EFL Championship

About the English Football League Championship

The English Football League Championship is the top division of the Premier League and the second highest division after the Premier League. It takes place every year. The season starts in July and finishes in May. There are 24 teams in the tournament.

Official EFL Championship website

2025/26 English Football League Championship

The 2026/27 season started on August 14, 2026, while the final round of the regular championship is scheduled for May 1, 2027. After the regular season, the play-offs for the third promotion spot to the Premier League will take place.

History of the Tournament

The modern Championship was established in 2004 as part of a reorganization of the English Football League, replacing the First Division. Sunderland became the first Championship winners in the 2004/05 season.

However, the history of the second tier of English football goes back much further. Before the Championship was introduced, the competition changed its name and format several times, including being known as the Second Division and First Division.

Since 2013, Sky Bet has been the title sponsor of the competition, which is why its official commercial name is the Sky Bet Championship.

Interesting Facts About the Championship

One of the most attended second-tier leagues in the world. Championship matches regularly attract tens of thousands of spectators, with average attendance comparable to that of some European top-flight leagues.
The play-off final is known as the "most expensive match in football." Winning at Wembley gives a club promotion to the Premier League, where revenues from broadcasting rights, commercial agreements and matchday income are significantly higher.
The Championship has been an important stage in the careers of many famous footballers. Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Jack Grealish have all played in the competition at different stages of their careers.
Competition for promotion is traditionally very tight. In the 2025/26 season, only 11 points separated second place from sixth.
Coventry City won the 2025/26 Championship, finishing the season with 95 points from 46 matches.
Hull City won the 2025/26 play-offs and secured the third promotion spot to the Premier League by beating Middlesbrough 1–0 in the final at Wembley.

Championship 2026/27

The 2026/27 Championship season features 24 clubs. The lineup changed following the conclusion of the previous campaign: three teams were promoted to the Premier League, three clubs were relegated from the top flight, and another three teams earned promotion from League One.

Following the 2025/26 season, Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City were promoted to the Premier League.

Burnley, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship.

From League One, Lincoln City, Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers earned promotion.

Other teams competing in the new season include Leicester City, Southampton, Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Birmingham City, Wrexham, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City.

Main Promotion Contenders

Among the teams capable of competing for promotion back to the Premier League are:

Leicester City — a former English champion with recent Premier League experience;
Southampton — a club with extensive experience in the top flight;
Sheffield United — another team with recent Premier League experience;
West Bromwich Albion — one of the most consistent clubs in the English second tier;
Middlesbrough — finalists in the 2025/26 play-offs;
Wrexham — a club continuing its rapid rise through the English football pyramid.

The Championship remains one of England's most unpredictable competitions, with numerous teams capable of challenging for promotion and often only small gaps separating clubs near the top of the table.