Championship 2026/27: Who Will Earn Premier League Promotion?

The EFL Championship never lacks for drama, but the 2026/27 season promises something special. Three heavyweights tumble down from the Premier League, the playoff format has been expanded for the first time in decades, and Wrexham — yes, that Wrexham — are being tipped as genuine promotion contenders. Welcome to English football's most chaotic division.

What Happened Last Season

The 2025/26 Championship produced a thrilling title race. Coventry City were crowned champions with 95 points, sealing automatic promotion and a long-awaited return to the Premier League. Ipswich Town finished second on 85 points to join them. The playoff final at Wembley belonged to Hull City, whose striker Oli McBurnie scored in the 95th minute to beat Middlesbrough 1–0 and complete the most dramatic promotion of all.

Going down from the Premier League were West Ham United, Burnley, and Wolverhampton Wanderers — three clubs with budgets, squads, and ambitions that will make them instant Championship heavyweights.

The 24 Teams

West Ham: The Favourites

There's no getting around it — West Ham United enter the Championship as overwhelming favourites. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo was appointed on a three-year contract immediately after relegation, and the club have kept their most important asset: captain Jarrod Bowen, under contract until 2030 and the undisputed talisman of this squad.

The midfield remains formidable. Tomáš Souček, Edson Álvarez, and set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse are all contracted until at least 2027, giving the Hammers a spine several notches above anything the Championship has seen in years. Mads Hermansen provides reliability in goal.

The losses have been significant, though. Mateus Fernandes left for Tottenham in an £85 million deal, Crysencio Summerville departed for Saudi Arabia, and Lucas Paquetá returned to Brazil. That's a lot of creativity walking out the door. Young academy graduates Freddie Potts and George Earthy will be expected to step up, and on-loan arrivals like Joël Veltman add experience.

West Ham's target will be to match the blueprint set by Newcastle in 2016/17 and Leicester in 2023/24 — win the title with 90+ points and get back up at the first attempt. On paper, they have the squad to do it.

Wolves: The Portuguese Connection Returns

Wolverhampton Wanderers finished bottom of the Premier League but have wasted no time preparing for a Championship title charge. The club has leaned into its Portuguese heritage — the same approach that delivered their 2017/18 Championship title — and the summer signings have been shrewd.

Raúl Jiménez returns to Molineux on a free transfer from Fulham, penning a two-year deal. The 35-year-old Mexican scored 57 goals across his first five-year spell at the club and knows exactly what's required. Kieran Trippier adds Premier League and international pedigree at right-back after leaving Newcastle, while Ladislav Krejčí completes a £6 million move from Girona to bolster the centre-back options. Winger Rafiki Said arrives from Standard Liège.

The return of Black Country derbies against West Bromwich Albion — the first since 2021 — will add spice to an already mouth-watering campaign. Wolves are second favourites behind West Ham, and with good reason.

Burnley: Managerless but Dangerous

Burnley have become Championship promotion specialists — going up in each of their last two spells in the second tier — but the 2026/27 campaign starts under a cloud. After talks with Wales coach Craig Bellamy collapsed, the club are still searching for a manager with less than a week until the season opener. Steve Cooper is the current front-runner, with Kasper Hjulmand also in the frame.

Only two signings have arrived this summer, and key departures including Florentino Luís and Jaidon Anthony have weakened the squad. The bookmakers still have Burnley at 15/2 for the title — third favourites — on the basis that this is a club that simply knows how to get out of the Championship. But until a manager is confirmed and the squad is reinforced, there's a question mark over whether the Clarets can match the firepower of West Ham and Wolves.

Norwich: The Dark Horse

If anyone outside the relegated trio can win automatic promotion, it might be Norwich City. Manager Philippe Clement — the former Club Brugge and Rangers boss — transformed the Canaries from relegation candidates to a top-ten finish last season, ending ninth. This will be Norwich's fifth consecutive Championship season, and there's a growing sense that Clement has built something capable of finally escaping the division.

Five-time promotion winner Kevin Phillips has tipped Norwich as genuine contenders, and Clement himself has pledged not to rest until he delivers "something special" for the supporters. With a settled squad and one of the division's most tactically astute coaches, the Canaries could be the story of the season.

Wrexham: Hollywood's Premier League Dream

The Wrexham story shows no signs of slowing down. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's club narrowly missed the playoffs last season — agonisingly close on the final weekend — and enter 2026/27 as genuine promotion candidates. Pre-season scalps against Manchester United, Leeds, and a prestige friendly against Liverpool at Yankee Stadium in New York suggest this squad is ready for the next step.

Under manager Phil Parkinson, the Welsh club's valuation has surged 17,000% since the Hollywood takeover in 2021. A Premier League appearance would be the ultimate fairy-tale ending — or perhaps just the next chapter. The opening-day derby against Cardiff City on 17 August sets the tone immediately.

The Big Change: Expanded Playoffs

The most significant structural shift in the Championship for years takes effect this season. The playoffs have been expanded from four teams to six, with clubs finishing 3rd to 8th now qualifying for the post-season.

Here's how the new format works:

• 3rd and 4th advance directly to the semi-finals
• 5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th contest single-leg quarter-finals (higher-placed team hosts)
• Semi-finals remain two-legged
• The final remains at Wembley

The logic is simple: more clubs stay in the promotion race deeper into the season. Under the old system, teams outside the top six often saw their hopes fade weeks before the campaign ended. Now, a club sitting eighth in March still has everything to play for. It's a change that should make the run-in electric — particularly in a division this stacked.

Prediction

West Ham will win the Championship title. Their squad depth, financial muscle, and the quality of Bowen, Souček, and Álvarez puts them a level above the rest. Wolves will secure the second automatic promotion spot, powered by Jiménez's goals and Trippier's experience.

The expanded playoffs will be a scramble, but expect Norwich, Wrexham, and Southampton to feature prominently, with Burnley likely to recover from their managerial chaos in time to make the top eight. The playoff final itself? Don't be surprised if Wrexham are standing on the Wembley pitch in May 2027. The script demands it.

The Championship season kicks off on 14 August 2026 and runs through to 1 May 2027, spanning 46 pulsating matchdays. Buckle in.

Sources

This post was researched using the following sources:

• Wikipedia — 2026–27 EFL Championship
• Betfair — Championship 2026/27: West Ham, Wolves and six more promotion contenders rated
• Betfair — Championship 1–24 Predictions 2026/27
• ESPN — EFL Championship playoffs to expand to six teams
• Sky Sports — Championship play-offs: EFL confirms expansion from four to six teams
• Goal.com — Wolves complete double signing of Jiménez and Trippier
• The72 — Norwich City push for promotion next season
• NBC Sports — Wrexham AFC history, 2025–26 season
• NBC Sports — Premier League promotion: Coventry City, Ipswich promoted

Cover image: London Stadium (West Ham United), Arne Müseler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.