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2026–27 EFL Championship

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EFL Championship
Season2026–27
Dates14 August 2026 –
May 2027
2027–28 →

The 2026–27 EFL Championship (referred to as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) will be the 11th season of the EFL Championship under its current title and the 35th season under its current league division format. This will be the first season following the expansion of the post season play-offs from four teams to six.[1]

The 2026–27 season will consist of 46 matchdays in total with the fixture list set to be released on 25 June 2026 at 12:00 BST.[2] The opening round of the league will take place between 14 and 17 August.[3]

Team changes

The following teams will change division after the 2025–26 season:

Stadiums and locations

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Birmingham City Birmingham (Bordesley) St Andrew's 29,409
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Bolton Wanderers Bolton (Horwich) Toughsheet Community Stadium 28,723
Bristol City Bristol Ashton Gate 26,462
Burnley Burnley Turf Moor 21,990
Cardiff City Cardiff Cardiff City Stadium 33,280
Charlton Athletic London (Charlton) The Valley 27,111
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium 33,597
Lincoln City Lincoln Sincil Bank 10,669
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 34,742
Millwall London (Bermondsey) The Den 20,146
Norwich City Norwich Carrow Road 27,359
Portsmouth Portsmouth Fratton Park 20,867
Preston North End Preston Deepdale 23,408
Queens Park Rangers London (Shepherd's Bush) Loftus Road 18,439
Sheffield United Sheffield (Highfield) Bramall Lane 32,050
Southampton Southampton St Mary's Stadium 32,384
Stoke City Stoke-on-Trent bet365 Stadium 30,089
Swansea City Swansea Swansea.com Stadium 21,088
Watford Watford Vicarage Road 22,200
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich The Hawthorns 26,850
West Ham United London (Stratford) London Stadium 62,500
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Molineux Stadium 31,750
Wrexham Wrexham Racecourse Ground 10,771
Locations of the 2026–27 EFL Championship teams
Lancashire EFL Championship football clubs
Greater London EFL Championship football clubs

Personnel and sponsoring

Team Manager(s) Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor(s)
Main Other(s)
Birmingham City Wales Chris Davies Austria Christoph Klarer Nike Undefeated[4]
List
Blackburn Rovers England Tony Mowbray England Todd Cantwell Umbro Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors[5]
List
Bolton Wanderers England Steven Schumacher Northern Ireland Eoin Toal Macron Victorian Plumbing[6]
List
    • Back: Ebuyer
    • Sleeve: Whites Beaconsfield
    • Shorts: Destinology
Bristol City England Michael Skubala Republic of Ireland Jason Knight O'Neills Victorian Plumbing[7]
List
    • Back: GoSkippy
    • Sleeve: Exacta Technologies
    • Shorts: Digital NRG
Burnley TBD Republic of Ireland Josh Cullen Castore TBC
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: TBC
    • Shorts: None
Cardiff City Republic of Ireland Brian Barry-Murphy England Calum Chambers Castore Visit Malaysia
List
    • Back: DragonBet
    • Sleeve: Watches of Bath
    • Shorts: Nyne Capital
Charlton Athletic Wales Nathan Jones Scotland Greg Docherty Reebok RSK Group
List
Derby County England John Eustace England Lewis Travis Puma Loaded[8]
List
    • Back: HSG UK
    • Sleeve: Tonic Weight Loss Surgery
    • Shorts: HSG UK
Lincoln City England Chris Cohen &
England Tom Shaw		 Zimbabwe Tendayi Darikwa Oxen[9] Branston[10]
List
    • Back: Gen2 Energy[11]
    • Sleeve: Easy Heat Pumps
    • Shorts: None
Middlesbrough Sweden Kim Hellberg England Dael Fry Castore[12] TBC
List
    • Back: Perco Foods
    • Sleeve: TBC
    • Shorts: NOCO
Millwall Scotland Alex Neil England Jake Cooper Erreà Wiggett Group[13]
List
    • Back: Wiggett Group
    • Sleeve: FXD Capital
    • Shorts: None
Norwich City Belgium Philippe Clement Scotland Kenny McLean Joma Blakely Clothing[14]
List
    • Back: Green Light Consultancy Group
    • Sleeve: Willy's Pies
    • Shorts: BetWright
Portsmouth England John Mousinho England Marlon Pack Nike University of Portsmouth
List
    • Back: Aura.com (H) / TotalAV (A)
    • Sleeve: BeeBu
    • Shorts: MG Richmond
Preston North End England Paul Heckingbottom England Benjamin Whiteman Castore SpudBros[15]
List
    • Back: Pub Casino
    • Sleeve: CPC
    • Shorts: None
Queens Park Rangers France Julien Stéphan Republic of Ireland Jimmy Dunne Erreà MrQ[16]
List
    • Back: Xtra Maintenance
    • Sleeve: Cubefunder
    • Shorts: MyGuava Business
Sheffield United England Chris Wilder England Japhet Tanganga Adidas[17] TBC
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Village Hotel Club
    • Shorts: NOCO
Southampton Germany Tonda Eckert England Jack Stephens[18] Puma[19] TBC
List
    • Back: Midnite
    • Sleeve: Garmin
    • Shorts: Midnite
Stoke City England Mark Robins England Ben Gibson Macron bet365
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: None
    • Shorts: None
Swansea City Portugal Vítor Matos Wales Ben Cabango Joma Reviva Coffee[20]
List
Watford Italy Alessio Dionisi Morocco Imrân Louza Kelme BOXT[21]
List
West Bromwich Albion Scotland James Morrison England Jed Wallace Macron Ideal Heating[22]
List
    • Back: Mega Riches
    • Sleeve: BarberBoss
    • Shorts: None
West Ham United Portugal Nuno Espírito Santo England Jarrod Bowen[23] New Balance BoyleSports[24]
List
    • Back:
    • Sleeve:
    • Shorts:
Wolverhampton Wanderers Portugal César Peixoto Portugal Toti Gomes Sudu Midnite[25]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Wolf Competitions
    • Shorts: None
Wrexham England Phil Parkinson Scotland Dominic Hyam Macron United Airlines[26]
List

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager(s) Date of appointment
Blackburn Rovers Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill[27] End of contract 2 May 2026 Pre-season England Tony Mowbray[28] 5 June 2026
Bristol City England Roy Hodgson[29] End of interim spell England Michael Skubala[30] 29 May 2026
Watford England Edward Still[31] Sacked 3 May 2026 Italy Alessio Dionisi[32] 15 June 2026
Burnley England Mike Jackson[33] End of interim spell 24 May 2026
Lincoln City England Michael Skubala[34] Signed by Bristol City 29 May 2026 England Chris Cohen &
England Tom Shaw[35]		 29 May 2026
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wales Rob Edwards[36] Sacked 11 June 2026 Portugal César Peixoto[37] 15 June 2026

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Birmingham City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Blackburn Rovers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Bolton Wanderers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for Championship play-off semi-finals
4 Bristol City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Burnley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for Championship play-off quarter-finals
6 Cardiff City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Charlton Athletic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Derby County 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 Lincoln City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Middlesbrough 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 Millwall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Norwich City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Portsmouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Preston North End 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 Queens Park Rangers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 Sheffield United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 Stoke City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 Swansea City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 Watford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
20 West Bromwich Albion 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21 West Ham United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Relegation to EFL League One
23 Wrexham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 Southampton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 −4[a]
First match(es) will be played: 14 August 2026. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) Number of 12-point sending off offences; 9) Play-off (only if needed to determine promotion/relegation)[39]
Notes:
  1. Southampton were deducted four points due to multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs' training.[38]

Results

Home \ Away BIR BLB BOL BRI BUR CAR CHA DER LIN MID MIL NOR POR PNE QPR SHU SOU STO SWA WAT WBA WHU WOL WRE
Birmingham City —
Blackburn Rovers — a
Bolton Wanderers —
Bristol City — a
Burnley a —
Cardiff City a — a
Charlton Athletic — a a a
Derby County —
Lincoln City —
Middlesbrough —
Millwall a — a a
Norwich City —
Portsmouth — a
Preston North End —
Queens Park Rangers a a — a
Sheffield United —
Southampton a —
Stoke City —
Swansea City a —
Watford —
West Bromwich Albion — a
West Ham United a a a —
Wolverhampton Wanderers a —
Wrexham —
Updated to match(es) played on Pre-season. Source: efl.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Play-offs

Bracket

Eliminators Semi-finals Final
Lowest-seeded eliminators winner
8 TBC 3 TBC
5 TBC  
 
Highest-seeded eliminators winner
7 TBC 4 TBC
6 TBC

Season statistics

As of Pre-season

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date

Clean sheets

Rank Player Club Clean sheets

Discipline

Player

  • Most yellow cards: 0
    • Most red cards: 0

      Club

      • Most yellow cards: 0
        • Most red cards: 0
          • Fewest yellow cards: 0
            • Fewest red cards: 0

              Awards

              Monthly

              Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Ref
              August
              September
              October
              November
              December
              January
              February
              March
              April

              References

              1. "Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Format". EFL. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
              2. "EFL fixture release day confirmed for 2026/27 season". EFL. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
              3. "EFL kick-off dates confirmed for 2026/27 season". English Football League. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
              4. "Undefeated named Blues' new principal partner and sponsor". Birmingham City Football Club (Press release). Birmingham. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
              5. "Rovers renew Watson Ramsbottom partnership". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
              6. "Victorian Plumbing Commits Its Future to Bolton Wanderers with New Deal" (Press release). Bolton: Bolton Wanderers Football Club. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
              7. "Victorian Plumbing to become Bristol City Principal Partner" (Press release). Bristol: Bristol City Football Club. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
              8. "CLUB PARTNER: Derby County announce Loaded as Front of Shirt (Principal) Partner". Derby County Football Club (Press release). Birmingham. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
              9. "Imps extend partnership with OXEN". Lincoln City. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
              10. "Branston continue front of shirt partnership for 2026/27". Lincoln City. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
              11. "Introducing our 2026/27 home shirt!". Lincoln City. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
              12. "Castore announced as official technical kit supplier". Middlesbrough Football Club. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
              13. "Millwall announce Wiggett Group as new front-of-shirt sponsor". Millwall Football Club. Millwall Football Club. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
              14. "Blakely named as new front-of-shirt sponsor". Norwich City Football Club. Norwich City Football Club. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
              15. "PNE Team Up With Spud Bros In New Partnership". Preston North End Football Club. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
              16. "QPR join forces with MrQ". Queens Park Rangers Football Club. Queens Park Rangers Football Club. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
              17. "adidas and Blades link up again". Sheffield United FC. 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
              18. "Russell Martin on James Ward-Prowse and club captaincy". Southampton Football Club (Press release). Southampton. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
              19. "PUMA officially becomes a Saint". Southampton Football Club (Press release). Southampton. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
              20. "REVIVA COFFEE CONTINUE AS SWANSEA CITY'S OFFICIAL COFFEE PARTNER". Swansea City Football Club (Press release). Swansea. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
              21. "Official: BOXT Confirmed As New Front-Of-Shirt Sponsor". Watford FC. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
              22. "Ideal Heating sign-up for record-breaking extension as Principal Sponsor". West Bromwich Albion FC. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
              23. "Jarrod Bowen appointed West Ham United Club captain" (Press release). London: West Ham United Football Club. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
              24. "West Ham United announces BOYLE Sports front of shirt sponsorship for 2026/27 season" (Press release). London: West Ham United Football Club. 30 June 2026.
              25. "Midnite become principal partner of Wolves". Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
              26. "United Airlines Debuts New, Limited-Edition Wrexham AFC Amenity Kits and Pajamas". United.com. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
              27. "Club Statement: Michael O'Neill". rovers.co.uk. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
              28. "Tony Mowbray returns to Rovers". rovers.co.uk. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
              29. "Hodgson appointed as Struber departs". bcfc.co.uk. 27 March 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
              30. "Skubala appointed City manager". bcfc.co.uk. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
              31. "Club Statement: Ed Still". watfordfc.com. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
              32. "Official: Dionisi Appointed As Head Coach". watfordfc.com. 15 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
              33. "Club statement: Scott Parker". burnleyfootballclub.com. 30 April 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
              34. "Skubala leaves Imps to join Bristol City". weareimps.com. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
              35. "Cohen and Shaw take over as Head Coaches". weareimps.com. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
              36. "Wolves part ways with Rob Edwards". wolves.co.uk. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
              37. "Cesar Peixoto appointed Wolves head coach". wolves.co.uk. 15 June 2026. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
              38. Johnson, Dale (19 May 2026). "Southampton expelled from play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough who have been reinstated to the play-off Final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
              39. "Section 3 - The League". EFL Official Website. subsection 9 – Method of Determining League Positions. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2026.