Championship 2025-26 preview: Promotion contenders, relegation candidates and dark horses

The 2025-26 Championship season is now upon us, with teams filled with hope and expectation ahead of the highly anticipated campaign.

Southampton, Leicester City, and Ipswich Town have returned from the Premier League, while Birmingham City, Wrexham and Charlton are all flying high after securing promotion from League One.

There will be plenty of teams targeting automatic promotion or, at the very least, a playoff finish, while at the opposite end of the table, clubs will be desperately fighting to avoid the dreaded drop.

Here, Sports Mole offers a detailed preview of the new Championship campaign, including potential promotion contenders, dark horses and the candidates for the drop.

Who are the main contenders for the Championship title?

Ipswich Town

Ipswich perhaps made the jump to the Premier League too soon after surging through the divisions with back-to-back promotions.

After struggling to compete in the top flight, the Tractor Boys are back competing in the second tier, with Kieran McKenna looking to oversee another successful promotion bid.

While their squad was not good enough for the Premier League, Ipswich have enough talent in their ranks to thrive in the Championship despite losing striker Liam Delap to Chelsea this summer.

It remains to be seen whether they can keep Omari Hutchinson, but even if he were to depart, the Tractor Boys can call upon the likes of Chiedozie Ogbene, Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke.

Southampton

Like Ipswich, Southampton could also see key players depart between now and the end of the window, with Matheus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling both attracting interest from elsewhere.

The Saints have already seen Jan Bednarek and Kamaldeen Sulemana depart, but they have strengthened their squad with the additions of Damion Downs and Joshua Quarshie.

They also possess a host of players who should be strong at Championship level, and there will be pressure on Will Still to challenge for promotion in his first season in charge.

The 32-year-old may be a young manager, but he has already gained plenty of experience during his time at Lierse, Beerschot, Reims and Lens.

Sheffield United

Sheffield United are still getting over the bitter disappointment of May's playoff final against Sunderland at Wembley, where it conceded the losing goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

That proved to be Chris Wilder's final game in charge, as the board opted it was the right time for a change in the dugout, leading to the appointment of Ruben Selles.

The former Hull City boss will be under no illusions that his task is to lead the club back to the Premier League, especially as he can call upon the majority of last season's squad, apart from returning loanees and the permanent exits of Vini Souza and Rhian Brewster.

Louie Barry has the potential to be an exciting loan addition, while Tyler Bindon, Mihail Polendakov and Ehije Uhaki have also arrived at Bramall Lane this summer.

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Who else could feature in the Championship promotion race?

A number of other teams will have aspirations of mounting a push for the top six, and even one of the automatic promotion spots during the 2025-26 campaign.

Norwich City are among those who will be looking to operate near the top of the Championship table after experiencing an underwhelming season under Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Liam Manning has taken over the reins at Carrow Road, and knows how to get his teams to perform in the second tier after leading Bristol City to a top-six finish last season.

The Canaries have lost Borja Sainz to Porto, and Josh Sargent could also depart before the summer is out, but the club have been busy in the transfer market to give Manning a squad capable of enjoying success this term.

Meanwhile, Coventry City boss Frank Lampard made a positive impact following his appointment in November, taking the club from the bottom half of the table to a fifth-place finish, only for Sunderland to get the better of them in the playoff semi-final.

Lampard now faces the tough task of matching and even bettering last season's success, with the Coventry boss hoping to retain the services of key midfielder Jack Rudoni.

The Sky Blues finished last term as the joint fourth-highest scorers, and that attacking firepower could be key if they are to have any hope of achieving their Premier League dream.

As for Leicester City, they will have aspirations of returning to the Premier League at the earliest opportunity after suffering relegation following a dismal top-flight campaign.

However, their promotion hopes could be hampered by a potential points deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules.

The Foxes also need to offload players that have been deemed surplus to requirements by new manager Marti Cifuentes, who will hope departures can make room for potential new arrivals.

Birmingham City will be looking to trouble the top six despite being one of the three newly-promoted sides in the Championship this season.

The League One champions have made a number of eye-catching additions, including the arrivals of Kyogo Furuhashi, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Demarai Gray and Tommy Doyle.

Chris Davies will be aware that his managerial skills will be tested more than they were in the second tier, but with a strong squad at his disposal, the Birmingham boss will be confident of enjoying success in his first season as a Championship manager.

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Who are the Championship's dark horses?

There could be an argument that Millwall do not qualify as dark horses after finishing inside the top nine in four of the previous six seasons.

However, the Lions are still searching for their first top-six finish in the second tier since clinching fourth spot under Mark McGhee in the 2001-02.

With that in mind, it would be a remarkable achievement if Alex Neil can steer Millwall into the playoffs this season, although those hopes could depend on whether they can keep key defender Japhet Tanganga and star striker Mihailo Ivanovic.

Swansea could be another team to keep an eye on during the 2025-26 campaign, with Alan Sheehan looking to build upon his fine work from the latter stages of last season.

The 38-year-old recorded seven wins, three draws and three defeats in 10 games after taking over the reins in February, with those results earning him the top job on a permanent basis.

Cameron Burgess, Ethan Galbraith and Zeidan Inoussa are among he players who have arrived as part of Swansea's shrewd summer transfer business.

They will look to add more depth to their squad in the next month, which would put them in a promising position to trouble the top six.

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How will Wrexham fare?

Wrexham have enjoyed a remarkable rise through the leagues with the backing of their Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney.

The Red Dragons achieved a third consecutive promotion with a second-place finish in League One last season, ensuring they can look forward to competing in the second tier for the first time since 1981-82.

Having spent 43 years away from the second tier, there is surely a trail of thought that success for Wrexham would be to establish themselves in the Championship this season.

However, their summer business suggests that they may have loftier ambitions, having recruited the likes of Conor Coady, Lewis O'Brien, Josh Windass, Kieffer Moore and Danny Ward.

A playoff push may be a tough ask, but you cannot bet against Phil Parkinson's side adding another memorable chapter to their Hollywood story.

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Which teams are at risk of relegation?

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday enter the new season as the obvious favourites for the drop, with the club in a hopeless position due to their well-documented off-field issues.

Owner Dejphon Chansiri has been repeatedly late in paying the wages, with the players and staff still waiting to receive July's salary.

Danny Rohl recently left his role as head coach, while several players have left the club this summer, including Josh Windass and Michael Smith.

New boss Henrik Pedersen has taken over the reins, but with a threadbare squad, the Dane faces an impossible task to keep the Owls in the Championship.

Charlton Athletic

Charlton are back competing in the Championship for the first time in five years after winning promotion via the League One playoffs.

After guiding the Addicks into the second tier, Nathan Jones now has the tough challenge of keeping the club in the division.

Charlton have spent money to recruit Charlie Kelman, Tanto Olaofe, Joe Rankin-Costello, Thomas Kaminski, Rob Apter and Reece Burke, while Sonny Carey and Amari'i Bell on a free transfer.

They have evidently made an effort to build a squad to compete in the Championship, but time will tell if it will be enough to avoid a repeat of the 2019-20 campaign when they finished in 22nd place.

Oxford United

Oxford managed to secure safety in their first season in the second tier since 1999-2000, as Gary Rowett steered the club to a hard-fought 17th-place finish.

Realistically, the U's will be targeting survival again rather than entertaining any ideas of moving towards the top half of the Championship table.

They have recruited Brian De Keersmaecker, Brodie Spencer, and Luke Harris have joined the club, although Rowett will surely want more reinforcements before the transfer window slams shut on September 1.

Hull City

Hull City preserved their Championship status with a draw against Portsmouth on the final day of the 2024-25 season.

Despite securing safety, the Tigers decided to part ways with Ruben Selles, who has since been appointed as Sheffield United manager.

There is some doubt as to whether Selles's successor, Sergej Jakirovic, is the right man for the job at the MKM Stadium.

Jakirovic needs to find a way for Hull to offer a great threat in the final third after they finished last season as the league's lowest scorers with just 44 goals in 46 matches.

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Who are the other teams battling for Championship survival?

Preston North End will need to start the new season in much better form than they finished the last one if they are to have any hope of remaining in the Championship.

Paul Heckingbottom's side flirted with the drop after they plummeted down the table with an eight-game winless run (D3, L5).

The Lilywhites drew more games than any other team in the division last term, suggesting that they need to become better at converting draws into victories if they are to steer well clear of the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth are looking forward to competing in the Championship for a second straight season after securing survival with a strong end to last term.

Pompey will be aiming to push on in the 2025-26 campaign, but their first priority will be to guarantee safety before they can set their sights a little higher.

After finishing last term with the second-worst away record, John Mousinho's side will be aware that they will have to be better on the road if they are to avoid another relegation fight.