As we get closer to 2026, the debate over who the best goalie in the Championship is intensifies.
Everyone has pre-season predictions for who will have a strong year, but with a few months left in the season, individuals may use what they’ve seen so far to back things up.
Football League World released a 1-24 rating of Championship goalkeepers in September, and now that we’ve had a chance to see who has emerged as each team’s number one and seen them in action more, it’s time to give it another shot.
Here is a ranking of all 24 Championship clubs’ key goalkeepers, from worst to finest.
24Joe Walsh – QPR
QPR’s Joe Walsh leads the list from the bottom.
QPR have experimented with a variety of keepers this season, but while Ben Hamer and Paul Nardi have taken turns in goal, Walsh’s comeback from a fractured wrist in January saw him retake the starting job, and he hasn’t been very impressive.
The 23-year-old lacks experience, and his performances thus far do not suggest that he will be the key man between the sticks at Loftus Road in the near future.
Under Julien Stephan, the Hoops have been a fascinating side, thanks in part to their explosive offense, but also because they surrender at a similar rate.
23Pierce Charles – Sheffield Wednesday
Despite missing the majority of the season due to injury and lately returning to the medical room with a shoulder injury, young Pierce Charles is still regarded as Sheffield Wednesday’s’main keeper.’
The Northern Irishman was expected to have a big season given how many shots the Owls would give up this year owing to their severely depleted team, but the 20-year-old hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show off his abilities.
With only 26 senior games under his belt, he can’t rank much higher, even though he has obvious promise.
22Balazs Toth – Blackburn Rovers
Hungarian shot-stopper Balazs Toth’s first season in the spotlight at Blackburn Rovers has not gone well, with the Ewood Park club fighting for survival.
The 28-year-old sustained a knee injury that sidelined him for three months, and during that time, Blackburn conceded less goals per game than they had in the previous 13 games with Toth in goal.
He does not rank highly in goalie numbers compared to his Championship peers, so a spot in the bottom three is justified.
21Jamie Cumming – Oxford United
Jamie Cumming was instrumental in Oxford United’s promotion to the Championship, and he appeared in all but one game last season to assist them maintain their position. However, like many of the Yellows’ players, the 26-year-old has struggled at points this season.
Cumming, who was among the best shot-stoppers last season, has slipped slightly as Oxford prepares to confront a difficult job of escaping relegation.
Matt Bloomfield will be aiming to lead a late flurry similar to what he did at Luton Town last season, and he’ll need his number one to regain his form from the previous season.
20Egil Selvik – Watford
Finally, the caliber of goalkeepers in the Championship this season means that even slightly ordinary figures may land you near the bottom, as Watford’s Egil Selvik has done.
The five-time Norwegian international hasn’t done much in his first full season as the Hornets’ number one, finishing in the middle of the pack for the majority of goalkeeping numbers so far this season.
Selvik has had an uninspired campaign. Watford’s play-off ambitions are fading, and the 28-year-old isn’t doing anything to help them.
19Jakub Stolarczyk – Leicester City
In these rankings, you have to give the benefit of the doubt at times, and Jakub Stolarczyk has proven to be a solid shotstopper across the EFL, but this season, Leicester City have been leaking goals like crazy, and he’s been tasked with fixing that.
Despite the team’s problems, the Polish goalkeeper has made several good saves and prevented more goals than the xG indicates through two-thirds of the season.
However, the Foxes have struggled defensively this season, and the man in goal cannot be ranked too highly as a result.
18Nicolas Schmid – Portsmouth
Portsmouth’s major issue this season has been their inability to put the ball in the back of the net rather than keeping it out of their own.
However, defensively, Pompey has not had a very impressive season, at least when compared to their contemporaries, which is why goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid is ranked so low on the list.
The 28-year-old has been a steady hand at Fratton Park for the past season and a half. Previously, he was equally reliable in his home Austria. However, when compared to others, reliability falls short of a top-half finish.
17Max O’Leary – West Bromwich Albion
Eric Ramsay invited Max O’Leary to the Hawthorns and promptly handed him the number one shirt, signifying that he is West Brom’s new favourite goalkeeper.
He hasn’t done much this season after playing second fiddle at Bristol City for the majority of the season, but the Irishman’s previous performances at Ashton Gate cannot be ignored.
The 29-year-old started every game in the previous two Championship seasons, helping the Robins reach the play-offs last season.
That gives him some extra credit, but other goalkeepers have just done more this season to justify finishing ahead of him.
16James Beadle – Birmingham City
James Beadle, who is on loan from Brighton, clearly has a lot of potential, as evidenced by his performances for England’s Under-21 team. However, at the club level, there has been some waiting for that potential to be realized.
Birmingham City does not give up many opportunities and like to control games, particularly at home, thus Beadle has not been called upon as frequently as many of his teammates.
Despite this, he remains in the center of the pack in terms of ‘keeping statistics this season.
The 21-year-old has a bright future, and there’s no doubt that the Brighton loanee will end up near the top of this list in the future, but for the time being, Beadle is in the lower mid-table.
15Radek Vitek – Bristol City
Another on-loan shot-stopper with a promising future, Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek, has been enjoying his first Championship loan and is now near the top of the clean sheet rankings halfway through the season.
Among all of that, the 22-year-old has had some eye-opening moments, including two consecutive games in which he has conceded five goals, against Stoke City and Derby County.
There is no disputing the Czech shot-stopper’s talent, but the quality of other goalkeepers in the division prevents him from moving up the rankings.
14Vlad Kovacevic – Norwich City
Norwich City struggled defensively under Liam Manning, giving up several chances and shots. As a result, it’s no wonder that the Canaries were fighting relegation when they fired the former Bristol City manager to bring in Philippe Clement.
As a result, Vlad Kovacevic has been allowed to demonstrate his goalkeeping abilities, and while Norwich may still have one of the worst goals against totals moving into the final months of the season, it would be far higher without the 27-year-old.
However, few goalkeepers have maintained fewer clean sheets or conceded more goals. His shot-stopping and distributing abilities remain strong, but several circumstances prevent him from finishing in the top half here.
13Daniel Peretz – Southampton
It’s always difficult to rank rookie goalkeepers in these lists, but Southampton’s Daniel Peretz has shown promise in his little action since joining on loan from Bayern Munich in January.
The 25-year-old hasn’t had much to do in the Saints’ goal, but when called upon, he’s done an excellent job of keeping the ball out of his net, and three clean sheets in his first five games put him on par with some of his contemporaries who have played at least 20 games more.
Peretz will not be bothering some of the division’s top goalkeepers right now, but he has already demonstrated that he is better than most. If Southampton can keep him till the end of the season, he could break into the top ten by next year.
12Max Crocombe – Millwall
It’s a credit to the quality of goalkeepers in this level that Max Crocombe, who joined Millwall a few months ago and has been the backbone of their continuous promotion push, is only in the top half.
His save percentage is near the top of the division, as are his goals averted in relation to the xG conceded by Alex Neil’s team throughout his tenure in goal.
However, is that enough for the Lions’ manager? Anthony Patterson has joined on loan from Sunderland, the play-off winners from last season, and many believe he will replace the New Zealand shot-stopper once he gets up to speed.
Time will tell if Crocombe will remain Millwall’s number one, but for the time being, the 32-year-old is ranked midway through the squad.
11Arthur Okonkwo – Wrexham
Wrexham conceded chances readily in the opening few games of the season, with Danny Ward in goal, and it’s no accident that their transition to the Championship came when Arthur Okonkwo returned from injury.
The Red Dragons conceded at least twice in each of the first three games, but only twice in three of the first 15 with Okonkwo in goal.
The 24-year-old is a talented shot-stopper, and even with Ward back in the squad, Phil Parkinson would be wise to keep Okonkwo as his preferred goalkeeper as the fight for the play-offs heats up.
10Thomas Kaminski – Charlton Athletic
Thomas Kaminski lost some of his reputation as a good goalkeeper when playing for Luton Town, who were relegated to League One in back-to-back seasons, but he’s starting to reclaim it at Charlton Athletic.
The 33-year-old has faced a large number of shots and, as a result, conceded several goals. Having said that, he’s one of the first goalkeepers this season to record double-digit clean sheets. In addition, his distribution is among the finest in the league.
It’s enough for the Belgian to break into the top ten, and if he can help the Addicks stay in the Championship this season, he’ll have a good season.
9Lawrence Vigouroux – Swansea City
Lawrence Vigouroux is often regarded as one of the Championship’s most underrated players.
Vigouroux is quietly being one of the finest in his position as Vitor Matos quietly leads Swansea City from near the bottom to midtable, and possibly higher.
Going into the closing months of the season, no goalkeeper in the Championship has made more saves, and his passing statistics rank among the best as well. The 32-year-old is proving why he was signed by Tottenham and Liverpool, and Swansea fans are ecstatic with his weekly displays.
8Michael Cooper – Sheffield United
Before a ball was thrown this season, many rated Michael Cooper as one of, if not the finest, goalkeepers in the Championship, with some even wondering why a Premier League club hadn’t signed the 26-year-old.
Performances this season have severely deflated that perception. Cooper, like Sheffield United, has failed to meet the expectations placed on them.
However, you can’t dismiss what the Blades’ number one has done for them in the past, as well as his heroics that earned him a move to Bramall Lane from Plymouth Argyle before that.
Many goalkeepers have surpassed him in talent this year, but Cooper remains an excellent option at this level.
7Sol Brynn – Middlesbrough
Sol Brynn, a Middlesbrough native, has emerged as Boro’s new number one this season, which has been a welcome change.
Middlesbrough has had one of the strongest defensive records in the division for most of the season, whether under Rob Edwards or now with Kim Hellberg in charge, and Brynn has been the goalie throughout.
At 25, he has a lot of potential in his game and lots of room to improve beyond where he is today. He may be outside the top six this season, but he has plenty of room to improve next season – if Middlesbrough isn’t in the Premier League by then.
6Daniel Iversen – Preston North End
Daniel Iversen is now injured, and it’s no surprise that Preston North End’s results have dropped marginally in the meanwhile.
The 28-year-old was a fan favourite at Deepdale during his previous two loan stays there. However, this season, he has exceeded Preston supporters’ high hopes and emerged as one of the league’s finest.
His shot-stopping ability ranks him near the top, and no goalkeeper has generated more opportunities than Iversen this season.
Deservedly among the top six, and probably even higher, but there’s a lot of talent in the ‘keeper position this season, and just making the play-offs is noteworthy.
5Jacob Widell Zetterstrom – Derby County
A sturdy pair of hands in between the sticks is required for a John Eustace style to succeed, and Derby County has that in abundance with Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
The Swede is near the top in terms of goals stopped compared to projected goals generated by the opposition, which is impressive given how few chances the Rams allow.
His statistics are skewed by a poor performance in the first few games of the season, but as the season progressed and Derby settled in, Zetterstrom demonstrated his class, and he might be guiding the Rams to a top-six finish as a result.
4Ivor Pandur – Hull City
Last season, Ivor Pandur established himself as the level’s best goalkeeper, helping Hull City avoid relegation while keeping another shot-stopper on the bench. This season, he’s pushed things to the next level.
Hull’s gung-ho approach under Sergej Jakirovic may have slowed significantly as the season progressed, but the amount of games in which both the Tigers and their opponents had multiple scoring opportunities is extremely high at this point in the season.
As a result, Hull’s victory in the bulk of those games and their surprising promotion push demonstrate Pandur’s ability.
The Croat is one of the best shot stoppers, has excellent footwork, and has complete command of his area. He is more than deserving of a top-four spot on this list.
3Christian Walton – Ipswich Town
Christian Walton narrowly missed out on a spot in the top two. This is the first time the 30-year-old has emerged as first-choice since Ipswich Town’s League One promotion campaign in 2022/23, and some at Portman Road are questioning what took so long to get him back in the team.
In fact, he was backing up Alex Palmer for the first few months of the season, and the fact that the Tractor Boys have appeared much more settled with Walton on the roster is no accident.
Walton’s stats do not stand out as much as those directly behind him, but they may not need to for a club as dominant as Ipswich.
Kieran McKenna only needs a reliable shot-stopper who can perform when called upon, and Walton is proven to be one of the finest at doing so.
2Viktor Johansson – Stoke City
Viktor Johansson of Stoke City has been at the top of the saves, goals stopped, and distribution rankings for several years.
He’s maintained a number of clean sheets and was a significant part of the Potters’ early run up the table, which has slowed slightly, but Mark Robins’ side is still in with a chance of making the playoffs as a result.
Hopefully, he’ll be back on the pitch soon after suffering a shoulder injury in December, since he’s been much missed by fans at the bet365 Stadium.
Earlier this season, he was named the top goalie in the FLW Championship rankings. He has not underachieved in any way; his second place is mostly attributable to the greatness of the man in front of him.
1Carl Rushworth – Coventry City
Coventry City dominated the early stages of the season, and while their victories were mostly due to an energetic attacking line, Frank Lampard’s side wasn’t perfect in defence, and they had to rely on Carl Rushworth to save them on several occasions.
Going into the final few months of the season, no goalkeeper had a higher goal-prevention rate or made more successful passes.
The 24-year-old Brighton loanee excels at everything that defines a good goalkeeper these days, and Coventry will be anxious to keep him beyond the conclusion of his loan this season.
Being in the Premier League will offer them an excellent opportunity of doing so, and Rushworth is likely to play a significant role in making that happen.
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