THE Championship is four games old and already looks like one of the most competitive seasons in recent history, with 24 teams battling it out over a marathon 46 matches in the hope of reaching the promised land of the Premier League.

The three relegated teams of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves started as favourites in the Championship promotion odds, but none of them has made the running so far. West Ham did not win until their fourth match, Burnley have been badly exposed already, and it is Swansea City, QPR and Charlton Athletic who sit level at the top separated only by goal difference. Southampton, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United are all in the mix, along with the improving Wrexham and Birmingham City.

There is an added twist this season as well.

The Championship play-offs have been expanded from four teams to six. As a result, clubs finishing from third to eighth are all in with a chance of reaching the top flight through the Wembley final. 

The prospect of taking part in the most lucrative match in football at the end of May is likely to keep the Championship season alive until the final weekend. It will only serve to increase the interest in what is already one of the most exciting leagues in world football.

Quick tips for the 2026/27 Championship promotion market

⬆️ Latest Championship promotion odds

It’s no major shock to see the relegated trio of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves among the favourites to be promoted straight back to the Premier League. The bookmakers still see West Ham as the clear favourites, though four games in there is very little to separate the top half of the division.

The early table has done nothing to settle the argument over whether Burnley and Wolves will join them, and Middlesbrough remain the side most expected to be right in the mix after impressing last season.

Championship winner odds for the 2026/27 season, compared across bet365, Betfred and Betway

Team
bet365
Betfred
Betway

West Ham United
bet3651/2
Betfred1/2
Betway1/2

Wolves
bet3657/4
Betfred11/8
Betway2/1

Middlesbrough
bet3659/4
Betfred6/4
Betway2/1

Burnley
bet3653/1
Betfred3/1
Betway7/2

Southampton
bet3657/2
Betfred10/3
Betway4/1

Birmingham City
bet3659/2
Betfred9/2
Betway4/1

Sheffield United
bet36511/2
Betfred6/1
Betway11/2

Wrexham
bet3656/1
Betfred5/1
Betway5/1

Norwich City
bet3656/1
Betfred5/1
Betway6/1

Millwall
bet3656/1
Betfred11/2
Betway13/2

West Brom
bet3659/1
Betfred10/1
Betway8/1

Derby County
bet36512/1
Betfred12/1
Betway10/1

Swansea City
bet36512/1
Betfred11/1
Betway12/1

Watford
bet36514/1
Betfred14/1
Betway16/1

Bristol City
bet36516/1
Betfred14/1
Betway14/1

Stoke City
bet36516/1
Betfred16/1
Betway10/1

QPR
bet36516/1
Betfred14/1
Betway16/1

Cardiff City
bet36518/1
Betfred20/1
Betway18/1

Bolton Wanderers
bet36518/1
Betfred22/1
Betway20/1

Blackburn Rovers
bet36520/1
Betfred22/1
Betway14/1

Charlton Athletic
bet36520/1
Betfred28/1
Betway20/1

Portsmouth
bet36525/1
Betfred25/1
Betway16/1

Preston North End
bet36540/1
Betfred40/1
Betway28/1

Lincoln City
bet36550/1
Betfred50/1
Betway33/1

Odds correct on 3 September 2026.
Prices are subject to change. 18+. Begambleaware.org. Commercial content.

🤔 How does automatic promotion and the play-offs work?

The format being used to decide automatic promotion for the 2026/27 Championship season has slightly changed. 

The basis of three clubs gaining promotion to the Premier League remains the same. And as has been the case in recent years, the teams finishing first and second in the table will automatically go up. 

The change is simply being made to the play-offs. In recent years the teams finishing third to sixth took part in the play-offs. 

Beginning this season, the number of teams taking part in the play-offs has been expanded from four to six, meaning the teams finishing from third to eighth are now included.

FinishReward1stAutomatic promotion2ndAutomatic promotion3rdQualify for the play-off semi-finals4thQualify for the play-off semi-finals5thHome advantage against 8th in eliminator match6thHome advantage against 7th in eliminator match7thAway to 6th placed team in eliminator8thAway to 5th placed team in eliminator

To expand on the new format, the teams finishing fifth and eighth will meet in a one-off eliminator match, as do the teams who finish sixth and seventh.

The higher-ranked team hosts those matches, meaning fifth and sixth will have home advantage.

The winners of the two eliminators then face the teams who finished third and fourth in the league in the play-off semi-finals. Both ties will remain two-legged, with the higher-ranked third and fourth-placed teams having home advantage in the second legs.

Furthermore, the team that finishes third in the Championship will face the lowest-ranked team remaining in the play-offs after the two eliminator matches, while the team that finished fourth faces the other eliminator winner.

This means there is no set pathway as the team that finishes third in the table won’t know their play-off opponents until the eliminators are completed.

The winners of the semi-finals will meet at Wembley for the final promotion place in the most lucrative match in football.

The idea behind the new system is to keep more clubs in the promotion hunt for longer. It could mean that teams all the way down to tenth or lower still have a chance of promotion going into the final weekend of the season.

The format has also been designed to give the teams that finish higher up the table an advantage over those that reach the play-offs in the lower positions.

⬇️ The relegated trio

The three teams that are relegated from the Premier League are nearly always the favourites to go straight back up. Parachute payments and the financial clout that comes from being in the English top flight give them a huge advantage over the rest of the division:

West Ham

West Ham are the obvious favourites to be promoted with the best football betting sites. They feel like a Premier League club in the wrong division.

The Hammers retained Nuno Espirito Santo as their head coach, which is a significant achievement. 

They’ve also largely managed to keep the bulk of their Premier League squad together with captain Jarrod Bowen also remaining at a club that clearly means a lot to him.

Coventry City highlighted last season how important goalscorers are in a Championship squad. West Ham can replicate this. Alongside Bowen, they also have Valentín Castellanos, Pablo and Niclas Fullkrug. 

The Hammers did lose Crysencio Summerville, who joined Al-Hilal for just north of £50 million, and they finished the window with loan deals for Nottingham Forest defender Morato and Athletic Club’s Adama Boiro, plus Joel Veltman on a free.

What they have not done yet is convert that squad into results, with their first win of the season only arriving in the fourth match.

Despite this, some lower Premier League clubs would be happy to have that group of strikers to pick from and this is one of the main reasons the Hammers are expected to bounce back at the first time of asking. 

⚽ Back West Ham to win promotion from the Championship at 1/2 with bet365 ⚽

Wolves

Wolves endured a miserable Premier League campaign in the 2025/26 season. They finished bottom of the table with only three wins and 20 points.

They appeared to be planning for life in the Championship when they appointed Rob Edwards as head coach in November. However, he was shown the door in June, with the club instead deciding to hit the reset button and start all over again with Cesar Peixoto named as the new head coach.

Kieran Trippier has been recruited from Newcastle United and striker Raul Jimenez has also returned to the club, with Tolu Arokodare arriving from Genk for a reported £24 million and Newcastle’s Sean Neave joining on loan.

Those signings bring plenty of experience to Molineux and complement established Championship players like Adam Armstrong, though Wolves did lose Joao Gomes to Aston Villa in a £34 million deal.

The big question hanging over the club is whether it was the right decision to bring in Cesar Peixoto to replace the experienced Rob Edwards. 

Edwards knew the Championship like the back of his hand, while Peixoto has no previous experience of English football, let alone the Championship.

⚽ Tip Wolves to go straight back up to the Premier League at 2/1 with Betway ⚽

Burnley

Like Wolves, Burnley are another fascinating case, having turned their back on proven Championship experience and gone in a different direction.

They finished second in the Championship in the 2024/25 season on 100 points under Scott Parker, only to be relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Rather than sticking with Parker, the club have instead appointed the lesser-known Nicky Hayen to spearhead their campaign for an immediate return to the top flight. 

With the exception of a brief spell at Haverfordwest County, Hayen has only coached in Belgium. 

The Clarets saw a lot of departures this summer, with Maxime Esteve, Loum Tchaouna, Jaidon Anthony and Luca Koleosho all leaving, and Zian Flemming and Joe Worrall following them out before the deadline.

They did respond, adding Celtic’s Reo Hatate, Igor Julio from Brighton, Largie Ramazani on loan from Leeds and Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis on a loan-to-buy deal.

The bigger worry is what has happened on the pitch, with a late point against West Ham followed by defeats to West Brom and Norwich City, the latter a game in which Hayen’s side were three down inside 25 minutes.

⚽ Tip Burnley to win another promotion out of the Championship at 7/2 with Betway ⚽

💪 Other contenders

Middlesbrough have unfinished business and at times looked like the best footballing side in the division last season. Putting the ball in the back of the net looked to be the Teessiders’ biggest problem, and they have since lost midfielder Hayden Hackney to Everton, who beat off interest from Manchester United and Tottenham. Jeremy Sarmiento has also arrived permanently and Brighton’s Amario Cozier-Duberry on loan.

Kim Hellberg’s team were beaten by Hull in the play-off final after being reinstated following Southampton’s expulsion. 

Before their exclusion for spying, the Saints were probably the best team in the division in the second half of the campaign.

They were handed a four-point deduction for this season and have already wiped it out, a 5-1 demolition of Millwall at St Mary’s lifting them off minus points before a 1-1 draw at Birmingham. If Tonda Eckert’s side can keep going at that rate, the deficit will be a footnote.

One note of caution is that Eckert could yet receive a lengthy ban for his involvement in the spying scandal, which would obviously hamper Southampton’s chances and their betting odds.

Finally, Birmingham City can’t be ignored. The Blues have made significant investments in the team in recent seasons but still looked a long way off the pace finishing tenth last season, and they have started this campaign unbeaten, with Phil Neumann’s double at Wrexham delivering a first win.

Although Chris Davies has added Hull’s Liam Millar and Brighton goalkeeper James Beadle on loan, if City do start struggling, they are likely to make a change in the dugout, go for a big name, and back that manager in the January transfer market.

Coral, however, believe in the project and if you sign up to them for the first time, they’ll offer you the chance to score boosted odds of 50/1 on Blues to finish in the Play-Offs!

😲 Who could spring a surprise?

Wrexham look like the obvious candidate, but can we even call their continued success a surprise anymore?

They don’t have the same financial clout as the relegated teams, yet they have spent in excess of £25 million this summer, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson arriving from Sunderland for £8 million and Callum O’Hare joining from Sheffield United for £7 million on deadline day, along with Joe Worrall from Burnley.

Phil Parkinson’s side took time to get going, drawing with Cardiff City and Watford before losing at home to Birmingham, but a 3-0 win at Millwall got them up and running.

Their business may not be finished either. Wrexham have made an approach for free agent Jamie Vardy, who left Cremonese in the summer and is under no obligation to decide before or after the deadline, with Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Sao Paulo also interested.

Promotion to the Premier League would complete their fairytale rise through the leagues and be a fitting end to a story that even Hollywood would struggle to conjure up.

💡 My Championship promotion betting tips

There are three markets I’m going to focus on for my Championship promotion betting tips. All offer different value and wagering options:

Automatic promotion (top two finish) – West Ham

West Ham are very short to win the Championship and even shorter to finish in the top two. 

As short as their odds are, I just don’t see how this bet doesn’t win. They have a significant advantage in the dugout with Nuno and the quality of the goalscorers they have in their squad is better than any other team in the division.

A slow start that took until the fourth game to produce a win has nudged the price out a fraction, which only makes it more appealing over 46 matches.

If the Hammers go up via the play-offs, this bet loses. However, I just don’t see them finishing outside of the top two. 

⚽ Tip West Ham for automatic promotion at 2/5 with bet365 ⚽

Championship Top Goalscorer – Valentín Castellanos

Also known as Taty, Valentín Castellanos gave glimpses of the quality he possesses in the Premier League last season.

The Argentine scored six goals in 18 matches following his arrival in the January transfer window. 

He looks too good for the Championship and I’m surprised West Ham have managed to hold onto him.

West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen is 11/2 favourite to top score. A bet on Castellanos to top score at 10/1 looks far better value. 

⚽ Back Valentín Castellanos to top score in the Championship at 10/1 with Betfred ⚽

Top 8 Finish – Stoke City

A team I believe could spring a surprise this season are Stoke City. They have the experienced Mark Robins in charge, who played a significant role in helping the Sky Blues regain Premier League status. 

Robins is the master of incremental gains. Under his leadership, Stoke were on the fringes of the play-offs for much of the early half of last season until a disappointing finish saw the Potters fall away and finish 17th.

This season began worse still, with three defeats and nine goals conceded, before Ethan Galbraith’s early strike delivered a first win and a clean sheet at the bet365 Stadium. The experienced boss knows exactly what he needs to build on, and a top-eight finish remains within reach.

The experienced boss will be only too aware of what he needs to build on that this season and a top-eight finish looks within their reach. 

⚽ Bet on Stoke City to finish in the Top 8 at 6/1 with Betway ⚽

🗓️ Key periods of the Championship season

At 46 games long, the Championship is a marathon. There are midweek matches for long spells of the season, meaning squad depth plays a huge role. Some significant stages of the season that can impact promotion are:  

  • September – The midweek fixtures are already underway, with five rounds of matches crammed in ahead of the international break that begins after the fixtures on 20 September.
  • Festive period – A run of seven fixtures between the beginning of December and 1 January severely tests squads that are already reaching breaking point. This period of the season can shape the remainder of the campaign and cause weaker teams to fall away in the new year.  
  • Easter – The league will have already taken shape by this stage of the season, but the back-to-back matches on Good Friday and Easter Monday can often produce season-defining results at the top and the bottom of the table.
  • The final weeks – It goes without saying that the run-in is crucial. Someone may already have a huge lead at the top of the table, but expect the battle for play-off places to really come alive in the final few games.

🤔 How to follow the latest Championship news and results

Long-term Championship bets should be treated with caution at the beginning of the season. 

History shows us that so much can change, making it vitally important to keep on top of managerial changes and injuries to key players that can occur across what is a long season. 

It’s also worth keeping a close eye on comings and goings in the January transfer window.

The sheer length of the Championship season means regularly reevaluating your bets is a must. What looks good now could look awful by January. And the same applies in reverse. 

The changes made to the play-offs mean that over half of the table are going to have an outside chance of promotion. Some obviously slimmer than others.

But it makes keeping a close eye on the bottom half of the table worthwhile, especially after Christmas, when dark horses could emerge.   

There are value bets everywhere in this league. It’s widely regarded as the most exciting second tier in world football, which is what makes it so interesting and worth following.

🙋 Championship 2026/27 promotion FAQs

For more information on the 2026/27 Championship season and betting help, check out our FAQ section below: 

1. Who are the favourites to get promoted from the Championship?

West Ham are the odds-on favourites to gain promotion back to the Premier League. They are followed by Wolves, Burnley and Middlesbrough.

2. What are the odds for Wrexham to be promoted?

Wrexham’s odds to be promoted are currently between 9/2 and 6/1 depending on which bookmaker you use. The Hollywood-owned club are 25/1 to win the Championship and 10/1 to finish in the top two. 

3. How many parachute teams have gone straight back up in the last 10 seasons?

Parachute teams tend to be favourites to go back up, but it doesn’t happen as often as you might believe. Last season only Ipswich Town managed it, with Burnley, Leeds, Leicester, Fulham, Norwich, Watford and Newcastle United all having achieved it over the past ten seasons.

4. How many points are usually needed for automatic promotion?

There is no fixed points total to guarantee automatic promotion, but 84-90 is widely regarded as the benchmark. Ipswich went up in second place on 84 points last season. However, Sheffield United could only manage third place with 90 points in 2024/25, with Leeds and Burnley finishing in the top two with 100 points each.

About the author

Craig Mahood

Craig Mahood is an expert in sports betting and online casinos and has worked with the company since 2020. He joined the Betting & Gaming team at The Sun in June 2022 and works closely with the leading bookmakers and online gaming companies to provide content on all areas of sports betting and gaming. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter at the Scottish Sun, covering Scottish football with particular focus on Celtic and Rangers, As well as football, he has covered horse racing, boxing, darts, the Olympics and tennis for the Sun.

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