The top 8 biggest EFL Championship clubs based on major honours won | OneFootball

Find out which clubs will be the biggest in the Championship next season.

The Championship will be packed full of top clubs next season as several big names fell from the Premier League while reputable sides rose from League One.

West Ham lead the list of teams falling from the top tier, having recently lifted the Europa Conference League in 2023, and they will be joined by Wolves and Burnley, who were also relegated.

In terms of history, Bolton Wanderers are the leading club promoted from the third tier, while Lincoln City will do their best to shake off their tag of minnows.

Southampton, Middlesbrough and Millwall will all be aiming to put their play-off misery behind them and challenge again for promotion, while Birmingham City and Wrexham should be even stronger given their substantial backing.

Heading into the 2026/27 season, which Championship clubs lead the way in terms of major honours? Here, Football League World breaks down the most successful clubs in the division.

Portsmouth (4)

Portsmouth are the first of three clubs heading into the 2026/27 Championship campaign to have won four major honours during their 128-year history.

Pompey lifted the FA Cup trophy for the first time in the 1938/39 season before winning it 69 years later in 2007/08, defeating Cardiff City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium

A first-half Nwankwo Kanu goal was enough to see the South Coast outfit over the line as Harry Redknapp became the first English manager since Joe Royle in 1990 to lift the FA Cup.

Portsmouth were also crowned English champions in 1948/49 before retaining the title a year later, while their Community Shield triumph in 1949/50 is not considered a major honour.

Since their most recent cup triumph, Pompey slipped down the divisions to League One, but having returned to the Championship in 2024, they have steered clear of relegation.

Preston North End (4)

The next club to have won four major honours is Preston North End, who have gone over 90 years since their last trophy.

North End are among an exclusive club, having won the domestic double in 1888/89 by lifting the English top flight title and the FA Cup in the same season.

They were the first-ever side to achieve the feat, and only seven clubs have managed it since, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea.

The Lilywhites retained their league title the following year in 1989/90, before triumphing in the FA Cup again in 1937/38.

Bolton Wanderers (4)

Many are pleased to see Bolton back in the Championship as they have a long and prosperous history in English football, having lifted four major trophies.

The Trotters were a prominent force in the Premier League era and have gone from the brink of liquidation to returning to the second tier after defeating Stockport County in the League One play-off finals.

While the club are yet to win the English league title, they have won the FA Cup on four occasions: 1922/23, 1925/26, 1928/29 and 1957/58.

Bolton also have one Community Shield to their name, while they have won the second and third-tier titles as well as the Football League trophy.

Next season, survival will be the main objective for Steven Schumacher and his side, and they will surely need investment as several of their best players are currently on loan.

West Ham United (5)

Tied in fifth place is Championship newcomers West Ham, who will be playing second-tier football for the first time in 14 years.

The Hammers' most recent major honour was the Europa Conference League, which they won in 2022/23 after defeating Fiorentina in the second edition of the knockout tournament.

While the future appeared rosy for the East London club following their success, they have since been on an incredible downfall after poor recruitment and managerial appointments.

Like Bolton, the Irons are yet to lift a league title, but they have triumphed in the FA Cup on three occasions (1963/64, 1974/75, 1979/80) as well as the Cup Winners Cup, which they lifted in 1964/65.

The Irons did come close to winning the FA Cup in 2006 but were dealt the cruellest of blows as Steven Gerrard's stoppage-time equaliser levelled the score at 3-3 before Liverpool triumphed on penalties.

Sheffield United (5)

Sheffield United have also won five major honours in their history, with their biggest achievement being lifting the English top-flight trophy in 1897/98.

In doing so, they became only the fifth winner of the title, following in the footsteps of Preston, Everton, Sunderland and Aston Villa.

The Blades were serial victors in the FA Cup in their early days after lifting the trophy on four occasions in 1898/89, 1901/02, 1914/15 and 1924/25.

The South Yorkshire club have also been crowned second, third and fourth-tier champions in their long history.

Sheffield United endured a miserable 2025/26 season that saw Chris Wilder dramatically return to the club, and they will be striving for a much-improved showing next term.

West Brom (7)

West Brom rank as the third most successful club in the Championship heading into the 2026/27 season, having won seven major honours in their history.

The Baggies' first trophy came almost 130 years ago when they lifted the FA Cup in the 1887/88 campaign before winning it on four more occasions in 1891/92, 1930/31, 1953/54 and 1967/68.

In 1965/66, the Black Country club won the League Cup after turning around a first-leg deficit to defeat West Ham 5-3 on aggregate with Jeff Astle, Graham Williams, Clive Clark, Tony Brown and John Kaye on the scoresheet.

Albion also won the English top flight in 1919/20, their most admirable achievement to date, while they have also lifted the second-tier title three times.

Wolves (9)

While Wolves may have endured a turbulent Premier League campaign that ended in relegation, they have a long and illustrious history of winning trophies.

The Old Gold won the English top-tier title on three occasions during the 1950s, having done so in 1953/54, 1957/58 and 1958/59.

The Black Country club have also lifted the FA Cup four times (1892/93, 1907/08, 1948/49, 1959/60) as well as the League Cup twice in 1973/74 and 1979/80.

Next season, Rob Edwards' side will be among the contenders for the Championship title, which they have lifted on four occasions and as recently as 2017/18.

Blackburn Rovers (10)

The biggest side in the Championship next term will be Blackburn Rovers, who have won 10 major honours dating back to the 1880s.

Rovers will be the only side in the second tier next term to have won the English top flight trophy during the Premier League era, having done so in 1994/95.

Despite losing 2-1 to Liverpool on the final day of the season, Man United, their closest challengers, were only able to draw with the Hammers, meaning Kenny Daglish's men clinched the title by a point.

Blackburn were also crowned English champions in 1911/12 and 1913/14 and have won the FA Cup six times (1883/84, 1884/85, 1885/86, 1889/90, 1890/91, 1927/28).

Their most recent major honour came in the 2001/02 season when they defeated Tottenham 2-1 to lift the League Cup thanks to goals from Matt Jansen and Andy Cole.

Despite their not-so-distant achievements, the club are preparing for their 15th campaign out of the top flight, and they have shown no signs of returning any time soon.