We are currently bracing for an exciting conclusion to the Championship season, with the vast majority of the division’s 24 clubs still in contention.
While Sheffield Wednesday broke the unwanted record of the EFL’s earliest-ever relegation from the Championship to League One on February 22nd, there are still two more relegation spots to be confirmed, and that is in addition to the remarkable uncertainty surrounding the cluster of sides who still have ambitions to reach the Premier League.
At the moment, only 10 points separate Wrexham in sixth place from Stoke City and Swansea City in 14th and 15th place, demonstrating that securing a play-off spot in the closing weeks of the regular season is still very much ‘anyone’s game’.
A few teams are also vying for automatic promotion to the Premier League without having to go through the play-offs, with Coventry City and Middlesbrough currently leading the way.
However, as it has done throughout the season, Opta’s supercomputer, ‘The Analyst,’ has predicted how the division will shape up after 46 matches based on a variety of factors including current form, the position and form of incoming opponents, and much more.
With that said, Football League World has examined how the computer predicts the top six will appear on May 2nd following its most recent assertion.
1 Coventry City – 90 points
The supercomputer predicts that Coventry City, who have won four straight games, will continue their march towards the Championship crown and finish with a total of 90 points.
With 71 points from 35 games, Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues, who have spent the previous 25 years outside the Premier League, are expected to score 19 more from a possible 36.
It is also worth mentioning that this identical record would not have been enough to secure automatic promotion last season, as both Leeds United and Burnley finished with 100 points, ten ahead of Sheffield United in third place.
2 Middlesbrough – 82 points
However, the automatic promotion places are expected to remain unaltered, with Middlesbrough finishing second on 82 points.
A mixed run of form that began with a 3-1 defeat to Coventry on February 16th was followed by a six-game winning streak that propelled Kim Hellberg’s side to the top of the second tier, and the current gap between the two sides is expected to be insurmountable for Boro in the final weeks of the season.
However, it would not be all sorrow and gloom, as the Teesside club would welcome Premier League football back to the Riverside Stadium for the first time since 2017.
3 Ipswich Town – 82 points
The supercomputer predicts that Middlesbrough fans will be relieved, since Ipswich Town are expected to finish third with the same number of points.
As a result, the Tractor Boys might miss out on automatic promotion due to goal difference on the penultimate day, when they face Queens Park Rangers at Portman Road and the Reds go to Wrexham.
While this would give the Suffolk side a chance to be promoted through the play-offs, some may view a third-place result as a failure for Kieran McKenna, as Ipswich were widely expected to win the title due to their depth in many areas of the team.
4 Millwall – 78 points
As a result, Millwall are expected to tumble to fourth place, with 78 points for the season.
Regardless, this would be an incredible first full season at The Den for Alex Neil, who has previously won the play-offs with Norwich City.
It would also be the Lions’ first appearance in the Championship play-offs in 24 years, having lost in the semi-finals to Birmingham City on that occasion. They have only spent two years of their entire history in the top flight, the last of which was in 1989/90.
5 Hull City – 77 points
Hull City are anticipated to finish fifth with 77 points, setting up a play-off semi-final between the Lions and Tigers.
The East Yorkshire club has already surpassed their points and goals totals from last season by a considerable margin, and after avoiding relegation to League One on goal difference, Sergej Jakirovic’s first season in charge might end with an unexpected return to the Premier League.
It’s been nine years since the MKM Stadium held top-flight football, and it would undoubtedly fulfill the expectations of Turkish owner Acun Ilicali, who took over the club in January 2022.
6 Wrexham – 72 points
Wrexham, who are expected to finish with 72 points, are in the play-offs and will face Ipswich for the fourth and fifth time this season in all competitions.
This would give Phil Parkinson the opportunity to make even more history at the Stok Cae Ras, with a record fourth-straight promotion from the National League to the Premier League for the first time in club history.
The Welsh side is now the most in-form club in the Championship, and they are expected to finish three points clear of Southampton in seventh, with the Saints trailing Parkinson’s team by four points after a recovery at the turn of 2026.
Tonda Eckert’s team will also meet the Red Dragons in North Wales on Easter Monday in what might be a pivotal matchup, with the South Coast club trying to defy the supercomputer.
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