Championship

Championship Outright Winner Odds & Predictions (2025/26)

1 month ago

| BY Tony Incenzo

The ultra-competitive EFL Championship kicks off once again next weekend, with matches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Who will be crowned as the outright winners come the end of the season? The three clubs relegated from the Premier League will attract plenty of football betting due to their massive parachute payments. But I am mindful that freshly promoted duo Birmingham City and Wrexham have been injecting big money into their squads.

To assist your Championship betting ahead of the 2025/26 season, here are the teams that I believe will be in contention…

Ipswich Town (3/1)

Final position 2024/25 – 19th in the Premier League
Manager/coach – Kieran McKenna
Age – 39
Date appointed – 16th December 2021
Stand out summer signing – Azor Matusiwa, midfielder from Rennes for £7.8 million on 13th July
Quote – Matusiwa said: “I am a person who likes to feel things and it immediately felt very good when I joined Ipswich Town. At that moment, I sensed this is the club where I belong and have to be.”
Opening fixture – Friday 8th August 2025, kick-off 8pm: Birmingham City v Ipswich Town
Predicted 2025/26 Championship finish: 1st

Southampton (11/2)

Final position 2024/25 – 20th in the Premier League
Manager/coach – Will Still
Age – 32
Date appointed – 25th May 2025
Stand out summer signing – Damion Downs, striker from Cologne for £7 million on 9th July
Quote – Downs said: “Everybody plays football to win medals. I won my first title last season in the Bundesliga second tier with Cologne and I hope to repeat it this year now that I have joined Southampton. It is a large club who really should be in the Premier League. So that is my aim…to help Southampton as much as I can to get back to the Premier League.”
Opening fixture – Saturday 9th August, kick-off 12.30pm: Southampton v Wrexham
Predicted 2025/26 Championship finish: 2nd

Sheffield United (8/1)

Final position 2024/25 – 3rd in the EFL Championship then beaten 2-1 by Sunderland in the Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium
Manager/coach – Rubén Sellés
Age – 42
Date appointed – 18th June 2025
Stand out summer signing – Louie Barry, striker on loan from Aston Villa on 22nd July
Quote – Barry said: “As soon as I had my first conversation about joining Sheffield United I couldn’t wait to complete the move. I am absolutely buzzing to get started. When a club like this comes calling, you can’t turn it down. I love the style of play Rubén Sellés prefers because it is exactly what I stand for as a player.”
Opening fixture – Saturday 9th August, kick-off 5.30pm: Sheffield United v Bristol City
Predicted 2025/26 Championship finish: 3rd

Wrexham (25/1)

Final position 2024/25 – 2nd in EFL League One
Manager/coach – Phil Parkinson
Age – 57
Date appointed – 1st July 2021
Stand out summer signing – Lewis O’Brien, midfielder from Nottingham Forest for £4 million on 24th July
Quote – O’Brien said: “It is great for me to be at Wrexham. Signing a long-term contract at somewhere I can call home is a wonderful feeling. After speaking to everyone here, I know it is a club with lots of ambition. I just want to be part of the overall journey and help take Wrexham to where they want to be.”
Opening fixture – Saturday 9th August, kick-off 12.30pm: Southampton v Wrexham
Predicted 2025/26 Championship finish: 4th

Birmingham City (13/2)

Final position 2024/25 – 1st in EFL League One
Manager/coach – Chris Davies
Age – 40
Date appointed – 6th June 2024
Stand out summer signing – Kyogo Furuhashi, striker from Rennes for £10 million on 5th July
Quote – Furuhashi said: “I’m so happy to sign for Birmingham City. I will give my very best for the club. Keep right on!”
Opening fixture – Friday 8th August, kick-off 8pm; Birmingham City v Ipswich Town
Predicted 2025/26 Championship finish: 5th

Leicester City (12/1)

Final position 2024/25 – 18th in the Premier League
Manager/coach – Martí Cifuentes
Age – 43
Date appointed – 15th July 2025
Stand out summer signing – Asmir Begovic, goalkeeper from Everton on a free transfer on 29th July
Quote – Begovic said: “I am so excited about my move to Leicester City. It is a pleasure to be here and I am humbled to join such a good club. It is not every day that a team of Leicester’s standing gets in touch about joining. Hopefully we can enjoy a really good season challenging at the top of the Championship table to get Leicester back to the Premier League where we belong.”
Opening fixture – Sunday 10th August, kick-off 4.30pm: Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday
Predicted 2025/26 Championship finish: 6th