Championship preview 2025/26: Key players, weaknesses and predictions for all 24 teams

Add as preferred source on Google

We are now just a matter of days away from the start of the new season in the EFL, so here, we take a dive into all 24 teams in the second tier with our Championship preview for 2025/26.

Last season may have been the best Championship campaign of all time, with a thrilling two-horse title race, unpredictable play-offs, and a handful of teams still fighting for survival until the final day.

But, with big teams dropping down and coming up to the division, we’re expecting the 2025/26 Championship to be even better.

There’ll be intense rivalries, superstar owners, and big-name players on show. So, before the Championship fixtures commence, let’s have a look at every single team in the division and what we can expect from them this season.

Without further ado, here’s our Championship preview for 2025/26. Buckle up!

• READ MORE: EFL transfer round-up: Leicester losing key man, Huddersfield in for Alfie May, MK Dons want former Wrexham ace

Championship preview 2025/26: Everything you need to know about all 24 teams

Birmingham City

Key player: Birmingham City have a very strong squad heading into the new season, so it’s difficult to pin down one player. Their attacking exploits are clear, with the likes of Jay Stansfield, Kyogo Furuhashi and Demarai Gray available to them.

However, Paik Seung-Ho could be their most important player in terms of dictating possession in the middle of the park alongside Tomoki Iwata.

Main weakness: The most obvious hurdle surrounds how well some of the players can step up from League One, but it may not be as big of a leap as some may think. While others may question how Chris Davies’ style can scale – given the possession the Blues enjoyed last season – he is tactically flexible and could show it against a better calibre of opposition next season.

Prediction: It’s difficult to say exactly where Birmingham could finish, but it looks set to be a positive season at least. While automatic promotion isn’t out of the question, it depends on how quickly they settle into things compared to the relegated sides.

A play-off push should be the minimum expectation, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it all end in a promotion party one way or another.

Covered by Luke Thrower.

Blackburn Rovers

Key player: It will be a new-look Blackburn Rovers this season as the club bids farewell to several key players from the last campaign, and there will be questions if the new acquisitions are an improvement on the departees. However, new man Dion De Neve is an exciting prospect.

Main weakness: Valérien Ismaël struggled at the start of his tenure, but they found form late on, and there will be hope it can continue; however, unless Rovers strengthen their strike force, fans may be in for a long season.

Prediction: Blackburn and their fans should be pleased with a stabilising campaign in the middle of the league to hopefully build to a brighter future, but don’t rule out a relegation battle if things start badly.

Covered by Brendan McGilligan.

Bristol City

Key player: Gerhard Struber is not new to the Championship, but he will need Jason Knight to be at his very best if the Robins are to replicate their play-off finish from 2024/25. However, he has been the subject of interest from Everton, and a late move for the midfielder could seriously disrupt City’s preparations.

Main weakness: Bristol City are a really tough side to work out this summer; they’ve not lost too many key players at all, but the loss of Liam Manning to Norwich City is massive and this may just see the club lose all of their momentum from last season.

Prediction: A mid-table finish may be on the cards, despite the desire for Bristol City to continue their rise up the division. There has just been too much change for one summer, and they will need Emil Riis to start well if they are to land in the top six. But at this point, others simply seem to have more quality.

Covered by Khai Smith.

Charlton Athletic

Key player: Amari’i Bell is going to be key for Charlton, no doubt about it. He’s got loads of experience, playing over 200 games across the Championship and even 21 in the Premier League. His versatility on the left side and already knowing Nathan Jones’ system will be vital for shoring up the Addicks’ defence as they step up into the Championship.

Main weakness: Charlton’s main challenge this season is simply the huge leap in quality from League One to the Championship. They’ll need to sort out their squad depth, find reliable goal scorers, and build a truly solid defence to cope with tougher opposition. Avoiding an immediate drop back down will be the big goal.

Prediction: Personally, it looks like Charlton will face a tough Championship season. Most likely, they’ll be battling it out in the bottom half of the table, purely focused on staying up. Newly promoted teams always find that jump hard, so avoiding relegation would be a massive success for them.

Covered by Ailsa Cowen.

Coventry City

Key player: If they can resist offers from elsewhere for the rest of the transfer window for Jack Rudoni, Coventry City will be in possession of one of the best players in the Championship. He’s the one that makes the team tick, has creativity to make things happen, and will be so influential for Frank Lampard’s side.

Main weakness: Haji Wright is Coventry’s main source of goals, so when he’s not firing, they’re in trouble. There’s speculation he could leave this summer, but even if he stays, he’s prone to injuries, and the Sky Blues really need someone who can supplement his output.

Prediction: An impressive run in the second half of last season took Coventry to the play-offs, and there’s no reason they can’t land in the top six again. It’ll be tough, as a lot of teams around them have improved significantly, but we’ll back Coventry to be there or thereabouts.

Covered by Jakob Barnes.

Derby County

Key player: It’s obvious where the focus has been early on for Derby County in this transfer window, with two new strikers through the door in the form of Carlton Morris and Patrick Agyemang, who both need to hit the ground running.

However, it’s Ebou Adams who will once again be pivotal for the Rams. He was handed the captaincy by Eustace back in February and his leadership was vital in ensuring safety. Adams has added goals to his game as well now, and he really will be the cog in this team in 2025/26 with more midfielders still needed.

Main weakness: That is where Derby have to improve. They are lacking two more central midfielders, and they have to find a way to get Harrison Armstrong back as one of them.

Prediction: This summer has been a positive one for Derby County and John Eustace has been working quickly to get the players that he needs to avoid a similar season to 2024/25. A mid-table finish would be excellent, and that has to be the target for the Rams in the Championship.

Covered by Khai Smith.

Hull City

Key player: Hull City have endured a very difficult summer with multiple exits and a transfer embargo hanging over their heads. The Tigers only just avoided relegation in 2024/25, and they had goalkeeper Ivor Pandur to thank for keeping them in the division as he made countless quality saves in matches. Pandur, alongside promising centre-back Charlie Hughes, remain crucial to their chances in 2025/26.

Main weakness: The biggest hurdle facing Hull next season is scoring goals. As a transfer embargo has limited them to signing players without paying a fee, they haven’t addressed their biggest problem as of yet, and that is capturing a reliable goalscorer.

Current forwards Mason Burstow and Kyle Joseph are unproven at Championship level, and with Joao Pedro no longer at the club, it’s difficult to see where the goals are coming from.

Prediction: As it stands, Sergej Jakirovic keeping Hull in the Championship would be a miracle. City were lucky to avoid relegation in 2024/25, and their squad has since regressed in quality, leaving the possibility of dropping into League One on the cards once more.

The only saving grace for Hull could be the demise of Sheffield Wednesday, who look nailed on to go down, but it promises to be a long season of battling relegation.

Covered by Tom Griffin.

Ipswich Town

Key player: Leif Davis will be Ipswich’s key player yet again this season, following a mixed run of form upon his step back into the Premier League. The left-back was a talisman for the Tractor Boys in their double promotion, with his quality deliveries from open play and set-pieces helping to unlock defences.

Main weakness: The main hurdle for Ipswich and Kieran McKenna will be that adjustment back to life in the Championship. After enjoying two seasons of a consistent winning feeling, can they bounce back from a long campaign filled with difficult defeats in the Premier League?

Teams may approach them differently to the promotion season as well, making the real challenge about how they can break the opposition down.

Prediction: While there are those challenges ahead, Ipswich have to be favourites for automatic promotion. They don’t have the squad limitations of Southampton and Leicester, who come down with them, and they have more than enough quality to beat any team in the league.

Covered by Luke Thrower.

Leicester City

Key player: A new season and another new man at the helm in Marti Cifuentes after an embarrassing Premier League campaign. In terms of a Championship squad it’s very talented and now has the next generation of talent in the likes of Jeremy Monga there, too.

Also, Abdul Fatawu was electric last time Leicester were in the Championship and will be too much for defenders.

Main weakness: However, there is a points deduction expected at the King Power Stadium and a fanbase at loggerheads with the board that could threaten to derail their season.

Prediction: Even if they were to be punished by the EFL, I’d still back the Foxes to be in the top two promotion race.

Covered by Callum Boyle.

Middlesbrough

Key player: Retaining 13-goal forward Tommy Conway will be imperative for Boro’s prospects next term, as will the highly creative Finn Azaz.

Main weakness: High-profile departures for the likes of Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg are inbound this summer, and there are fears over how Rob Edwards’ style of play will suit the current Boro squad.

Prediction: It may seem surprising given Middlesbrough’s finishes over recent seasons, but Boro could genuinely be sucked into a relegation battle next season. If their pre-season performances are anything to go by, then Boro will struggle to do much better than a middle-bottom-half finish.

Covered by Ethan Todd.

Millwall

Key player: Keeping Mihailo Ivanovic and Japhet Tanganga and re-signing Josh Coburn permanently has been massive for Millwall. I like what Alex Neil has done with a humble budget and Ivanovic’s goals will help to propel the Lions up the table.

Main weakness: The one issue they may have this time around, aside from key players getting injured, is that teams will be more aware of Neil’s style and may alter their tactics to neutralise it.

Prediction: I do think they could be a dark horse this season, and will say they could have an outside shout of sneaking into the play-offs, although top half feels more likely.

Covered by Callum Boyle.

Norwich City

Key player: Norwich City have completed some impressive business in the transfer window, including the arrivals of Jacob Wright from Manchester City, centre-back Harry Darling and former Leicester City ace Jeffrey Schlupp.

Although they sold Borja Sainz to Porto, Liam Manning is hanging onto star striker Josh Sargent by a thread. The USMNT international scored 15 goals last term, and if they can somehow keep him amid interest from the Bundesliga, he is their most important player in 2025/26.

Main weakness: The biggest hurdle facing Norwich is ultimately replacing the quality that has left the club. Sainz registered 22 goal involvements in the second tier last term, and with the possibility of Sargent also leaving, that is 42 G/A that could need replacing.

Of course, the Canaries have signed Mathias Kvistgaarden who promises to add some firepower to their attack, but he may also need time to adjust to the Championship.

Prediction: Liam Manning miraculously guided Bristol City into the play-offs last term. So, with a stronger squad available to him at Norwich, surely finishing in the top six has to be the target.

The Canaries have certainly shown the ambition of a top-six-chasing side with their business so far, but their success next season ultimately hinges on how well their new signings gel together and whether they can replace the goals they’re losing.

Covered by Tom Griffin.

Oxford United

Key player: Keeping their key duo of Ciaran Brown and Cameron Brannagan have been great bits of business but it’s obvious that Oxford need an out and out goal scorer to help soften the blow of having what is arguably one of the weakest defences in the league.

Main weakness: Gary Rowett did a great job to keep Oxford up this season. They used their limited funds well and thrived off the adrenaline of being in the second tier. They’re no longer the new boys though and will hope to not have a repeat of Plymouth Argyle in terms of second season syndrome.

Prediction: They will be in a relegation battle once again and if they don’t finish in the bottom three, it’ll be just above it.

Covered by Callum Boyle.

Portsmouth

Key player: Portsmouth’s most important player is undoubtedly Josh Murphy. The electric winger was instrumental to John Mousinho’s side staying in the Championship last term, plundering a career-best seven goals and 14 assists in the second tier. Indeed, Pompey will need the 30-year-old to produce more final third magic in 2025/26.

Main weakness: After a solid first campaign back in the second tier, Pompey risk regressing as a club with only two additions through the door. Adrian Segecic joined from Sydney FC, while John Swift returned to the club where he started his career.

So, with less than three weeks until the season kicks off, Portsmouth fans will be worried that not enough investment has been made, and that could be what holds them back.

Prediction: Clubs can often experience second-season syndrome, and Portsmouth will be hopeful they don’t fall victim to that issue. With a lack of investment so far, though, it’s hard to see them improving on their 16th-place finish last term.

Ultimately, it’s looking like they could be dragged into the relegation battle, unless they pull their fingers out in the remainder of the window.

Covered by Tom Griffin.

Preston North End

Key player: Credit where credit’s due, Preston North End have actually recruited fairly well this summer. It’s the signing of experienced striker Michael Smith that has me convinced they’ll be comfortable this season, though, with the big forward capable of notching the goals needed to replace Emil Riis.

Main weakness: The problem for Preston, as it is most years, is finding consistency. They’re the ultimate midtable team; never quite stringing together enough wins to balance out the defeats and draws. Heckingbottom and his men are guilty of treading water, and they need to find another gear this season.

Prediction: There are enough teams with far bigger issues to solve right now to suggest that Preston will steer clear of a relegation battle. They’re not going to challenge at the top either, though, and will land slap bang in the middle of the table as usual. One of the easiest, most predictable teams in this Championship preview.

Covered by Jakob Barnes.

QPR

Key player: There have been a lot of positive steps at the London club this summer, as they got a lot of their transfer business done early, signing the likes of Kwame Poku and Amadou Mbengue.

Main weakness: However, there are a few areas of weakness that may hold them back, with left back being one, but their forward line may find form this season and be a telling factor.

Prediction: QPR’s new manager, Julien Stéphan, is renowned for quick starts at his previous clubs, so there will be hope he can continue this and, with this, build on the expected mid-table finish. QPR may even be an outsider for the play-off places.

Covered by Brendan McGilligan.

Sheffield United

Key player: It’s obvious that Gus Hamer is the one who makes Sheffield United tick, and if he’s still at Bramall Lane come the start of the season, he will be the main man for Ruben Selles.

However, don’t underestimate just how important Michael Cooper is in goal; he’s going to be the best ‘keeper in the league this year.

Main weakness: The problem for the Blades is their recruitment. While Louie Barry is an exciting addition, the rest of United’s signings (mostly players from the Bulgarian league) are just not good enough. Indeed, there’s no way you can say this squad is stronger than it was last year; if anything, it could be weaker after losing Vini Souza.

Prediction: Sheffield United were pipped to promotion last season, and they’ll be up there fighting for it again this year. However, I can see them scraping a play-off spot at best, and I would not be surprised to see them finish just outside the top six.

Covered by Jakob Barnes.

• READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday’s most expensive sales of all time, Djeidi Gassama should have made the list

Sheffield Wednesday

Key player: Pierce Charles could be a key player for Sheffield Wednesday next season. This 19-year-old goalkeeper is highly rated, has already played for Northern Ireland, and looked super composed on his Championship debut last season.

With James Beadle’s loan ending, it looks like Charles is ready to step up and be the Owls’ number one, bringing a modern, ball-playing style. And, if Barry Bannan signs that new contract, his experience and ability to run the midfield would be absolutely massive for their Championship hopes.

Main weakness: Wednesday’s biggest headache this season is their money troubles; from unpaid wages, a transfer embargo, and even potential points deductions. It’s creating so much uncertainty around the manager and the squad, which just makes everything a lot harder. They’ll really need to pull together to navigate all that.

Prediction: So, where will they finish? It’s anyone’s guess, really, from mid-table to another relegation scrap. They finished 12th last season, which was brilliant, but with those financial issues, the transfer embargo, and a bit of managerial uncertainty, it’s going to be a real test.

Ask any Owls fan right now and they’d say they’re doomed. Frankly, it’s hard to disagree.

Covered by Ailsa Cowen.

Southampton

Key player: Relegation was inevitable for Southampton last season, and the harsh reset of this summer will serve them well. Will Still was a huge coup and it’s obvious how highly rated he is with key players like Matheus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling staying put as things stand.

Main weakness: The uncertainty around Aaron Ramsdale is an issue and this must be sorted out quickly to make sure that the Saints don’t face any hold ups at the start of the campaign. Southampton need a solid, consistent number one goalkeeper, and if Ramsdale isn’t going to play that role, they’d better find a replacement soon.

Prediction: Realistically, Southampton know that they will be expected to compete for the Championship title and after securing Damion Downs, they will be up there.

The question is, do they have enough to beat Ipswich Town? Right now, no. But with time still left in the transfer window, Southampton could well be the team to finish at the summit.

Covered by Khai Smith.

Stoke City

Key player: There will be hope Mark Robins can repeat his work at Coventry City to rebuild the club and the squad, but this will take time. Losing the likes of Wouter Burger and Sol Sidibe won’t help matters, but new signing Sorba Thomas could be the livewire Stoke need to kickstart their campaign.

Main weakness: Stoke have a number of limitations, with the biggest area for concern in the team being up front, particularly after the loss of Tom Cannon. So, there will be a focus on making them resolute at the back as the club attempts to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap; however, it may be another long season for fans.

Prediction: The Potters will be hopeful of a much-improved season this year, as they only secured their Championship status on the final day last campaign. However, Stoke City have not finished in the top half since they were relegated to the division in 2018, and we don’t expect too much to change in terms of their placement in the table.

Covered by Brendan McGilligan.

Swansea City

Key player: Zeidane Inoussa could be a key player for Swansea City this season. He was their first big signing, and sounds exciting – a quick winger who can create and score. Swansea really need more goals after last season, so if he can get fans off their seats and hit the back of the net regularly, he’ll be crucial for Alan Sheehan’s side.

Main weakness: Swansea’s main hurdle this season will probably be scoring goals consistently. While Inoussa looks promising, it’s always a challenge translating goals from other leagues to the Championship’s intensity. Relying on new, unproven talent to suddenly boost their goal tally could leave them struggling to convert chances.

Prediction: Swansea finished a decent 11th last season, and for 2025/26, I’d say they’re looking like another mid-table finish, maybe 10th-14th. They can definitely be a ‘bogey team’, pulling off unexpected wins against bigger sides. But unless that goalscoring consistency really improves, a play-off push might be just out of reach.

Covered by Ailsa Cowen.

Watford

Key player: If Watford can keep hold of Giorgi Chakvetadze, then they stand a real chance of being competitive this season. The Georgian playmaker was a real standout for the Hornets last season. It’s no surprise Premier League clubs were keeping an eye on him.

Main weakness: The main problem for Watford will be how well they can settle after another summer filled with churn. With Tom Cleverley out the door and promotion expert Paulo Pezzolano coming in, along with a few new faces to the squad, it’s unclear just how quickly the team will hit the ground running.

Prediction: After finishing 14th last season, Watford showed plenty of the good and bad that the squad are capable of. Some impressive additions have been made this summer, though, which could have them as an outside shout for a play-off push.

Covered by Luke Thrower.

West Brom

Key player: West Brom have made some impressive signings so far this summer, and have shifted the deadwood that Tony Mowbray lamented towards the end of last season. New boy Aune Heggebo, in particular, is a very interesting prospect and will be one to watch.

Main weakness: Ryan Mason is an exciting but inexperienced coaching prospect, and the Baggies’ campaign will hinge on how quickly he adapts to first-team management in the second tier.

Prediction: With the potential for Mason to employ his Spurs connections to land one of Tottenham’s highly-rated youngsters on loan, Mason should have plenty of quality in his squad to push for a top-six finish.

Covered by Ethan Todd.

Wrexham

Key player: Wrexham have been making headlines throughout the summer transfer window, since the Red Dragons made history with successive promotions, and rightly so. With former Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass now joining the likes of Ryan Hardie and Liberato Cacace at the Welsh giants, the optimism is rife for the Hollywood-backed Red Dragons.

Main weakness: However, Phil Parkinson’s record at Championship level is a glaring issue for Wrexham next season, and the Red Dragons boss, who has been so crucial in their rise, could well be the stumbling block to their ambitions now.

Prediction: While Wrexham fans may be dreaming of a fourth successive promotion, it’s hard to see the Red Dragons achieving any higher than a 16th-placed finish at the first time of asking in 2025/26.

Covered by Ethan Todd.

And that concludes our Championship preview for 2025/26. Now, let’s come back to this in May and see how many of our predictions were correct.