2026–27 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season
138th season in existence of Bolton Wanderers FC
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The 2026–27 season will be the 138th season in the history of Bolton Wanderers Football Club and their first season in the Championship since 2018-19 following promotion from League One via the play-offs the previous season. In addition to the domestic league, the club will also participate in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.
OwnerFootball Ventures Ltd (92%),
British Business Bank (8%)
British Business Bank (8%)
ChairmanSharon Brittan
ManagerSteven Schumacher
StadiumToughsheet Community Stadium
| 2026–27 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Football Ventures Ltd (92%), British Business Bank (8%) | ||
| Chairman | Sharon Brittan | ||
| Manager | Steven Schumacher | ||
| Stadium | Toughsheet Community Stadium | ||
|
| |||
The home kit is a remade version of the home kit worn in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.[1] The away kit is a remade version of the 06-07 away kit.[2] The third kit takes inspiration from kits from the early 1990s.[3]
Transfers and contracts
In
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 2026[a] | CM |  David Watson | Kilmarnock | Undisclosed | [4] |
| 1 July 2026[b] | CB |  Ben Davies | Rangers | Free | [5] |
| 1 July 2026 | CB | Akin Famewo | Hull City | Undisclosed | [6] |
| 2 July 2026 | RB | Luca Stephenson | Liverpool | £700,000 | [7][8] |
| 23 July 2026 | RB |  Gaizka Larrazabal |  Casa Pia | Free | [9] |
Out
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 2026[a] | LW |  Szabolcs Schön | Győri ETO | Undisclosed | [10] |
| 19 June 2026 | CM |  Sonny Sharples-Ahmed | Hednesford Town | [11] |
- The transfer was announced on 27 May, and would become official on 15 June once the transfer window opened
Loaned in
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Date until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2026 | LW |  Kyliane Dong |  FC Augsburg | End of Season[a] | [12] |
- A view to make the move permanent at the conclusion of the loan deal.
Loaned out
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Loaned until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2026 | CB | Richard Taylor | Bromley | End of Season | [13] |
Released / Out of Contract
| Date | Pos. | Player | Subsequent club | Joined date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2026 | CM | Kyle Dempsey | Port Vale | 1 July 2026 | [14][15] |
| CF |  Mark Isong |  Vermont Catamounts | [14][16] | ||
| CB | George Johnston | Luton Town | [14][17] | ||
| LB |  Tomi Adesina | [14] | |||
| GK | Jack Dallimore | [14] | |||
| CB | Sean Hogan | [14] | |||
| RW |  Carlos Mendes Gomes | [14] | |||
| RB | Jordi Osei-Tutu | [14] |
New Contract
| Date | Pos. | Player | End date | Ref. |
|---|
Pre-season and friendlies
On 28 April, Bolton announced NAC Breda would visit the Toughsheet Community Stadium during pre-season and a trip to Slovakia for a training camp with a friendly against DAC Dunajská Streda.[18] On 3 June, an away friendly at Fleetwood Town on 28 July was announced.[19] Five days later, a fourth was added to the schedule at Oldham Athletic.[20] On 17 June, a second home pre-season friendly was added against Everton.[21]
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
| 11 July 2026 Friendly | Longridge Town | 0–4 | Bolton Wanderers U21 | Longridge |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Trialist A  5'O'Neill 12'Abimbola 23'Trialist B 68' |
Stadium: Inglewhite Road |
| 17 July 2026 Friendly | DAC Dunajská Streda | 2–1 | Bolton Wanderers | Dunajská Streda, Slovakia |
| 18:30 CEST | Gagua 18' Kapanadze 38' |
Report | Rodrigues 76' |
Stadium: MOL Aréna |
| 18 July 2026 Friendly | Daisy Hill | 1–2 | Bolton Wanderers U21 | Daisy Hill |
| 15:00 BST | Musanhu 20' |
Report | Lawrence 51' (pen.) Trialist 90' |
Stadium: Ginge Power Stadium |
| 21 July 2026 Friendly | Oldham Athletic | 1−3 | Bolton Wanderers | Oldham |
| 19:00 BST | Kavanagh 82' |
Report | Rodrigues 12', 23' McAtee 86' |
Stadium: Boundary Park Referee: Matt McQuillan |
| 25 July 2026 Friendly | Bolton Wanderers | 0–0 | Everton | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium Attendance: 10,608 Referee: James Bell |
| 28 July 2026 Friendly | Fleetwood Town | 1–1 | Bolton Wanderers | Fleetwood |
| 19:00 BST | Evans 51' |
Report | Gale 85' |
Stadium: Highbury Stadium Attendance: 2,134 Referee: Paul Tierney |
| 28 July 2026 Friendly | Radcliffe | 0–2 | Bolton Wanderers U21 | Radcliffe |
| 19:45 BST | Report | Leigh 12' Trialist 49' |
Stadium: Neuven Stadium |
| 1 August 2026 Friendly | Bolton Wanderers | v | NAC Breda | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
Competitions
Overall record
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Championship | 15 August 2026 | 1 May 2027 | Matchday 1 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| FA Cup | January 2027 | TBD | Third round | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| EFL Cup | 8 August 2026 | TBD | First round | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | ||||
Last updated: pre-season
Source: Soccerway
Championship
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 |
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)[22]
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)[22]
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last updated: pre-season.
Source: Soccerway
Results by round
Matches
On 25 June, the Championship fixtures were announced. It sees Bolton open their campaign on 8 August at home to Preston North End, with the regular season concluding on 1 May away at West Bromwich Albion.[23]
Win
Draw
Loss
Fixtures
| 15 August 2026 1 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Preston North End | Bolton |
| 12:30 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 22 August 2026 2 | Queens Park Rangers | v | Bolton Wanderers | Shepherd's Bush, London |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Loftus Road |
| 29 August 2026 3 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Lincoln City | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 1 September 2026 4 | Sheffield United | v | Bolton Wanderers | Sheffield |
| 19:45 BST | Stadium: Bramall Lane |
| 5 September 2026 5 | Millwall | v | Bolton Wanderers | Bermondsey, London |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: The Den |
| 8 September 2026 6 | Bolton Wanderers | v | West Ham United | Bolton |
| 20:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium | |||
| Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 19:45 kick-off, but was pushed back for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[24] | ||||
| 12 September 2026 7 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Cardiff City | Bolton |
| 12:30 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium | |||
| Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was brought forward for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[24] | ||||
| 19 September 2026 8 | Norwich City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Norwich |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Carrow Road |
| 10 October 2026 9 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Stoke City | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 13 October 2026 10 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | v | Bolton Wanderers | Wolverhampton |
| 19:45 BST | Stadium: Molineux Stadium |
| 17 October 2026 11 | Southampton | v | Bolton Wanderers | Southampton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: St Mary's Stadium |
| 24 October 2026 12 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Middlesbrough | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 31 October 2026 13 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Bristol City | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 4 November 2026 14 | Charlton Athletic | v | Bolton Wanderers | Charlton, London |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: The Valley |
| 7 November 2026 15 | Derby County | v | Bolton Wanderers | Derby |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Pride Park Stadium |
| 21 November 2026 16 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Portsmouth | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 25 November 2026 17 | Bolton Wanderers | v | West Bromwich Albion | Bolton |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 28 November 2026 18 | Birmingham City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Birmingham |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: St Andrew's |
| 5 December 2026 19 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Blackburn Rovers | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 8 December 2026 20 | Swansea City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Swansea |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Swansea.com Stadium |
| 12 December 2026 21 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Wrexham | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 19 December 2026 22 | Watford | v | Bolton Wanderers | Watford |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Vicarage Road |
| 26 December 2026 23 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Burnley | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 29 December 2026 24 | Middlesbrough | v | Bolton Wanderers | Middlesbrough |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Riverside Stadium |
| 1 January 2027 25 | Wrexham | v | Bolton Wanderers | Wrexham |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Racecourse Ground |
| 16 January 2027 26 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Southampton | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 23 January 2027 27 | Bristol City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Bristol |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Ashton Gate |
| 26 January 2027 28 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Charlton Athletic | Bolton |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 30 January 2027 29 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Derby County | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 6 February 2027 30 | Portsmouth | v | Bolton Wanderers | Portsmouth |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Fratton Park |
| 13 February 2027 31 | Cardiff City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Cardiff |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium |
| 17 February 2027 32 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Bolton |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 20 February 2027 33 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Norwich City | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 27 February 2027 34 | Stoke City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Stoke-on-Trent |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Bet365 Stadium |
| 2 March 2027 35 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Queens Park Rangers | Bolton |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 6 March 2027 36 | Preston North End | v | Bolton Wanderers | Preston |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Deepdale |
| 13 March 2027 37 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Birmingham City | Bolton |
| 15:00 GMT | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 17 March 2027 38 | Blackburn Rovers | v | Bolton Wanderers | Blackburn |
| 19:45 GMT | Stadium: Ewood Park |
| 3 April 2027 40 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Watford | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 6 April 2027 41 | West Ham United | v | Bolton Wanderers | Stratford, London |
| 19:45 BST | Stadium: London Stadium |
| 10 April 2027 42 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Millwall | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 17 April 2027 43 | Lincoln City | v | Bolton Wanderers | Lincoln |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: LNER Stadium |
| 20 April 2027 44 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Sheffield United | Bolton |
| 19:45 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 24 April 2027 45 | Bolton Wanderers | v | Swansea City | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium |
| 1 May 2027 46 | West Bromwich Albion | v | Bolton Wanderers | West Bromwich |
| 12:30 BST | Stadium: The Hawthorns |
FA Cup
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
TBD vs TBD Date: TBD 2026-2027
EFL Cup
On 25 June, the draw for the first round was made, with Bolton being draw away at Sheffield Wednesday.[25]
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
| 8 August 2026 First round | Sheffield Wednesday | v | Bolton Wanderers | Sheffield |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium |
Statistics
Appearances and goals
- As of pre-season
Players with no appearances are not included on the list; italics indicate loaned in player
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Championship | FA Cup | EFL Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
Goals record
- As of pre-season
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Championship | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Disciplinary record
- As of pre-season
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Championship | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||