Charlie Austin names the 3 EFL League One clubs that he thinks will get promoted | OneFootball

Former QPR, Burnley and Southampton striker Charlie Austin gave his predictions on who he feels will be promoted from the third tier

The 2026/27 League One campaign kicks off on Saturday, and it promises to be one of the more entertaining third-tier seasons in quite some time.

Big clubs have dropped into the division from the Championship, most notably Leicester City, who, this time a decade ago, were defending the Premier League title and competing in the UEFA Champions League.

Sheffield Wednesday are always a big club for the level, and have newfound optimism under the new Arise ownership.

Plus, numerous big-hitters have been at this level for a little while, the likes of Huddersfield Town and Luton Town, two former Premier League sides in recent memory, and even those who have come up in the last few years, the likes of Bradford City and MK Dons, don't seem to want to stick around for too long.

Charlie Austin predicts the three teams to be promoted from League One this season

Action Images

Those specific teams aren't the only sides vying for places in the Championship this time next year, either. There are plenty of dark horse clubs and ones looking to take those next steps towards the second tier; it's difficult to predict.

So, FLW has asked someone who, in the early days of his career, knew what it took to finish in and around the play-off hunt with Swindon Town, and then would earn multiple promotions into the Premier League following that, Charlie Austin.

"Leicester City are the standout. Looking at their squad, everything seems in place," he said. "If Russell Martin gets his ideas across, they'll be right up there."

"I also wouldn't be surprised if Bromley are pushing towards the Play-Offs because they've carried so much momentum from last season.

"Barnsley are another side I always feel optimistic about. I see them as a Championship club really, so they'd be my third pick."

Leicester City head into the new League One campaign as many people's favourites

Action images

Whenever a club suffers a double relegation from the Premier League to League One, they will, more often than not, be the favourites in the third-tier campaign, due to their recent top-flight pedigree.

With Leicester, though, this isn't just a side who punched above their weight, flew too close to the sun and crashed and burned. There was genuine conversation five years ago about the Foxes perhaps replacing Tottenham Hotspur in the 'big six' conversation.

Leicester won the FA Cup in 2021, while finishing fifth in the top flight, their second successive fifth-placed finish. Two years later, they were relegated, and thus began what has been a tumultuous period filled with more downs than ups, which could end in the club being sold, with the Thai owners looking to relinquish control after 16 years in charge.

Nevertheless, despite all the off-field drama, this Foxes side should be well-equipped to make a splash in League One this year.

There's still a lot of work to do with the squad, but Russell Martin has proven he can be successful with good players, and their signings so far have shown their pulling power. The likes of Tommy Watson and Liam Cullen are way too good for the level, while Conor Chaplin and Wes Burns have dominated this division in the past with Ipswich Town.

It's no surprise that Austin has picked them out as standouts — a lot of critics have.

A promotion push for Bromley or Barnsley would be a brilliant story in League One this season

Action Images

Not many people are singling out the opening day match up at Oakwell between Barnsley and Bromley as an early clash between promotion contenders, but if Austin's predictions prove to be true, these two sides could be up there come May.

Bromley have that momentum, with two promotions in the last three seasons from the National League into League One. They were dominant at home last year, going the campaign unbeaten, and were dangerous from set pieces.

We saw Bradford use brilliant home form to their advantage en route to a play-off finish in their first season back in League One last year — could Bromley do the same in their first season in the third tier ever?

Meanwhile, Barnsley are, inherently, a Championship club. They've spent 78 seasons in their 139-year history in the second tier, but the last few years have been difficult. This is their fifth consecutive season in League One, their longest at the level since the 1960s.

The Reds have finished lower and lower in the table in each of the last four years, but have brought Daniel Stendel back to the club this summer, the man who oversaw their last promotion out of this level in 2019. That year, he picked up a club-record 91 points and went unbeaten at Oakwell.

Granted, that squad had a core of Ethan Pinnock, Alex Mowatt and Kieffer Moore, with the likes of Cauley Woodrow, Brad Potts and Liam Lindsay in the side, too. Evidently, that team has a lot more quality than the current Tykes outfit.