Top 8 EFL League One sides who may shock you in 2026/27 | OneFootball

Football League World takes a close look at EIGHT potential dark horses ahead of the 2026/27 League One campaign

Exactly what the 2026/27 League One campaign holds in store remains anybody's guess as ever, although what we can forecast is that, as ever, the third-tier will bring forward a series of surprise packages to upset the odds.

Lincoln City, armed with only League One's 18th-highest wage bill and with scarce external expectations of mounting a promotion push, left the division stunned by romping to the title some twelve points clear of second-placed Cardiff City.

Stevenage, meanwhile, matched their all-time highest league finish when they wound up in sixth place, emerging as shock promotion contenders under Alex Revell.

League One never fails to excite or spring up a few unprecedented surprises, and we're anticipating more of the same as we head towards the new campaign.

With that in mind, Football League World has run the rule over EIGHT third-tier sides who could just shock a few once the 2026/27 campaign kicks off in August.

Mansfield Town

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Mansfield Town have enjoyed a promising upwards trajectory in recent years, and there's every chance that the Stags' direction of travel will continue in its current vein.

Nigel Clough's side have usurped their league position of the previous campaign in each of the last three seasons, and elevated from 17th to a surprise 10th-placed finish last time out.

In the ex-Derby County and Sheffield United boss, who has resided in this corner of the East Midlands since November 2020, Mansfield both continuity and a wily and experienced taskmaster with proven expertise in what it takes to get out of League One.

Town finished the season in strong form by defeating Stockport County, Huddersfield Town and Cardiff in their final four encounters, and will fancy their chances of retaining that momentum and continuing to trend upwards.

Going all the way to achieve promotion to the Championship will be a tall order at Field Mill, but much stranger things have happened than Mansfield launching a serious bid to finish inside the top-six.

Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers may have finished one point and place below Mansfield as they fell short of matching the previous term's run to the play-off semi-finals, but the Chairboys have the potential to dust themselves down and make a proper play in what will represent Michael Duff's first full campaign in charge.

The likes of Fred Onyedinma and Junior Quitirna bring proven third-tier firepower at Adams' Park, while Wycombe also boasted one of League One's stronger defensive records in 25/26 by conceding 1.5 goals per match.

There's still plenty of work to be done, but Wanderers have enjoyed fairly ample backing in the transfer market since Mikheil Lomtadze completed his takeover of the Buckinghamshire side in 2024.

Should the Kazakhstan billionaire dig deep into his pockets once again and offer backing to a tried-and-tested League One boss in Duff, Wycombe could well have something to say in next season's promotion race.

MK Dons

From one part of Buckinghamshire to another, we're anticipating a seamless transition back to League One following a three-year absence at MK Dons.

Paul Warne's ambitiously-backed side - widely tipped as a League Two super-team before a ball was kicked - could only finish second behind unprecedented title-winners Bromley, although they're expected to fare much better than the plucky South London outfit in 26/27.

That's because Warne represents promotion-winning calibre like no other at this level, having thrice achieved the feat in previous stints with Rotherham United and Derby.

Since rocking up at Stadium MK in April of last year, the 53-year-old has made outstanding use of his connections and the club's generous financial backing to broker a series of eye-catching acquisitions.

Warne reunited with two of his former promotion heroes from Derby in Curtis Nelson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who have been accompanied at MK by the likes of Marvin Ekpiteta, Callum Paterson and, perhaps most notably of all, ex-Bolton Wanderers talisman Aaron Collins.

MK have the budget, pulling power, promotion-specialising manager and squad experience to go far beyond simply making up the numbers in League One.

They're not everybody's cup of tea, of course, but it's hard to rule out a seriously-exciting campaign in which the side could be much more likely to compete for successive promotions than battling against relegation - especially if they can bring more big EFL names to the club across the summer months.

Leyton Orient

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Leyton Orient only managed to retain their League One status on the final day, but that's not to say that Richie Wellens' side won't recuperate and spring a more positive surprise after falling from third-tier play-off finalists to relegation candidates.

It was a bitter old season at Brisbane Road following defeat to Charlton Athletic at Wembley last May, in which the Londoners struggled to weather the storm of losing top performers such as Jack Currie, Jamie Donley, Ethan Galbraith and Charlie Kelman - despite recruiting real star quality in Dom Ballard and the often-injured Aaron Connolly.

The former is widely-expected to leave East London after finishing as the division's Player of the Season with 23 goals from 40 appearances, but the talented forward's anticipated departure will surely be compensated with the sort of significant cash windfall to welcome a much-needed squad rebuild.

Those gears have already been set in motion by Orient's decision to transfer list and release ten senior players in the wake of a season which left Wellens notably infuriated despite eventually achieving survival. However, ambitions should be much higher moving into next term.

There's a solid base for the Mancunian to work with, and though a rebuilding process is desperately required while so much hinges on the club's ability to replace Ballard's goalscoring prowess, this is a squad that has previously made it to within 90 minutes of Championship football and has a real chance of competing at the right-end of the table next time around if everything goes to plan.

Notts County

The League Two promotion fight went to the wire when it was all said and done, with Cambridge United fending off the likes of Salford City and Notts County to return to the third tier, and as it happened, it was the Ammies and the Magpies who contested the play-off final at Wembley.

There was nothing close about that particular contest though, with Martin Paterson's side running out comfortable 3-0 winners in England's capital to consign Salford to another year in the fourth tier, and it saw a return to League One for County for the first time since 2015.

A scorer of the joint second-most goals in the division last season, Notts County have no issues with their attacking play, although they're set to lose loanees such as Tyrese Hall and Tom Iorpenda back to their parent clubs Tottenham and Huddersfield Town respectively, but recruitment last season was smart, and you'd back director of football Richard Montague to work some similar magic.

Don't be surprised if County manage to get at least mid-table on their return to the third tier therefore, and they could perhaps go even further.

Wigan Athletic

Wigan Athletic pulled the plug on the Ryan Lowe experiment back in February, with the Latics sitting inside the League One relegation zone in a perilous position, having been humiliated 6-1 by Peterborough United, with Mike Danson turning to a former club favourite in Gary Caldwell for a second stint at the DW Stadium.

Paying compensation to Exeter City for his services showed Wigan were serious about surviving, and after picking up seven wins between his appointment and the end of the season, Caldwell achieved survival - and work has already begun to create a squad capable of leaving a relegation battle behind.

Fan favourite Max Power has returned from Bradford City after three years away to add some experience and steel to the midfield, whilst Walsall wing-back Connor Barrett has also joined for an undisclosed fee - two incomings which are positive signs for the summer.

Talk around star goalkeeper Sam Tickle's future will carry on as long as he's still at the club, with Championship interest swirling for the 24-year-old, but if his potential sale gives Caldwell more funds to spend to strengthen his overall squad, then Wigan could be in a good position to get back into the top half next season.

Barnsley

A 15th-placed finish for Barnsley was quite disappointing in the grand scheme of things - particularly when they had prolific forwards such as Davis Keillor-Dunn and David McGoldrick at the top end of the pitch.

The sale of Keillor-Dunn to Wrexham late on in the January transfer window though without truly replacing him was costly, with Conor Hourihane's side failing to build any momentum for a play-off push, and in the end, they were in the middle reaches of the standings.

Frustration has grown from the fanbase over the ownership's ambitions for the club, especially when it comes to recruitment, but head-hunting Daniel Stendel to return to Oakwell to replace the outgoing Hourihane has certainly won over some - the German coach leading the South Yorkshire outfit to the League One runners-up spot back in 2019 in his first stint.

If Stendel can convince some top League One players to come to Barnsley, especially in defence - which is perhaps what the club were lacking last season throughout the squad - then they have a better chance of pushing back into the top half, and perhaps towards the play-offs, and they could also do with landing a Keillor-Dunn replacement a number of months after letting him go.

Bromley

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The rise of Bromley in such a short period of time has been incredibly impressive, as they spent just two seasons in League Two before landing the fourth tier title with considerable ease.

A goalkeeper coach for much of his post-playing career, former Northampton Town and Brentford stopper Andy Woodman took a big gamble by leaving a comfortable job at Arsenal for the Bromley head coach role in 2021 when they were in the National League, but five years later, having guided the Ravens into League One, he has to be regarded as one of the most impressive managers in the whole of the EFL.

The south Londoners lost just seven league games all season in 2025-26, and importantly they went the entirety of the campaign unbeaten at their Hayes Lane home, and if they can make that a similar fortress in League One, then that is a good starting point for an impressive season against the odds.

Michael Cheek stepping up to League One for the first time at the age of 34 (35 in August) will be interesting to see, and if he doesn't fire as much as he did in the division below with his 16 goals, then there may need to be a succession plan - with the right recruitment of the squad though, Bromley are well-placed to give the third tier a really good go.