EFL Championship 2026/27 Predictions: West Ham United favourites to go back up, Wrexham Birmingham City eye promotion tilt
EFL Championship 2026/27 Predictions: One of the most unpredictable leagues in Europe will kick off on August 14. The new EFL Championship promises drama and excitement and will likely deliver again,
With six new teams every season, the league undergoes a massive shakeup, and it becomes hard to pinpoint what is going to go down in the upcoming season. Last time out, Coventry City under Frank Lampard eased their way to the Championship title to confirm their top-flight return after 25 years. Ipswich Town bounced straight back up after relegation a year ago.
The playoffs offered unprecedented drama after in-form Southampton were thrown out of the final due to them spying on their opponents. Hull City then beat Middlesbrough in the final to earn promotion to the Premier League after nine years.
This year, the league sees Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and West Ham United drop down to the second division while Lincoln City, Cardiff City, and Bolton Wanderers were promoted from League One. So, there will be obvious favourites for promotion, teams who are expected to struggle and of course, clubs who could dream of promotion, thanks to the expanded playoffs. CurvaGlobal predicts what will go down in the EFL Championship this season.
Who Will Win Automatic Promotion to the Premier League?
Teams that come down from the Premier League are usually backed to go straight up due to the parachute payments allowing them to keep their best players and make significant additions. As such, at least two of the relegated sides are expected to be up there for the promotion race.
West Ham United will start as the prime contenders to not only get promoted but win the EFL Championship. They were relegated on the final day of the Premier League and missed out on survival by two points. Under Nuno Espirito Santo, the team looked cohesive, and only a poor run of results towards the end of the season led to their relegation.
Espirito remains in charge for this campaign and has experience of winning the league, having done so with Wolves in 2017. The Hammers also received good news when captain Jarrod Bowen chose to stay with the club, despite his obvious top-flight quality. He wants to help the team get back to the top tier, and his 20 goal contributions last season mean that he could comfortably be a standout player in the second division this season.
The only worry for West Ham fans is the lack of transfer activity. Keiber Lamadrid joins from Deportivo La Guaira, but the Venezuelan winger is the only fresh addition to the team. Nuno would have to hit the ground running and hope the club backs him to strengthen the team come the January window.
Wolves could be considered as close second-favourites behind West Ham for the Championship title. The team that struggled for wins and form last season finally found some consistency under Rob Edwards. However, the former Luton Town manager was sacked at the end of the season. He has been replaced by Cesar Peixito, who guided Gil Vicente to a sixth-place finish in the Liga Portugal.
Peixito has good talent at his disposal at Molineux, and the additions of Kieran Trippier and cult hero Raul Jimenez put them in a strong position for a promotion charge. Still, things are usually far from straightforward in the Championship. There seems to be a cloud of dejection hanging over the Midlands club, and the ownership has come under scrutiny from the fans.
This makes it crucial that Peixito gets the right results on the pitch straightaway to placate an uneasy fanbase. Apart from Wolves and West Ham, the likes of Middlesbrough, Birmingham City and even Norwich City could be a shout in for automatic promotion this season.
EFL Championship winners: West Ham United
Second place: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Championship Play-Off Predictions: Who Makes It and Who Wins?
This season the Championship will feature expanded playoffs which will see six teams compete for the end-of-season promotion chance. Teams finishing third to eighth will make it to the playoffs and will follow a different format to determine the finalists.
There will be an Eliminator round which will involve one-off knockout matches between teams ranked fifth to eighth in the table. 5th plays 8th and 6th plays 7th at the home ground of the higher-placed club. Following this, the winners of the eliminators will face the 3rd and 4th placed teams in traditional two-legged ties. The winners of these ties will meet in the playoff final for a place in the Premier League.
The expanded playoffs do bring more uncertainty to an already unpredictable playoff system. Still, backed by Shelby Companies Ltd., Birmingham City will be expected to make the playoffs. Their return to the Championship last season was more about consolidation, but there was a sentiment that they should have done better than their 10th-place finish.
Manager Chris Davies has been able to make some notable additions in the summer and anything less than a finish in the top eight would be considered a disappointment. Returning to the Premier League is the obvious goal for this big Midlands team. The owners have massive plans for the club, and one would believe being in the top flight would help accelerate those plans. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them in the mix for automatic promotion, but a playoff spot will be the bare minimum expected of The Blues.
Wrexham will be another club that will aim high this season. Just like Birmingham City, their first season back in the second division saw them showcase they belong in the league and narrowly missed out on a playoff spot, finishing seventh. The Welsh club have had a remarkable rise in recent years, going from the National League to the Championship in just three years. Now, the club is eyeing the Premier League riches.
Manager Phil Parkinson has been at the helm of this journey, and the owners completely trust him to take them to the promised land. The Red Dragons haven’t spent that much as they usually have in the previous seasons. Perhaps there is a belief that the squad only needs smart additions instead of large reinforcements, given that they were close to making the playoffs last time out. Still, reaching the end-of-season lottery is within their grasp, and some fans may even dare to dream of a tilt at the top two spots.
Middlesbrough could be expected to challenge again at the top end of the league and in Kim Hellberg they have a talented coach in the dugout. They appear to be steady in their progress and will be determined to disrupt the top two. The playoffs will present an opportunity to bounce back from last season’s final defeat, and I can see them being in business come the end of the season.
Norwich City is another team to keep an eye out for. Philippe Clement did a commendable job last time out, taking over the club in November when they were in the relegation zone and helping them to a ninth-place finish. Clement has plenty of experience under his belt, and his side looked impressive towards the end of the campaign. Expect the Canaries to shake up the status quo this time around.
Southampton, despite the ugly fallout from the spy-gate, will remain a contender. Tonda Eckert has a potential ban looming for his actions, but his coaching ability cannot be denied. Eckert may even use last season’s events to bring a siege mentality and idea of “us vs. them” at the club. At the same time, for the Saints it is important to put the previous season’s controversy in the rear-view mirror and focus on playing to their potential.
Burnley were one of the teams relegated last season from the Premier League. Traditionally, they have done well in the Championship, but this time it would be hard for them to replicate their previous success. They have seen both Maxime Esteve and Jaidon Anthony leave the club, and not many notable names have come in.
They have also appointed Nicky Hayen, the former Genk boss, as their head coach, and he comes in with an indifferent record. The Clarets also face financial challenges, and the pressure is on to get back to the Premier League. They might hang in and around the playoff spots, but a serious challenge could be too far for the Turf Moor club.
Other than these teams, I expect Millwall, Bristol City, Derby County and Sheffield United to be in the promotion mix.
Playoff spots: 3. Norwich City 4. Middlesbrough 5. Millwall 6. Wrexham 7. Birmingham City 8. Derby County.
Which Teams Will Be Relegated from the Championship?
Last season, former Premier League and FA Cup winners Leicester City were relegated from the Championship, highlighting the ruthless nature of the division. They were joined in League One by Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United.
Notably, all three newly promoted clubs stayed up last time out, which bodes well for the new contingent that came up at the end of last season. Lincoln City will play at this level for the first time in their history and Cardiff City return to the Championship after just one season away. Bolton Wanderers are also headed back to the second tier after a seven-year absence.
It would be easy to pinpoint these three sides as the favourites to return to the third division, but the Championship doesn’t follow the norm more often than not.
Lincoln City stunned everyone as they marched to the League One title to earn promotion, but since then they have seen manager Michael Skubala leave for Bristol City. Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw have been named as co-head coaches, which is somewhat of a unique situation. The Imps have made some useful additions to their squad and won’t go away without a fight, but they will be up against it.
I believe both Cardiff City and Bolton will have enough to stay up. The Bluebirds are managed by the impressive Brian Barry-Murphy, and while they haven’t made many signings, they still possess enough quality to navigate a gruelling Championship season. Steven Schumacher has done a commendable job with the Trotters and the club has done some clever business in the transfer window to ensure they remain competitive.
Blackburn Rovers survived through some inspired acumen from Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill last season. While they were unable to retain him for the upcoming season, Tony Mowbray’s return offers some hope. Rovers fans have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the Venky’s ownership of the club, and many believe a change is needed.
On the pitch, they can be expected to remain defensively tight but face a struggle when it comes to scoring; hence the threat of relegation will loom large this season.
Former player James Morrison had a successful run as West Brom’s caretaker boss last time out and guided them to safety. But now he needs quality in the side to avoid another long relegation battle this season. The Baggies struggled to find the back of the net regularly last season, and this is a problem they need to address first when they kick off their new campaign.
Apart from these sides, the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Watford, and Portsmouth will have to improve by a lot if they are to avoid the drop. If any of the newly promoted sides exceed expectations, things could get ugly down at the bottom, and a dog-fight could be expected.
Relegation: 22. Queens Park Rangers 23. Blackburn Rovers 24. Lincoln City.
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