2026–27 EFL Championship
English football tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 1st season following the expansion of the play-off round from 4 teams to 6.[1]
Season2026–27
Dates14 August 2026 –
May 2027
May 2027
| Season | 2026–27 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14 August 2026 – May 2027 |
← 2025–26 2027–28 →
All statistics correct as of 25 April 2026. | |
The 2026–27 season will consist of 46 rounds total and 4 rounds for the play-off stage, with the fixture lists set to be released on 25 June 2026 at 12:00 BST.[2]
Team changes
The following teams will change division after the 2025–26 season:
To ChampionshipPromoted from League One Relegated from the Premier League |
From ChampionshipPromoted to the Premier League Relegated to League One
|
Stadiums and locations
|
|
Personnel and sponsoring
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main | Other(s) | ||||
| Birmingham City |  Chris Davies |
 Christoph Klarer |
Nike | Undefeated[3] | List
|
| Blackburn Rovers |  Michael O'Neill |
 Todd Cantwell |
Macron | Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors[4] | |
| Bristol City | TBD |  Jason Knight |
O'Neills | Fever[5] | List
|
| Burnley | Scott Parker |
Josh Cullen |
Castore | TBA | List
|
| Cardiff City | Brian Barry-Murphy |
Calum Chambers |
New Balance | Visit Malaysia | List
|
| Charlton Athletic | Nathan Jones |
 Greg Docherty |
Reebok | RSK Group | List
|
| Lincoln City | Michael Skubala |
 Tendayi Darikwa |
Oxen | TBA | List
|
| Norwich City |  Philippe Clement |
Kenny McLean |
Joma | Blakely Clothing | List
|
| Portsmouth | John Mousinho |
Marlon Pack |
Nike | University of Portsmouth | List
|
| Preston North End | Paul Heckingbottom |
Benjamin Whiteman |
Castore | TBA | List
|
| Queens Park Rangers |  Julien Stéphan |
Jimmy Dunne |
Erreà | TBA | List
|
| Sheffield United | Chris Wilder |
Japhet Tanganga |
Adidas[6] | TBA | List
|
| Stoke City | Mark Robins |
Ben Gibson |
Macron | bet365 | List
|
| Swansea City |  Vítor Matos |
Ben Cabango |
Joma | TBA | List
|
| Watford | Edward Still |
 Imrân Louza |
Kelme | TBA | List
|
| West Bromwich Albion | TBD | Jed Wallace |
Macron | Ideal Heating | List
|
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Rob Edwards |
Toti Gomes |
Sudu | TBA | List
|
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol City | Roy Hodgson |
End of interim spell | 2 May 2026 | Pre-season | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | James Morrison |
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 | Bristol City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the EFL Championship play-off semi-finals |
| 4 | Burnley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Cardiff City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for the EFL Championship play-off quarter-finals |
| 6 | Charlton Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Norwich City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Portsmouth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Preston North End | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Sheffield United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Stoke City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Swansea City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | Watford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 19 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to EFL League One |
| 23 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | TBC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on Pre-season. 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)[7]
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)[7]
Results
Play-offs
Bracket
| Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | Final | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | TBC | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | TBC | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | TBC | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | TBC | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | TBC | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | TBC | |||||||||||||||
Season statistics
- As of Pre-season
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|
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 | |||||
See also
- 2026–27 Premier League
- 2026–27 EFL League One
- 2026–27 EFL League Two
- 2026–27 National League
- 2026–27 EFL Cup
- 2026–27 FA Cup
- 2026–27 EFL Trophy