When did West Ham United last play in the Championship?

After spending the majority of the 2025/26 campaign in and around the bottom three, it isn't surprising to see West Ham United fighting for their lives on the final day.

The Hammers have to beat Leeds United at the London Stadium and hope Everton beat struggling Tottenham to ensure they will be playing Premier League football next season.

A 3-0 defeat at newly promoted Sunderland on the opening day was a sign of things to come for West Ham and it wasn't long before head coach Graham Potter was relived of his duties at the end of September.

Results didn't improve initially under new head coach Nuno Espírito Santo, but back-to-back home wins against Newcastle United and Burnley seemed to restore hope in East London.

West Ham failed to build on those successes however and a 10-game winless streak left West Ham seven points from safety and with just three wins from 21 league fixtures.

In fairness to West Ham, a dramatic late victory at Tottenham reignited their push for survival and they have since claimed maximum points against Sunderland, Burnley, Fulham, Wolves and Everton to stay in touch.

However, three straight losses against Brentford, Arsenal and Newcastle at the worst possible time have left West Ham's survival out of their hands as we approach a nervy Sunday afternoon to round off the season.

As a result, we take a look at the last time the Hammers played in the second tier of English football.

When did West Ham United last play in the Championship?

19th May 2012 will always be a famous day in West Ham United's history.

With their 2011/12 Championship play-off final against Blackpool level at 1-1 with just three minutes left on the clock, Ricardo Vaz Te scored an iconic Wembley winner to send West Ham fans into raptures as they secured promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Despite a couple of flirts with relegation since 2012/13, West Ham have enjoyed a number of impressive Premier League campaigns - including achieving UEFA Europa League qualification in 2015/16 and 2016/17, as well as recently securing European football in three successive seasons between 2021/22 and 2023/24.