Ahead of the new season, the ever-popular Season Handicap market has been released for the 2025/26 Championship.
bet365's Steve Freeth said: "There a few things we need to take into account off the pitch in this market, but we have Ipswich Town off scratch having won the last time they were in the Championship, albeit with a 12 point start in 2023/24.
"Sheffield United tied with scratch winners Burnley last season after being given 16 points and we've handed them a 10-point advantage under the new guidance of Ruben Selles.
"I'm expecting to see support for the talking horse of the division, Birmingham City, who have been given a potentially generous 10 point start, and if the money is to be believed, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the Handicap market."
For those new to the market, each team is assigned a points total which essentially acts as a head start for the season.
At the end of the campaign, each team’s handicap is added to their actual points total, and whoever finishes with the most points wins.
Keep in mind, the team you back must finish above all other teams after all handicaps have been added. See last season’s final table as an example below:
Team | Handicap | Points | Total |
Burnley | 6 | 100 | 106 |
Sheffield United | 16 | 90 | 106 |
Leeds United | 0 | 100 | 100 |
Bristol City | 28 | 68 | 96 |
Blackburn Rovers | 30 | 66 | 96 |
Millwall | 30 | 66 | 96 |
Sunderland | 19 | 77 | 95 |
Swansea City | 28 | 61 | 89 |
Oxford United | 36 | 53 | 89 |
Coventry City | 16 | 69 | 85 |
Watford | 26 | 57 | 83 |
West Brom | 17 | 64 | 81 |
Preston | 30 | 50 | 80 |
Plymouth Argyle | 34 | 46 | 80 |
Sheffield Wednesday | 20 | 58 | 78 |
Portsmouth | 24 | 54 | 78 |
Derby County | 28 | 50 | 78 |
Middlesbrough | 13 | 64 | 77 |
QPR | 21 | 56 | 77 |
Norwich City | 18 | 57 | 75 |
Cardiff City | 30 | 44 | 74 |
Stoke City | 18 | 51 | 69 |
Hull City | 20 | 49 | 69 |
Luton Town | 10 | 49 | 59 |
Anywhere around the mid-90s would typically be a strong season with 105+ usually required to win.
In 2024/25, Burnley and Sheffield United were both winners as they tallied a total of 106 points with the handicap. 96 points was enough to earn a place courtesy of Blackburn Rovers (+30), Millwall (+30) and Bristol City (+28).
Previous winners
Season | Winner | Total points |
2024/25 | Burnley +6, Sheffield United +16 | 106 |
2023/24 | Ipswich Town +12 | 108 |
2022/23 | Burnley +8 | 109 |
Championship 25/26 Season Handicap Odds
Team | Handicap | Odds |
Ipswich Town | 0 | |
Southampton | +6 | |
Sheffield United | +10 | |
Birmingham City | +10 | |
Leicester City | +12 | |
Coventry City | +12 | |
Middlesbrough | +16 | |
Norwich City | +16 | |
West Brom | +18 | |
Wrexham | +20 | |
Bristol City | +22 | |
Millwall | +24 | |
Watford | +26 | |
Swansea City | +26 | |
Stoke City | +26 | |
Derby County | +28 | |
Blackburn Rovers | +32 | |
Hull City | +32 | |
QPR | +34 | |
Portsmouth | +34 | |
Charlton Athletic | +34 | |
Preston North End | +34 | |
Sheffield Wednesday | +36 | |
Oxford United | +38 |
Ipswich Town +0
Favourites for the title, Kieran McKenna will be aiming to choreograph an immediate return to the Premier League, but the Northern Irishman must do so without the presence of last season's top scorer, Liam Delap. The Tractor Boys still possess a squad littered with talent, although question marks remain over the future of another key player in Omari Hutchinson.
Southampton +6
Following an abysmal Premier League campaign, Will Still is the man tasked with picking up the pieces and the former Lens manager has an exciting cohort of young talent to work with at St Mary's.
Sheffield United +10
Agonisingly close to promotion last term, it's been a summer of upheaval at Bramall Lane as they bid farewell to popular manager Chris Wilder in favour of the stylish Ruben Selles
Birmingham City +10
There's a lot of noise emanating from St Andrew's and after romping to the League One title with an English Football League points record last term, Birmingham have made little secret of their ambition to win back-to-back promotions. The club have recruited impressively so far, adding the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Demarai Gray to their ranks.
Leicester City +12
The prospect of a points deduction still lingers over the Foxes, who have appointed former QPR boss Marti Cifuentes as Ruud van Nistelrooy's successor. The Spaniard has a tough job on his hands as Leicester are likely to experience a transitional season.
Coventry City +12
Frank Lampard's arrival salvaged Coventry's previous campaign and the Sky Blues will look to put the findings of their play-off semi-final defeat to positive use and challenge the upper echelons again.
Middlesbrough +16
Middlesbrough's bleak form in the latter stages of the season cost Michael Carrick his job and the Teesside outfit have appointed a man with promotion-winning experience in Rob Edwards.
Norwich City +16
The Championship has been awash with managerial changes and after guiding Bristol City to the play-offs, Liam Manning departed Ashton Gate to take the reins at Norwich City, where he will be hoping to have retained the services of star striker Josh Sargent by the time the transfer deadline closes.
West Brom +18
A substantial style shift from the pragmatic Carlos Corberan to the expansive Tony Mowbray did not aid West Brom's cause in 2024/25, but they will be hoping for improved fortunes under rookie manager Ryan Mason at The Hawthorns.
Wrexham +20
Hollywood hits the Championship as Wrexham aim to continue their remarkable ascent following three successive promotions. Phil Parkinson's squad is already packed full of Championship experience and the Red Dragons have pulled off some smart signings, including the capture of Ryan Hardie from Plymouth.
Bristol City +22
The Robins will have been disappointed by Manning's exit but the appointment of Gerhard Struber presents an opportunity to build on the foundations of their sixth-place finish last term, although it's likely to require substantially more than 69 points to reach the play-offs on this occasion.
Millwall +24
Progressing nicely under Alex Neil, Millwall have made their intentions clear by splashing £5m on Middlesbrough forward Josh Coburn.
Watford +26
Tom Cleverley's dismissal understandably irked many Watford fans but the Hornets hierarchy have got behind new manager Paulo Pezzolano with a flurry of exciting transfer deals and could be a team to watch this season.
Swansea City +26
Swansea were one of the form teams under interim head coach Alan Sheehan and their progression under the Irish tactician resulted in him being awarded the job on a full-time basis. It will be intriguing to see if those results were a flash in the pan or if the level of performance can be maintained.
Stoke City + 26
The Potters are eager to haul themselves away from the bottom end of the Championship and in Mark Robins, they possess one of the most meticulous operators in the division.
Derby County +28
John Eustace worked miracles at Birmingham and Blackburn and now he's weaving his magic at Derby. The 45-year-old galvanised the Rams to haul them clear of relegation trouble and their form under Eustace suggests they can push on this season.
Blackburn Rovers +32
Off-field uncertainty continues to plague Blackburn Rovers and following a season where they surprised many with their form under Eustace, Valerien Ismael has a tough job on his hands to keep Rovers in play-off contention.
Hull City +32
Acun Ilicali's developed a reputation for his cutthroat approach to managers and Ruben Selles was the latest to get the chop. The Tigers have gone left-field with their appointment of Sergej Jakirović, who has managerial experience in Bosnia, Croatia and Turkey.
QPR +34
After parting company with Cifuentes, QPR have turned to former Rennes manager Julien Stephan and the R's have made several shrewd additions in the transfer window, including the exciting capture of Kwame Poku from Peterborough United.
Portsmouth +34
Pompey's faith in John Mousinho was vindicated as he led the club clear of relegation despite an abhorrent start. They now most certainly need to back their manager as they look to avoid the fate of other clubs in their second season who have fell through the trap door.
Charlton Athletic +34
Charlton emerged victorious from a competitive League One play-offs to return to the Championship and the Addicks have been extremely active in the transfer window to provide Nathan Jones with a squad capable of avoiding relegation.
Preston +34
Preston's lull following their FA Cup quarter-final appearance saw them slip into relegation trouble and Paul Heckingbottom will be hoping for a more fruitful season this time around, with the Lilywhites' form at Deepdale imperative to any success they may enjoy.
Sheffield Wednesday +36
Currently under transfer embargo, Owls supporters will be hoping a prospective takeover can be completed as swiftly as possible. Danny Rohl, who has proven himself to be one of the most talented coaches in the Football League, certainly has his hands tied at this moment.
Oxford United +38
Sections of the U's fanbase were critical of Des Buckingham's sacking during the previous season but the decision to appoint Gary Rowett was an inspired one.
Tipped by many to finish bottom, Oxford survived comfortably and while they're braced for a difficult campaign ahead, Rowett will certainly ensure they're a difficult opponent to beat.
