Championship preview: BBC Sport assesses all 24 clubs ahead of 2026-27 season
BBC Sport published on 14 August 2026 a club-by-club preview of the 2026-27 EFL Championship, assessing promotion and relegation prospects for all 24 teams including Wolves, Wrexham, Middlesbrough and West Ham. The piece examines transfers, managerial situations and early-season expectations as the new campaign gets under way.
The preview notes the 46-game, nine-month nature of the Championship and describes the division as unusually open and competitive for 2026-27. Four clubs enter the season with parachute payments: West Ham, Wolves and Burnley, while Southampton start with a four-point penalty following the spygate scandal. Lincoln City return to the division for the first time since 1961, Cardiff were promoted as League One runners-up after a one-year absence, and Bolton rejoin the Championship for the first time since 2019; BBC correspondents and Jobi McAnuff offered predicted finishes as the transfer window remains open until 1 September.
Birmingham's assessment lists key arrivals as James Beadle (Brighton, loan), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Jhon Solis (Girona) and Luis Vazquez (Anderlecht), with departures including Kai Wagner, Ibrahim Osman, Jonathan Panzo and Tommy Doyle. Manager Chris Davies is expected to accept a top-eight finish as a realistic minimum, building on continuity from the second half of last season when the squad was refreshed. Their home form at St Andrew's provided a 44-point return, the fourth-best home record in the division, but they managed only five away wins and were among the bottom six for away victories and goals last term. The preview singles out 22-year-old striker August Priske—six feet five inches, who scored his first Blues goal on the final day at Portsmouth and has featured in pre-season—as a potential 15-goal-plus forward if he carries his summer physical development into a full campaign.
Blackburn's brief highlights Jayden Fevrier (Stockport) and Sam Morsy as arrivals, with Sondre Tronstad and Ryan Hedges leaving, and frames the immediate objective as avoiding a repeat of last season's struggles. Tony Mowbray has emphasised the need for further quality signings; Blackburn won only four home games at Ewood Park last term, and the side still lacks Championship experience in key areas. The club face uncertainty in goal with Balazs Toth and Aynsley Pears in the final year of their contracts and Toth potentially departing before the window closes. Centre-back Tom Atcheson has been handed the number six shirt and begins the season as first-choice; he turns 20 in September and the preview notes he is likely already attracting interest from Premier League clubs.
Bolton, promoted as League One play-off winners, have added Luca Stephenson (Liverpool), Ryan Hardie (Wrexham, loan), Gaizka Larrazabal (free) and Lewis Brunt (Wrexham), while Amario Cozier-Duberry's loan ended. The expectation is consolidation after promotion under Steven Schumacher amid one of the division's lowest budgets, with eight new signings reported at the time of writing and possibly more to come. The report points to a need for improved conversion from chances to goals up front and identifies Hardie—who previously prospered under Schumacher at Plymouth—as a potential difference-maker.
Bristol City's review records arrivals Lorent Tolaj (Plymouth), Dom Ballard (Leyton Orient), Sam Tickle (Wigan) and Lisav Eissat (Maccabi Haifa), and notes off-field changes including Michael Skubala as head coach and James Ellis as sporting director. Eight new signings have been made and there is optimism about promotion possibilities, but the preview cautions that so much change may require time. City’s defensive and central midfield recruitment, including Eissat and Gibson Yah, is viewed as a strength, while the forward pair Tolaj and Ballard—both outstanding in League One—have no Championship experience; Tolaj is described as a likely cult hero and Japanese winger Yu Hirakawa is named as an intriguing attacking option under Skubala.
Burnley are listed with Ugo Raghouber (Lille) arriving and departures including Maxime Esteve (Leipzig), Jaidon Anthony (Brentford), Luca Koleosho (Paris FC) and Florentino Luis (Ipswich). The preview states it is too early to judge the Clarets' prospects after recent Championship promotions and says further summer business is expected. Aaron Ramsey and Mike Tresor are mentioned as players with a point to prove, while Zian Flemming is identified as a potential departure risk. Marcus Edwards is highlighted as a difference-maker who impressed after arriving in the second half of Burnley’s promotion-winning campaign. Cardiff's section lists Nathan Trott (Copenhagen) and Jack Moylan (Lincoln) among signings, Ryan Wintle as a departure, and frames survival as head coach Brian Barry-Murphy's first priority; the club’s youthful squad is praised for pace and academy talent but noted to contain only three players over the age of 30, and striker Yousef Salech is named as the player they will rely on for goals, having scored eight goals in 20 Championship games two seasons ago and 15 goals last campaign before a neck injury.
Middlesbrough are recorded as having finished fifth and lost in last season's play-off final, with signings Will Lankshear (Tottenham) and Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps) and departures Hayden Hackney (Everton) and Dael Fry (Birmingham). The preview says Boro expect to push for promotion again, praising their defensive solidity and ability to close out games, while identifying a recurring problem in breaking down teams who sit deep that produced only two wins from their last 10 matches of the previous campaign. The report singles out Lankshear as a big-money out-and-out number nine, Berhalter as an international in good form, and notes Adilson Malanda as an outstanding mid-season defensive addition whose partnership with Alfie Jones is important for the club's ambitions.
As the new season approaches, the preview notes Wolves and Blackburn were preparing to travel on Friday and reminds readers the transfer window stays open until 1 September, leaving the composition of many squads subject to further change. The club-by-club assessments will be revisited as the season unfolds and any late transfer activity is confirmed.
