The 2025/26 EFL Championship season is just a day away from starting as newly-promoted Birmingham City take on just-relegated Ipswich Town on Friday night, leaving anticipation building across the country.
As ever, England’s second tier promises a relentless schedule, fierce competition and huge entertainment, while there are almost certain to be unexpected teams in both the relegation and promotion races.
Regardless, there are several teams that look destined to finish at either end of the table, and we look at our favourites for promotion, top six finishes and relegation to League One.
Promotion Favourites
Several clubs head into this new season with strong expectations and hopes of securing promotion to the English Premier League, with recently relegated Ipswich Town, Southampton and Leicester City all aiming for immediate rebounds, while Sheffield United will be eager to bounce back from their play-off final defeat last term.
All four of these clubs are expected to battle for the top two positions in search of automatic promotion, while one of the remaining duo will then be fighting to secure their promotion through the dreaded play-offs.
We are backing Ipswich Town to be the pick of the bunch in 2025-26, as the Tractor Boys have been able to retain much of the side that competed in the Premier League last season, including several players that have previously proved themselves to be among the very best to have played in the Championship, and have made shrewd additions too – Ipswich Town to win the 2025/26 Championship title @4.00
?? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??
— Bet9ja: The home of #betBOOM! ? (@Bet9jaOfficial) August 7, 2025
Are you ready to go 1Up?! ?
Southampton, under new manager Will Still, to should also have enough to earn promotion. After losing several key players, Sheff Utd will just miss out while also securing a top six spot, while a looming points deductions means it’s hard to back Leicester at this early stage, but they should still have enough to make the top 6.
Southampton to be promoted: @2.75
Top Six Contenders
Beyond the promotion favourites, a handful of other clubs are well-positioned to challenge for the play-offs, where they will compete for a chance to play at Wembley in the play-off final.
Alongside the Foxes and Blades, Coventry City have a great chance of back-to-back top six finishes. The Sky Blues had a superb second half of last season as they climbed from 15th in January to fifth, and we believe Frank Lampard will be able to pick up where he left off and secure a top six spot once again – Coventry City to finish in the top six: @1.94.
While Birmingham are the obvious team to back @1.63 having spent over £40m since last summer, Millwall could be the team to back if you want good value.
The Lions missed out on the last day of 2024/25, and manager Alex Neil will be eager to go one step further and secure a play-off place this term.
The manager joined midway through the season and had the fifth best record of any team in the league after he took charge, and with the ability to snatch victories and be hard to defeat, we are backing the Lions for a top six spot – Millwall to finish in the top six @5.00.
Find out how one Bet9ja user turned N100 into N10 MILLION! ?
— Bet9ja: The home of #betBOOM! ? (@Bet9jaOfficial) August 6, 2025
Relegation Watch
At the other end of the table, Sheffield Wednesday are huge favourites to be relegated due to the turmoil on and off the pitch, with the Owls unable to sign any players due to a transfer ban, while they have been left with only 16 first-team players due to several also leaving the club. In addition, manager Danny Rohl left the side just two weeks before the start of the campaign, and these are all factors in our prediction for Sheffield Wednesday to suffer relegation – Sheffield Wednesday to be relegated: 1.33.
Oxford United narrowly escaped relegation last season, but a lack of attacking reinforcements to improve upon last season’s individual top scorer netting just six times, means we believe they will go down this term – Oxford United to be relegated: 3.55.
Finally, Hull City continue to be in turmoil, after surviving by goal difference last season. They are currently under a transfer embargo which has limited their spending and again have opted for a manager – Sergej Jakirovi? – who is unproven in this league. Their squad looks weaker than last season and key players are being linked away from the club. At time of writing, it’s hard to look past Hull as one of the three to go down – Hull City to be relegated: 3.90.
