The EFL Championship is known to be one of the most competitive and difficult leagues to predict in European football, which also helps make it one of the most entertaining to watch.
With the incentive of three teams being promoted to the Premier League every season, there is always plenty at stake in the second tier of English football, a division that is packed full of some of historically the biggest clubs in the English game.
Dates
The 2026/27 EFL Championship season started on Friday 14th August 2026, with Wolves drawing 2-2 against Blackburn Rovers.
A total of 552 matches will be played during the regular season, which will culminate on 1st May 2027.
That will signal the end of the campaign for the majority of teams in the Championship, but the sides that finish third to eighth will contest the play-offs to decide the final promotion place, with the play-off final taking place over the final Bank Holiday weekend in May next year.
Teams & Stadiums
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
Birmingham City | St Andrew's | 29,409 |
Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | 31,367 |
Bolton Wanderers | Toughsheet Community Stadium | 28,723 |
Bristol City | Ashton Gate | 26,462 |
Burnley | Turf Moor | 21,900 |
Cardiff City | Cardiff City Stadium | 33,280 |
Charlton Athletic | The Valley | 27,111 |
Derby County | Pride Park | 33,597 |
Lincoln City | Sincil Bank | 11,400 |
Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 34,742 |
Millwall | The Den | 20,146 |
Norwich City | Carrow Road | 27,359 |
Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 20,867 |
Preston North End | Deepdale | 23,408 |
Queens Park Rangers | Loftus Road | 18,439 |
Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | 32,050 |
Southampton | St Mary's Stadium | 32,384 |
Stoke City | bet365 Stadium | 30,089 |
Swansea City | Swansea.com Stadium | 21,088 |
Watford | Vicarage Road | 22,200 |
West Bromwich Albion | The Hawthorns | 26,850 |
West Ham United | London Stadium | 62,500 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | Molineux Stadium | 31,750 |
Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 10,771 |
Format
The Championship is the second-highest division in the English Football League pyramid and consists of 24 teams, with the top two at the end of each season being promoted to the Premier League automatically.
The final promotion place is decided via a play-off format, between the teams that finish third to eighth.
The teams that finish third and fourth progress straight to the semi-finals, with those that finished fifth to eighth playing through an eliminator stage where the winners progress. Third place then play the lowest finishing remaining side.
The winner of those semi-finals progress to the play-off final.
Billed as the 'richest game in football', the winner of that one-off final at Wembley will not only secure promotion to the Premier League, but they will also receive a windfall of upwards of £135m.
There are also three relegation places to fill in each Championship season, with the bottom three teams in the division at the end of every campaign suffering automatic relegation to League One.
Previous winners
Leicester City are the most successful club in Championship history with eight second-tier triumphs, most recently lifting the trophy in the 2023/24 campaign.
Coventry City are the latest team to win the competition, topping the table for the second time in their history under the stewardship of Frank Lampard in 2025/26.
Click here to read the full list of Championship winners over the years.
Transfer Record
Arne Engels became the most expensive signing in Championship history when signing for West Ham from Celtic for a reported €25.75m.
Behind Engels in the list is Portuguese midfielder Florentino Luis, who joined Burnley on a permanent deal for €24.00M following a one-year loan spell. Remarkably, he departed Turf Moor just months after officially joining the club, signing for Ipswich Town.
Click here to read the top five Championship record transfers.
