Championship 2026/27 outright winners and promotion predictions
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
The three relegated teams dominate the Championship outright betting with West Ham the market leaders, ahead of Wolves and Burnley.
That trio of teams will all fancy their chances of securing an immediate return to the top tier and you have to go way back to the 2012-13 campaign for the last time that no relegated teams went straight back up, but it hasn’t necessarily been easy for the sides dropping down either.
In four of the last five seasons, only one of the teams who have come down has bounced back at the first attempt and never have all three teams secured immediate returns in the Premier League era. That opens the door for an outside pick or two in the promotion market and a tweak in the play-off format could also lead to an upset, with eighth place now good enough for a spot in the end-of-season lottery.
I’ve picked an outright winner, a contender for promotion and two outside picks for top eight finishes as the big kick-off draws closer. All prices quoted come from bet365 and new customers can take advantage of their sign-up offer below.
Championship Outright Predictions
West Ham to win the Championship @ 7/4 with bet365
It is unlikely that all three relegated teams will go back up but at least one of them should, and West Ham appear the best equipped to ensure they only spend the one season outside of England’s top tier.
The Hammers opted to stick with Nuno Espirito Santo as manager despite their relegation last term and that should be a good move. Nuno took charge of a poor team early on last season and just never managed to quite turn things around. He should benefit from a full pre-season and he has experienced promotion from the Championship previously as he got Wolves up as champions back in 2017-18.
There have been some big departures during the summer transfer window as both Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville have moved on. Big fees were received for both and West Ham have further scope to strengthen as they haven’t been particularly active themselves just yet, but the squad they have already looks capable of challenging at the top end of the table.
One huge bonus for West Ham is Jarrod Bowen’s decision to remain with the club. The England international is a player who could probably have joined a top half Premier League club but instead has chosen to remain at West Ham and help them battle for a return to the top tier, with Bowen leading the line the Hammers look capable of justifying their position as 7/4 favourites.
Championship Promotion Prediction
Southampton to be promoted @ 4/1 with bet365
Southampton’s price for promotion has perhaps been inflated by last season’s ‘Spygate’ scandal. That espionage incident ultimately saw the club expelled from the play-offs and, more importantly in terms of this tip, handed a four-point deduction for the start of the season.
It remains to be seen how they will respond to that but a four-point handicap isn’t a huge hurdle for Saints to overcome, and even if it does prove too big a stumbling block in terms of their automatic hopes it shouldn’t see them miss the play-offs.
Manager Tonda Eckert came in for heavy criticism for the spying incidents, quite rightly, but he did prove himself to be a shrewd boss regardless as Saints were incredible in the second half of the campaign – as they ended the regular season with a 19-game unbeaten run, including 14 wins.
They’ve strengthened their squad this summer with a few impressive captures, including landing Canada international striker Cyle Larin on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell last season, and at 9/2 they look good value to make a Premier League return.
Championship Top 8 Tips
Stoke City Top 8 Finish @ 9/4 with bet365
Stoke started strongly last season but fizzled out quite quickly before finishing in the bottom half, but we should see a better effort from them this year.
The Potters have made some bold moves in the transfer market with the captures of Ethan Galbraith and Djibril Soumare, while Milan Smit has joined on a permanent deal after a loan spell last season, and they look to have a stronger group of players than they did last term.
Stoke were unfortunate with injuries last season as they lost a group of key players during the winter and then their form dipped. They never managed to recover from that setback, but if luck is on their side in terms of keeping people fit this year they should be able to record a top eight finish and a play-off spot.
Bristol City Top 8 Finish @ 11/4 with bet365
Lincoln’s loss could prove to be Bristol City’s gain as manager Michael Skubala has swapped Sincil Bank for Ashton Gate ahead of the new season.
Skubala guided Lincoln to the League One title last season with a whopping 103-point haul, despite having one of the smallest budgets in the division. Skubala is well versed in getting the best out of his players and is a skilled tactician, he looks capable of getting a Robins side who came in 12th last year into the top eight in the 2026-27 campaign.
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