily reported that Derby County are in advanced talks with Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, the man behind the Riyadh Season, over potential investment.
If that is the case, a Rams team that was already optimistic about the 2026/27 season may consider a promotion drive rather than simply going one better and making the play-offs.
John Eustace is highly regarded as one of the more effective managers in the second tier, and if not for a slow start, they could have perhaps squeezed into the top six this season, which would have been way ahead of schedule.
There will be some challenges in replacing some key loan players, and Patrick Agyemang will most likely be out until 2027 while he recovers from an Achilles injury, but there will be hope, especially if the replacements are up to scratch.
5Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough were sometimes the top team in the league under Kim Hellberg. Unfortunately, there were too many instances, especially towards the end of the season, of Boro running out of steam, mainly due to the Swede’s intense style taking its toll on the squad.
With a full summer of pre-season and a summer transfer window, Hellberg can instill his philosophy in his present players while also bringing in some who are better suited to it, putting them in a better position to maintain their promotion charge across 46 games.
The situation is extremely similar to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side. After a disappointing play-off performance, the Whites won the league the following year. Perhaps Middlesbrough can do the same?
4Burnley
It’s no surprise that the three relegated Premier League sides will dominate the top four on the list.
As it stands, they’ll have the resources and the squad best suited for a promotion challenge. However, this might all change during the summer.
At Burnley, we still don’t know who the new manager will be, or how many of their players will be sticking around for the upcoming Championship campaign, but they do have a promotion pedigree, having gotten out of this league at the first time of asking in each of their last two seasons at the level.
So, it’s hard not to have them amongst the promotion favourites this early in the offseason.
3Wrexham
The new SCR will undoubtedly help certain sides, and Wrexham will most probably be one of them. Their recent accounts stated that their revenue was £33.3 million while they were in League One, so it’s only set to increase with them in the second tier.
That will offer them more flex room to spend more money on transfers and wages, as well as attract talented players, which has never been an issue under Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds ownership, given the platform Wrexham provides for players.
The Red Dragons came close to finishing in the top six last season, too, and actually began the final day in the play-offs before being usurped by Hull at the last moment.
So, with less of an improvement needed than most to get into the play-offs, and a budget that should allow them to do it with ease, their chances at a fourth promotion in five seasons surely have to be very high.
2West Ham United
West Ham United’s 14-year stay in the Premier League came to an end this past season, after they were relegated on the final day, despite accumulating 39 points across the campaign.
The Hammers will be one of the better teams to drop out of the top tier in recent years, thus they will be among the pre-season promotion favourites, especially this early on, with Jarrod Bowen, Matheus Fernandes, and Taty Castellanos still on the books.
However, the only thing stopping West Ham from topping this list is the fact that their race for safety went all the way to the end, whereas the number one club has arguably been preparing for the Championship for a good few months now.
1Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves went into the halfway point of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign with no wins, just three points and 16 points adrift of safety. Eventually, they realised that their race had ended.
As a result, it has provided the Old Gold an excellent opportunity to set the wheels in motion for a reset at the end of the campaign. The purchase of serial Championship goalscorer Adam Armstrong would have been one of the first indications that the club were putting a plan in place as and when their relegation would be confirmed.
With Rob Edwards at the helm, who started last season well with Middlesbrough and has previously promoted Luton Town, as well as the existing personnel and the parachute payments that will be received, it’s difficult to look elsewhere for promotion, especially with the season starting in more than two months.
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