Ranking all 24 EFL Championship clubs by how likely they are to get promoted in 2026/27 | OneFootball

FLW looks at the likelihood of promotion for all 24 second-tier sides next season

The lineup for the 2026/27 Championship campaign was confirmed over the bank holiday, after West Ham United were relegated on the final day of the Premier League season, following Bolton Wanderers' win over Stockport County in the League One play-off final.

And while it may be over two months away, and despite a World Cup to look forward to in the meantime, fans are already starting to speculate whether this year could be their year.

This season, the number of play-off spots is expanding to six teams, so there's more chance for a team to be promoted.

As showcased this past season with Hull City, it's not out of the realm of possibility for the lowest-ranked play-off side to be celebrating reaching the Premier League in late May, so there'll be plenty of optimism, more than there usually is before a season begins, surrounding Championship clubs.

But who right now has the best chances of promotion? Football League World has ranked each side's chances over two months before the curtain raiser on August 14.

24 ? ? Lincoln City

This is Lincoln City's first second-tier season since the 1960/61 campaign. In a way, while a promotion push would be an absolutely incredible story, the Imps' sole goal this season will be to remain a Championship club.

The Imps will have a better chance of survival than most critics are letting on, given the continuity surrounding the squad and the fact that Lincoln likely won't need to tinker with their system too much, as they didn't dominate the ball or play like clear favourites in large parts of their League One title-winning season, anyway.

But, as far as promotion goals are concerned, the Imps will be a clear bottom pick this season.

23 ? ? Blackburn Rovers

With the new Squad Cost Ratio financial rulings coming into play, not only will a team's revenue and income dictate how much money they can spend on players and managers, but owners themselves will be questioned over how much they want to back their clubs, too.

There will be some financial backers who will be happy to put up to £15 million a season into their club, which could be the difference between being a play-off or promotion callibre side, and one that isn't.

The Venkys aren't exactly the most popular ownership group in the Championship due to their funding in the past, and it's unclear as to how much support their incoming manager will receive over the summer, which could detrimentally affect Blackburn Rovers' chances at returning to being a play-off contender.

22 ? ? Charlton Athletic

Charlton Athletic achieved their goals in the 2025/26 campaign, remaining in the second tier in their first season at the level since the 2019/20 term.

This will be the first time that they've spent consecutive years in the Championship in over a decade, and, almost like Lincoln in a way, their primary goal will likely be to remain established in the second tier.

While that doesn't rule out ambition, and the Addicks will definitely be looking to be in and around the top eight conversation if possible, Nathan Jones' side arguably won't be as desperate to make that jump up to the play-offs this season, compared to some of their counterparts who have been in the division for longer.

21 ? ? Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers are back in the Championship after seven years away, and after a long and tiresome push to get out of League One over the past five years, the Trotters will definitely not want to be returning any time soon.

Therefore, you'd expect that Steven Schumacher will be backed in the transfer market once more, like he was in the third tier, and some quality signings will be made to replace some of their outgoing loan stars, such as Amario Cozier-Duberry, Mason Burstow and Johnny Kenny.

That backing, plus a packed-out Toughsheet Stadium, should make Bolton arguably better suited for promotion than the three sides already mentioned, even if a return to the Premier League isn't on their mind just yet.

20 ? ? Cardiff City

Cardiff City will be in a similar position to Bolton, you'd imagine, but arguably without the spending power that the Trotters have.

Ultimately, though, the Bluebirds finished 16 points ahead of Steven Schumacher's side in League One, and while it's never always the case, you'd imagine that some catching up may need to be done to get on their level.

With numerous exciting youngsters ready to have a crack at the Championship, plus the intrigue surrounding how Brian Barry-Murphy will get on in his first season in the dugout in the second-tier, the Bluebirds will just have the edge over some of their relegation rivals in terms of how likely they are to land in the top eight and have a chance at promotion.

19 ? ? Portsmouth

Some good news coming out of Portsmouth towards the beginning of the offseason was that John Mousinho looks to be staying at Fratton Park next season. Now, the onus is on the higher-ups at Pompey to back him appropriately.

The 40-year-old has been clear that he wants to see plans put in place to see how Portsmouth can move forward as a club, following a couple of relegation near-misses since winning League One back in 2024.

The next step will be to become established in mid-table, rather than immediately go for promotion, hence their low ranking on the list, but with Pompey showing glimpses of brilliance under Mousinho, perhaps they could surprise some people if the backing was there?

18 ? ? Stoke City

Stoke City began last season like a house on fire, and were in the promotion conversation throughout the first four months of the campaign. From December onwards, though, only Sheffield Wednesday picked up fewer points than the Potters.

It resulted in yet another second-tier finish between 14th and 18th, their eighth consecutive one since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, so to predict that they'll be more likely for promotion than the majority of other teams in the division would be rather nonsensical.

But they've shown that play-off potential under Mark Robins, and their demanding fans will definitely not settle for further mediocrity, which could give them more of a promotion chance than others.

17 ? ? Preston North End

It's a running joke among football fans that, regardless of which year it is, Preston North End will finish mid-table in the Championship. Other than their relegation near-miss in 2024/25, five of their last six campaigns have seen the Lilywhites finish between 10th and 14th.

But, like Stoke, Preston showed some ability to be a play-off team this season before falling away in the second half of the campaign; they have a man at the helm in Paul Heckingbottom, who has promotion credentials, and could smash their transfer record by signing exciting attacking midfielder Alfie Devine this summer.

That ambition could see them push towards a top-eight finish, but other teams are likely to show more ambition this summer.

16 ? ? Watford

Nobody really knows what Watford's plans are this summer, and when predictions start being made on where the Hornets could finish in the Championship, there'll be genuine shouts of them being relegation candidates or possibly even finishing inside the top eight.

Watford are on the hunt for yet another new manager, and the identity of such will definitely determine whether they are taken seriously or not next year, but their squad as a whole has some individual stars who could push the Hornets towards the play-offs.

If Imran Louza stays put, then Watford have more of a chance than some, but with how competitive the league is shaping up to be next term, it's hard to put them near the top half.

15 ? ? Bristol City

Bristol City are looking to recapture their play-off spot in the upcoming season, after the 2025/26 campaign was, on the whole, a bit of a disappointing one.

Their search for a manager still goes on, after Roy Hodgson's interim spell over seven games steered them into the top half. It's looking likely that Lincoln boss Michael Skubala could take the reins, and Robins fans will be hoping that he can propel them further up.