About 2026/27 Championship
The 2026/27 EFL Championship is the 21st season of the competition under its current name, featuring 24 clubs competing across 552 regular-season matches between August 2026 and May 2027. Teams are battling for promotion to the Premier League, a place in the Championship play-offs and survival in one of the most competitive divisions in English football.
West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley joined the Championship for the 2026/27 season following relegation from the Premier League. West Ham returned to the second tier after a 14-year stay in the top flight, while Wolves dropped back into the Championship following eight consecutive seasons in the Premier League. Burnley returned to the division after spending just one season back in the top flight.
At the other end of the league, the Championship welcomed clubs promoted from League One for the new campaign, including Bolton Wanderers following their victory in the League One play-offs. The changing line-up followed the promotion of Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City from the Championship to the Premier League at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The 2026/27 season introduced an expanded Championship play-off system, increasing the number of participating clubs from four to six. The top two teams in the Championship continue to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League, while clubs finishing from third to eighth compete in the play-offs for the third promotion place. Under the new format, fifth play eighth and sixth play seventh in single-match eliminators, with the higher-ranked clubs playing at home. The winners progress to the semi-finals, where the third and fourth-placed teams enter the competition. The semi-finals are played over two legs before the two remaining clubs meet at Wembley Stadium in the Championship play-off final. The bottom three clubs are relegated to League One.
The 2026/27 campaign brings together clubs with extensive Premier League and EFL histories, creating another competitive season across 46 league matches for every team. With West Ham, Wolves and Burnley looking to return to the Premier League and the expanded play-off format giving more clubs an opportunity to compete for promotion, the battle at both ends of the table is set to continue throughout the season.
Browse the complete 2026/27 Championship fixtures, results, latest league table and kick-off times. You can also explore every club's season, view upcoming matches, postponed and rescheduled fixtures, and follow every result throughout the 2026/27 EFL Championship season.