2025–26 EFL Championship

English football tournament From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2025–26 EFL Championship (referred to as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the 10th season of the EFL Championship under its current title and the 34th season under its current league division format.

Season2025–26
Dates8 August 2025 –
2 May 2026
ChampionsCoventry City
1st Championship title
2nd 2nd tier title
PromotedCoventry City
Ipswich Town
Quick facts Season, Dates ...
EFL Championship
Season2025–26
Dates8 August 2025 –
2 May 2026
ChampionsCoventry City
1st Championship title
2nd 2nd tier title
PromotedCoventry City
Ipswich Town
RelegatedOxford United
Leicester City
Sheffield Wednesday
Matches552
Goals1,438 (2.61 per match)
Top goalscorerŽan Vipotnik
(Swansea City)
(23 goals)
Best goalkeeperCarl Rushworth
(Coventry City)
(17 clean sheets)
Biggest home winCoventry City 7–1
Queens Park Rangers
(23 August 2025)
Biggest away winSheffield Wednesday 0–5 Coventry City
(4 October 2025)
West Bromwich Albion
0–5 Norwich City
(20 January 2026)
Bristol City 0–5
Derby County
(30 January 2026)
Highest scoringDerby County 3–5
Coventry City
(16 August 2025)
Coventry City 7–1
Queens Park Rangers
(23 August 2025)
Wrexham 5–3
Sheffield United
(26 December 2025)
Wrexham 5–3
Ipswich Town
(21 February 2026)
Longest winning runSouthampton
(7 games)
Longest unbeaten runSouthampton
(21 games)[z 1]
Longest winless runSheffield Wednesday
(39 games)
Longest losing runSheffield Wednesday
(13 games)
Highest attendance34,988
Middlesbrough 1–1
Bristol City
(14 March 2026)[1]
Lowest attendance7,081
Sheffield Wednesday 0–1
Middlesbrough
(22 October 2025)
Total attendance12,208,071
Average attendance22,116
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The 2025–26 season consists of 33 weekend rounds, 9 midweek rounds and 4 bank holiday rounds.[2]

Team changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2024–25 season:

Stadiums and locations

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
More information Team, Location ...
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Personnel and sponsoring

More information Team, Manager ...
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor(s)
Main Other(s)
Birmingham City Wales Chris Davies Austria Christoph Klarer[3] Nike Undefeated[4]
List
Blackburn Rovers Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill England Todd Cantwell Macron Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors[6]
List
Bristol City England Roy Hodgson (interim) Republic of Ireland Jason Knight O'Neills Fever[8]
List
    • Back: GoSkippy
    • Sleeve: Exacta Technologies
    • Shorts: Digital NRG
Charlton Athletic Wales Nathan Jones Scotland Greg Docherty[9] Reebok[10] RSK Group[11]
List
Coventry City England Frank Lampard England Matt Grimes[12] Hummel[13] Monzo[14]
List
Derby County England John Eustace England Lewis Travis[16] Puma FanHub
List
    • Back: HSG UK
    • Sleeve: Tonic Weight Loss Surgery
    • Shorts: HSG UK
Hull City Bosnia and Herzegovina Sergej Jakirović England Lewie Coyle Kappa Corendon Airlines[17]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Anex Tour
    • Shorts: None
Ipswich Town Northern Ireland Kieran McKenna Republic of Ireland Dara O'Shea[18] Umbro Halo Service Solutions[19]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Tingley Ted's
    • Shorts: Fleximize [20]
Leicester City England Gary Rowett Portugal Ricardo Pereira Adidas[21] BC.GAME[22]
List
Middlesbrough Sweden Kim Hellberg England Dael Fry Castore[23] Unibet[24]
List
    • Back: Perco Foods
    • Sleeve: Telcoss
    • Shorts: NOCO
Millwall Scotland Alex Neil England Jake Cooper Erreà Wiggett Group1[25]
List
    • Back: Wiggett Group
    • Sleeve: FXD Capital
    • Shorts: None
Norwich City Belgium Philippe Clement Scotland Kenny McLean Joma[26] Blakely Clothing[27]
List
    • Back: Green Light Consultancy Group
    • Sleeve: Willy's Pies
    • Shorts: BetWright
Oxford United England Matt Bloomfield England Cameron Brannagan Macron Baxi
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Caprinos Pizza
    • Shorts: None
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[28]
List
    • Back: Pub Casino
    • Sleeve: CPC
    • Shorts: None
Queens Park Rangers France Julien Stéphan Republic of Ireland Jimmy Dunne Erreà[29] CopyBet[30]
List
    • Back: Xtra Maintenance
    • Sleeve: MyGuava
    • Shorts: MyGuava Business
Sheffield United England Chris Wilder England Japhet Tanganga Erreà Midnite[31]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: Village Hotel Club
    • Shorts: NOCO
Sheffield Wednesday Denmark Henrik Pedersen Scotland Liam Palmer[32] Macron Mr Vegas[33]
List
    • Back: None
    • Sleeve: None
    • Shorts: Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust
Southampton Germany Tonda Eckert England Jack Stephens[34] Puma[35] P&O Cruises[36]
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[37] Reviva Coffee[38]
List
Watford England Edward Still Morocco Imrân Louza Kelme MrQ.com
List
West Bromwich Albion Scotland James Morrison England Jed Wallace Macron[39] Ideal Heating[40]
List
    • Back: Mega Riches
    • Sleeve: BarberBoss
    • Shorts: None
Wrexham England Phil Parkinson Scotland Dominic Hyam Macron[41][42] United Airlines[43][44]
List
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  1. ^ Millwall's shirt sponsor was MyGuava until 22 December 2025 when the deal was ended prematurely.[45]

Managerial changes

More information Team, Outgoing manager ...
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Norwich City England Jack Wilshere End of interim spell 3 May 2025 Pre-season England Liam Manning[46] 3 June 2025
West Bromwich Albion Scotland James Morrison England Ryan Mason[47] 2 June 2025
Watford England Tom Cleverley[48] Sacked 6 May 2025 Uruguay Paulo Pezzolano[49] 13 May 2025
Hull City Spain Rubén Sellés[50] 15 May 2025 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sergej Jakirović[51] 11 June 2025
Southampton Scotland Simon Rusk End of interim spell 25 May 2025 England Will Still[52] 25 May 2025
Bristol City England Liam Manning[46] Signed by Norwich City 3 June 2025 Austria Gerhard Struber[53] 19 June 2025
Middlesbrough England Michael Carrick[54] Sacked 4 June 2025 Wales Rob Edwards[55] 24 June 2025
Sheffield United England Chris Wilder[56] Mutual consent 18 June 2025 Spain Rubén Sellés[57] 18 June 2025
Queens Park Rangers Spain Martí Cifuentes[58] 24 June 2025 France Julien Stéphan[59] 25 June 2025
Leicester City Netherlands Ruud van Nistelrooy[60] 27 June 2025 Spain Martí Cifuentes[61] 15 July 2025
Sheffield Wednesday Germany Danny Röhl[62] 29 July 2025 Denmark Henrik Pedersen[63] 31 July 2025
Sheffield United Spain Rubén Sellés[64] Sacked 14 September 2025 24th England Chris Wilder[65] 15 September 2025
Watford Uruguay Paulo Pezzolano[66] 8 October 2025 11th Spain Javi Gracia[66] 8 October 2025
Southampton England Will Still[67] 2 November 2025 21st Germany Tonda Eckert[a][68] 2 November 2025
Norwich City England Liam Manning[69] 8 November 2025 23rd Belgium Philippe Clement[70] 18 November 2025
Swansea City Republic of Ireland Alan Sheehan[71] 11 November 2025 18th Portugal Vítor Matos[72] 24 November 2025
Middlesbrough Wales Rob Edwards[73] Signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers 12 November 2025 2nd Sweden Kim Hellberg[74]
Oxford United England Gary Rowett[75] Sacked 23 December 2025 22nd England Matt Bloomfield[76] 9 January 2026
West Bromwich Albion England Ryan Mason[77] 6 January 2026 18th Wales Eric Ramsay[78] 11 January 2026
Leicester City Spain Martí Cifuentes[79] 25 January 2026 14th England Gary Rowett[80] 18 February 2026
Watford Spain Javi Gracia[81] Resigned 1 February 2026 10th England Edward Still[82] 9 February 2026
Blackburn Rovers France Valérien Ismaël[83] Mutual consent 2 February 2026 22nd Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill[84] 13 February 2026
West Bromwich Albion Wales Eric Ramsay[85] Sacked 24 February 2026 21st Scotland James Morrison[b][86][87] 24 February 2026
Bristol City Austria Gerhard Struber[88] 27 March 2026 16th England Roy Hodgson (interim)[89] 27 March 2026
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  1. [a]
    Eckert was initially named interim head coach before being appointed on a permanent basis on 5 December 2025.
  2. [b]
    Morrison was appointed interim head coach until the end of the season on 4 March 2026, before being appointed on a permanent basis on 30 April 2026.

League table

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Coventry City (C, P) 46 28 11 7 97 45 +52 95 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Ipswich Town (P) 46 23 15 8 80 47 +33 84
3 Millwall 46 24 11 11 64 49 +15 83 Qualification for the Championship play-offs
4 Southampton 46 22 14 10 82 56 +26 80
5 Middlesbrough 46 22 14 10 72 47 +25 80
6 Hull City 46 21 10 15 70 66 +4 73
7 Wrexham 46 19 14 13 69 65 +4 71
8 Derby County 46 20 9 17 67 59 +8 69
9 Norwich City 46 19 8 19 63 56 +7 65
10 Birmingham City 46 17 13 16 57 56 +1 64
11 Swansea City 46 18 10 18 57 59 −2 64
12 Bristol City 46 17 11 18 59 59 0 62
13 Sheffield United 46 18 6 22 66 66 0 60
14 Preston North End 46 15 15 16 55 62 −7 60
15 Queens Park Rangers 46 16 10 20 61 73 −12 58
16 Watford 46 14 15 17 53 65 −12 57
17 Stoke City 46 15 10 21 51 56 −5 55
18 Portsmouth 46 14 13 19 49 64 −15 55
19 Charlton Athletic 46 13 14 19 44 58 −14 53
20 Blackburn Rovers 46 13 13 20 42 56 −14 52
21 West Bromwich Albion 46 13 14 19 48 58 −10 51[a]
22 Oxford United (R) 46 11 14 21 45 59 −14 47 Relegation to EFL League One
23 Leicester City (R) 46 12 16 18 58 68 −10 46[b]
24 Sheffield Wednesday (R) 46 2 12 32 29 89 −60 0[c]
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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)[95]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    West Bromwich Albion were deducted two points on 24 April 2026, due to breaching PSR rules.[90]
  2. [b]
    Leicester City were deducted six points on 5 February 2026, due to breaching PSR rules.[91] Leicester City's appeal against the points deduction was dismissed on 8 April 2026.[92]
  3. [c]
    Sheffield Wednesday were deducted twelve points due to filing for administration on 24 October 2025, then deducted a further six points on 1 December 2025 for failing to meet payment obligations.[93][94]

Results

More information Home \ Away, BIR ...
Home \ Away BIR BLA BRI CHA COV DER HUL IPS LEI MID MIL NOR OXF POR PNE QPR SHU SHW SOU STO SWA WAT WBA WRX
Birmingham City — 0–1 2–1 1–1 3–2 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–1 1–3 4–0 4–1 1–0 4–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 2–0
Blackburn Rovers 1–2 — 1–2 2–2 1–1 1–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–3 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–2 1–1 0–0 0–2
Bristol City 1–0 0–1 — 0–0 0–2 0–5 4–2 1–1 2–2 2–0 0–1 2–4 1–3 5–0 0–2 1–2 1–0 2–0 3–1 2–0 3–0 1–2 0–1 2–2
Charlton Athletic 1–0 3–0 1–2 — 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 0–1 1–2 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–3 1–2 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–5 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–1
Coventry City 3–0 2–0 1–0 3–1 — 3–2 0–0 0–2 2–1 3–1 2–1 1–1 0–0 5–1 3–0 7–1 3–1 0–0 1–2 2–1 1–0 3–1 3–2 3–1
Derby County 1–0 3–1 1–1 1–1 3–5 — 2–1 1–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–3 1–1 1–2
Hull City 1–1 0–3 2–3 1–1 0–0 4–2 — 0–2 2–1 1–4 1–3 2–1 3–2 3–2 2–2 1–3 1–0 3–1 3–1 0–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 2–0
Ipswich Town 2–1 3–0 2–0 0–3 3–0 2–2 1–0 — 1–1 2–2 1–1 3–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 5–0 3–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–0 0–0
Leicester City 2–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–0 2–1 2–2 3–1 — 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 2–2 1–3 2–3 2–1 3–4 2–1 0–1 1–2 2–1 1–1
Middlesbrough 2–1 0–0 1–1 0–1 2–4 2–1 0–1 2–1 1–1 — 1–2 1–0 0–0 0–1 4–0 3–1 1–0 1–0 4–0 0–0 1–0 5–1 2–1 1–1
Millwall 3–0 1–2 2–1 4–0 0–4 1–0 1–3 0–0 1–0 0–3 — 1–2 2–0 1–3 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 3–2 2–0 2–1 1–0 3–0 0–2
Norwich City 1–2 2–0 0–1 1–0 2–1 2–1 0–2 0–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 — 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–1 2–0 2–1 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–1 2–3
Oxford United 0–2 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–0 1–1 2–1 2–2 1–1 2–2 0–3 — 0–1 1–2 0–0 0–1 4–1 2–1 0–3 0–1 2–0 2–1 0–1
Portsmouth 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–1 1–2 0–1 0–1 2–0 1–0 1–0 3–1 1–2 2–2 — 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 3–0 0–0
Preston North End 0–1 1–2 0–0 2–0 1–1 0–1 0–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–0 — 1–1 3–2 3–0 1–3 3–1 2–1 2–2 0–2 1–1
Queens Park Rangers 2–1 1–3 0–0 3–1 2–1 2–3 3–2 1–4 4–1 0–4 1–2 1–2 0–0 6–1 1–1 — 0–2 3–0 1–2 1–0 1–2 2–1 3–1 2–3
Sheffield United 3–0 1–3 1–4 0–1 1–2 1–3 2–1 3–1 3–1 1–2 0–1 1–1 3–1 3–0 2–3 0–0 — 2–1 1–2 4–0 3–3 1–0 1–1 1–2
Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 0–0 0–3 1–1 0–5 0–3 2–2 0–2 1–1 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–2 0–1 2–3 1–1 0–3 — 1–3 0–3 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–1
Southampton 3–1 3–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–2 3–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 2–0 0–0 0–2 5–0 1–0 3–1 — 1–2 0–0 1–0 3–2 2–1
Stoke City 1–0 1–1 5–1 3–0 0–1 3–1 1–2 3–3 2–2 1–2 1–3 1–1 2–1 1–3 0–0 0–0 1–2 2–0 0–2 — 2–1 3–1 0–1 1–0
Swansea City 1–1 3–1 1–0 3–1 0–3 1–2 2–2 1–4 1–3 2–2 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–0 4–0 1–2 2–0 — 1–1 1–0 2–1
Watford 3–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 2–1 0–2 0–0 3–0 0–2 3–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 1–0 0–2 — 2–1 3–1
West Bromwich Albion 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 0–2 0–1 3–0 0–0 1–1 2–3 0–0 0–5 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 3–2 3–0 — 2–2
Wrexham 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 3–2 1–1 1–2 5–3 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–2 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–3 5–3 2–2 1–5 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–3 —
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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

Main article: 2026 EFL play-offs

Bracket

Semi-finals Final
        
3 Millwall 0 0 0
6 Hull City 0 2 2
6 Hull City
4 or 5 Middlesbrough or Southampton
4 Southampton (a.e.t.) 0 2 2
5 Middlesbrough 0 1 1

Semi-finals

First leg
More information Hull City, 0–0 ...
Hull City0–0Millwall
Report
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Attendance: 24,623
Referee: Gavin Ward
More information Middlesbrough, 0–0 ...
Middlesbrough0–0Southampton
Report
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Attendance: 32,045
Referee: Farai Hallam
Second leg
More information Millwall, 0–2 ...
Millwall0–2Hull City
Report
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Attendance: 17,768
Referee: Samuel Barrott

Hull City won 2–0 on aggregate

More information Southampton, 2–1 (a.e.t.) ...
Southampton2–1 (a.e.t.)Middlesbrough
 Report
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Attendance: 30,277
Referee: Andrew Madley

Southampton won 2–1 on aggregate

Championship final

Main article: 2026 EFL Championship play-off final
More information Hull City, v ...
Hull CityvMiddlesbrough or Southampton
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Season statistics

Top scorers

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Slovenia Žan Vipotnik Swansea City 23
2 Scotland Oli McBurnie Hull City 17
United States Haji Wright Coventry City
4 England Jack Clarke Ipswich Town 16
England Josh Windass Wrexham
6 England Joe Gelhardt1 Hull City 15
7 England Morgan Whittaker Middlesbrough 14
8 Scotland Tommy Conway 13
England Ellis Simms Coventry City
Ghana Brandon Thomas-Asante
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  • 1 Includes 1 goal in The Championship play-offs.


Hat-tricks

Main article: List of EFL Championship hat-tricks
More information Player, For ...
Player For Against Result Date
England Jaden Philogene Ipswich Town Sheffield United 5–0 (H)[96] 12 September 2025
Wales Kieffer Moore Wrexham Coventry City 3–2 (H)[97] 31 October 2025
England Carlton Morris Derby County Sheffield United 3–1 (A)[98] 1 November 2025
England Divin Mubama Stoke City Bristol City 5–1 (H)[99]
England Tom Ince Watford Birmingham City 3–0 (H)[100] 1 January 2026
Australia Mohamed Touré Norwich City Oxford United 3–0 (A)[101] 10 February 2026
United States Haji Wright Coventry City Middlesbrough 3–1 (H)[102] 16 February 2026
Australia Mohamed Touré Norwich City Bristol City 4–2 (A)[103] 18 April 2026
Croatia Adrian Segečić Portsmouth Stoke City 3–1 (A)[104] 25 April 2026
England Ellis Simms Coventry City Watford 4–0 (A)[105] 2 May 2026
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Clean sheets

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1 England Carl Rushworth Coventry City 17
2 England Christian Walton Ipswich Town 16
3 England Sol Brynn1 Middlesbrough 14
4 Croatia Ivor Pandur2 Hull City 13
5 Chile Lawrence Vigouroux Swansea City 12
Czech Republic Radek Vítek Bristol City
7 Belgium Thomas Kaminski Charlton Athletic 11
8 Nigeria Arthur Okonkwo Wrexham 10
Republic of Ireland Max O'Leary West Bromwich Albion
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  • 1 Includes 1 clean sheet in The Championship play-offs.
  • 2 Includes 2 clean sheets in The Championship play-offs.

Discipline

Player

  • Most yellow cards: 13
  • Most red cards: 1
    • Fifty-six players

Club

  • Most yellow cards: 115
    • Hull City
  • Most red cards: 6
    • Sheffield United
  • Fewest yellow cards: 68
    • Sheffield Wednesday
  • Fewest red cards: 1
    • Eleven teams

Awards

Monthly

More information Month, Manager of the Month ...
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Ref
August Wales Rob Edwards Middlesbrough United States Josh Sargent Norwich City [106]
September Northern Ireland Kieran McKenna Ipswich Town Scotland Oli McBurnie Hull City [107]
October England Frank Lampard Coventry City Ghana Brandon Thomas-Asante Coventry City [108]
November England Ellis Simms [109]
December Northern Ireland Kieran McKenna Ipswich Town England Patrick Bamford Sheffield United [110]
January Sweden Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough Republic of Ireland Alan Browne Middlesbrough [111]
February Germany Tonda Eckert Southampton England Femi Azeez Millwall [112]
March England Josh Coburn [113]
April Croatia Adrian Segečić Portsmouth [114]
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Annual

More information Award, Winner ...
Award Winner Club
Player of the Season England Hayden Hackney[115] Middlesbrough
Young Player of the Season Wales Jordan James[116] Leicester City
Apprentice of the Season England Louis Page[117]
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Championship Team of the Season

More information Pos., Player ...
Pos. Player Club Ref.
GK England Carl Rushworth Coventry City [118]
RB Netherlands Milan van Ewijk Coventry City
CB France Tristan Crama Millwall
CB England Callum Doyle Wrexham
LB England Josh Tymon Swansea City
RW England Femi Azeez Millwall
CM England Matt Grimes Coventry City
CM England Hayden Hackney Middlesbrough
LW Wales Sorba Thomas Stoke City
FW United States Haji Wright Coventry City
FW Slovenia Žan Vipotnik Swansea City
Manager England Frank Lampard Coventry City
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See also

References

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