The English Football League Championship has long been regarded as one of the best divisions in world football, and the upcoming season promises to be packed with action, drama and plenty of storylines.
In terms of the biggest predictions, much of the attention has centred on the arrival of Wolves and West Ham, who will begin their first Championship campaigns in eight and 14 years respectively after relegation from the Premier League.
Although both have lost key players, they have retained and added enough quality to be considered, on paper, among the strongest sides the second tier has seen in recent years.
Turning attention to the drop, promoted sides Lincoln City, Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City face a difficult task to stay up. Lincoln's historic 103-point League One title-winning campaign has certainly raised expectations, though, with the Imps now preparing for their first season in the second tier for 65 years.
Elsewhere, the Championship's potential surprise packages could come from the likes of globally expanding Wrexham and Birmingham City, while Southampton, Millwall and Middlesbrough will look to bounce back from play-off disappointment in the new six-team format.
With a handful of potential dark horses also lurking, Striver.Football delves deeper into how we think the 2026-27 Championship season will unfold.
West Ham and Wolves Lead the Promotion Race
Three years after winning the UEFA Conference League, West Ham finally bowed out of the Premier League after 14 years in the top flight, a period which saw the club transform on and off the pitch, including their move from Upton Park to the London Stadium in 2016.
Despite narrowly avoiding relegation themselves, the Hammers remain one of the biggest and potentially strongest sides the Championship has seen in years.
The decision for captain Jarrod Bowen and several other key players to remain could prove pivotal in what could be a straightforward promotion campaign for the East London club.
With the biggest-ever Championship sale of Mateus Fernandes to Spurs for £85 million, alongside the profitable departure of Crysencio Summerville this summer, it has helped offset issues such as a £104.2 million loss in their latest accounts and left them still with a decent pot of cash to work with.
With takeover talks surrounding David Sullivan and potentially involving former Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley, we believe a Championship title and a swift return to the Premier League is almost inevitable if ownership issues do not spill onto the pitch.
Turning to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a dismal bottom-placed Premier League campaign left the atmosphere around Molineux feeling quite hopeless. However, the return of former Wolves hero Raul Jimenez on a free transfer, alongside a full orange kit, has started to restore some optimism.
Further smart business, including the arrival of experienced Kieran Trippier, the sizeable £35 million departure of Joao Gomes and the permanent signing of Ladislav Krejci after spending last season on loan, has left them with a surprisingly similar squad to last season.
Alongside the emergence of wonderkid Mateus Mane in the latter stages of last season, who could be set for a breakthrough campaign, we think Wolves will comfortably secure an automatic promotion spot.
Who Will Make the Championship Play-Offs?
In contrast, West Ham's opening-day opponents, Burnley, have not attracted the same level of attention on their return to the EFL, likely due to the Clarets developing a "yo-yo club" reputation in recent years, having been promoted or relegated in each of the last five seasons.
This summer has seen several key players depart for sizeable fees, including Jaidon Anthony, Maxime Esteve, Loum Tchaouna and Luca Koleosho. Perhaps most surprisingly, summer signing Florentino has also left after joining for £20 million following a loan spell last season, only to be sold to Ipswich Town just weeks later for an undisclosed fee.
Aside from signing young defensive midfielder Ugochukwu Traghoube from Lille, Burnley have done relatively little elsewhere so far. They will need to recruit smartly and quickly to have a realistic promotion push, but we predict the Clarets to finish sixth and settle for an ultimately unsuccessful play-off campaign.
Southampton still remain a strong side, but the controversial actions of head coach Tonda Eckert last year and the "Spygate scandal" continue to loom large around the club, with investigations underway and a final verdict still pending.
Regardless, we believe key players such as Flynn Downes, Finn Azaz and Taylor Harwood-Bellis can still drag the Saints into the play-offs. Hopefully, this time they are not thrown out again, for their own sake.
Having been handed a play-off final last year and still falling short, Middlesbrough are continuing their long wait for a Premier League return. Since their last relegation in 2017, the Teessiders have finished in the top half in eight of the nine seasons despite remaining in the division.
However, we believe Boro will finally take that leap over the line this season, finishing third before ultimately being victorious at Wembley this time around. Promising arrivals such as Will Lankshear, Radek Vitek and Jeremy Sarmiento show genuine intent that we feel cannot go unnoticed or unrewarded.
Finally, Birmingham City round off our four play-off sides. With significant financial backing from Tom Brady and Knighthead, an upward trajectory and a revived buzz around St Andrew's, we believe the Blues will secure a place in the top six, just a few places ahead of fellow "Hollywood" side Wrexham, and Derby County, who will round off the new six-team play-off format for the 2026-27 season.
Who Will Be Relegated to League One?
A dominant title win by Lincoln City was not expected by many, but Michael Skubala's side proved the doubters wrong, securing a club-record 103 points.
Despite the tremendous achievement, the club are reportedly still working with one of the smallest transfer and wage budgets in the division. That could ultimately cost them and leave the Imps fighting at the bottom, although momentum can be a powerful thing.
Cardiff City are no strangers to the Championship, and we feel they will readjust to the division perfectly well, potentially achieving an unlikely top-half finish with safety never a major concern.
Bolton Wanderers, another big club and former Premier League regular, have finally returned to the Championship for the first time since 2019. However, similarly to Lincoln, their limited spending power could prove costly, and we predict they will narrowly return to League One.
Completing the dreaded bottom three, we believe, will be Blackburn Rovers. Even after hiring former manager and popular candidate Tony Mowbray, the former Premier League champions have struggled since the departure of successful boss John Eustace.
We believe their downward slide could finally take them into the third tier, particularly with tensions between fans and long-term owners, Venky's Holdings Group.
