The Championship is back this weekend and we’ve assessed all of the top sides to rank their chances of being promoted in 2025-26.
Predicting the Championship is virtually impossible as the league regularly throws up curveballs throughout the year.
Before a ball has been kicked, we’ve assessed every club in the league and have compiled a top 10 power ranking list, based on their promotion chances this season.
10. Wrexham
Deciding who to place in 10th was arguably the toughest thing to do on this entire list.
We’ve eventually settled on Wrexham, although this spot could’ve easily gone to Bristol City, Derby County, Swansea City or Middlesbrough.
Ultimately, in a league like the Championship, money talks and Wrexham have deeper pockets than most.
They’ve already made quite the splash during the transfer window so far, bringing in the likes of Lewis O’Brien, Liberato Cacace, Conor Coady, Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass.
It remains to be seen whether Phil Parkinson will be able to gel his squad in time for a promotion push, but Wrexham certainly aren’t here to make up the numbers.
9. West Brom
Since being relegated from the Premier League in 2021, the Baggies have never finished outside of the top 10.
After falling short of the top six last season, they’ve appointed Ryan Mason and have made a few eye-catching signings over the summer.
Ultimately, we’d back West Brom to be in the promotion mix once again, but it remains to be seen how good Mason is as a manager.
For that reason, we can’t justify placing them much higher than ninth in our rankings for the time being.
8. Millwall
Millwall have finished eighth in the Championship in four of the last eight seasons.
They are regularly around the playoff mix, but are never quite able to get over the line.
Alex Neil will have his side well set up for the new campaign and providing that they keep Japhet Tanganga and Mihailo Ivanovic, we wouldn’t be surprised if this is the year that they finally sneak in.
The signing of Alfie Doughty should give them an extra level of creativity and could push them towards a top-six finish.
7. Norwich City
After an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, Norwich are being tipped to be back in the promotion race this season.
Liam Manning has a reputation for improving teams and, like Bristol City last season, we wouldn’t be surprised if he guides Norwich to a playoff finish.
Despite losing Borja Sainz and with the potential to lose Josh Sargent too, the Canaries still have a very competitive squad from front to back.
Only Leeds United scored more goals than Norwich last season, so if Manning can sort out their defence, they’ve got every chance of finishing in the top six.
6. Leicester City
The last time Leicester were in the Championship, they bulldozed the competition under Enzo Maresca and won the league with 97 points.
While they still have a very competitive squad for this level, off-pitch issues could hold them back from competing for a place in the top two.
It’s been heavily suggested that a nine-point deduction could be coming their way and their transfer activity has been virtually non-existent this summer.
As of writing, Asmir Begovic is their only signing and he’s not expected to play with Jakub Stolarczyk likely being handed the number one spot.
However, even with a potential point deduction, Martí Cifuentes’ side is still more than capable of a top-six finish.
Players like Issahaku Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Bilal El Khannouss have the potential to rip this league apart and score plenty of goals.
5. Coventry City
Frank Lampard did a fine job with Coventry last season, averaging 1.79 points per game from the moment he took over.
Over the course of a full season, 1.79 PPG would be worth 82 points, which would virtually guarantee you a spot in the top six.
The signing of Kaine Kesler-Hayden has caught our eye following a strong loan spell in the Championship last season with Preston North End.
Providing that they don’t get any big injuries, Coventry seem like a strong pick for the top six at this stage.
4. Sheffield United
After racking up 90 points in the Championship last season with a point deduction, it’s been all change at Bramall Lane over the summer.
Club legend Chris Wilder has left the club and has been replaced by former Hull City manager Ruben Selles.
Replacing Wilder after such a strong season could backfire, but the Blades still have one of the best squads in the league.
Despite losing Anel Ahmedhodzic and Vinicius Souza, Sheffield United still have an XI capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in the league.
We still expect them to be busy between now and the end of the window, particularly in defence, where they are currently short of options.
3. Birmingham City
We can’t remember the last time that a club was promoted from League One with as much hype behind them as Birmingham.
Even Ipswich went somewhat under the radar when they were promoted from the third tier with Kieran McKenna in 2023.
After obliterating the League One points record, the Blues look ready to make an instant impact upon their return to the Championship.
They’ve been highly ambitious throughout the summer and have attracted several quality players to the club.
The likes of Demarai Gray, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Kyogo Furuhashi, Marvin Ducksch and Tommy Doyle are all quality signings for this level.
It’s now up to Chris Davies to gel everything together and if they do click early on, they could be a shout for automatic promotion.
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2. Southampton
As long as the Saints can shake off any negative momentum from the Premier League last season, they should be a strong outfit under Will Still.
For Championship standards, their squad is looking good, particularly in midfield and the final third, where they have plenty of options to call upon.
It remains to be seen whether Premier League clubs will poach Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes, but for the time being, those two could carry the Saints to automatic promotion.
1. Ipswich Town
At this stage, we simply cannot look past Ipswich as our title favourites.
The Tractor Boys have an incredibly strong squad for this level and they’re likely to make more signings between now and the end of the window.
They look particularly strong in the final third, where they have the likes of George Hirst, Conor Chaplin, Jaden Philogene, Jack Clarke, Sammie Szmodics and now Chuba Akpom to call upon.
While Omari Hutchinson has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League of late, this Ipswich squad is still capable of winning the league without him.
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