EFL Championship 2026/2027 Discussion Thread

[Waleron Wycliffe]

Bolton Wanderers
Blackburn Rovers
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Birmingham City
Bristol City
Burnley
Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic
Derby County
Lincoln City
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers (QPR)
Sheffield United
Stoke City
Swansea City
Watford
West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United
Wrexham
Preston North End
Southampton

Does the Championship’s promotion system really reward the best teams, or does the playoff system create an unfair twist at the end of the season?

24 teams, 46 matches, and a promotion race that can come down to the playoffs. The top two teams earn automatic promotion to the Premier League, while teams finishing 3rd to 6th compete for the final promotion spot.

Who do you think is the favorite to win the Championship this season: Southampton, Ipswich Town, Norwich City, Coventry City, or someone else?

The bigger question: Should the Championship keep the current playoff system, or should the top three teams be promoted automatically based on the final league table?

Does the playoff system create the excitement that makes the Championship special, or can it unfairly deny a team that has been consistently better throughout the season?

[Yabani]

Mate, thanks for starting the Championship thread.

I wonder what the West Ham board is thinking.
Nuno Espirito Santo got this team relegated to the Championship last year, yet he is still in charge. If it were up to me, I would have changed the manager, but West Ham United didn't do that.
Today, they were leading 2–0 away at Burnley, but the match ended in a 2–2 draw.
I didn't watch the match; I only found out what happened by looking at the stats after seeing the score.
West Ham won't be able to get promoted to the Premier League with this manager.