Expert Analysis – Who will win the 2025-26 EFL Championship?

EFL pundit Gab Sutton discusses who will lift the Championship title in 2025-26.

Slow-starting Ipswich still worthy favourites

Cards on the table – I’m not going to go away from my ante-post stance this early in the season.

Ipswich are 9/2 (various), and while they’re winless at the moment, I fully expect them to click into gear – maybe after the transfer window closes and they’ve had an international fortnight to gather themselves.

With 10 new additions, and key men from the last three years departing, the Tractor Boys were bound to take some time to settle into a new dynamic, and it should take just a little bit of tweaking from Kieran McKenna to find that formula.

So, I still see Ipswich as the clear favourites, and Birmingham (5/2 various), Southampton (13/2 Spreadex) and Coventry (17/2 SkyBet) as the outsiders.

Blues best positioned of other lead contenders

Blues, I think will be in the top two, and if they finish above Ipswich, I think they win the league.

Chris Davies’ side have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, taking seven points from their first three games, producing arguably their best performance in the game they drew, against Ipswich on opening night.

There’s a real feel-good factor around the club at the moment, and with a core of top-end Championship players remaining from last season, added to with a highly ambitious summer of incoming business, the B9 outfit have every chance.

Southampton have made late bids to strengthen their case, with Will Still’s side set to sign winger Tom Fellows and attacking midfielder Finn Azaz to aid their creative efforts.

They’ve not exactly started on fire, performance wise, and may take a few weeks to hit top gear.

Coventry, meanwhile, have shown their attacking potential by hitting five past Derby and seven past QPR, thanks to the forward quadrant of Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jack Rudoni, Ephron Mason-Clark and Haji Wright.

The Sky Blues remain light in central defence, which could yet be their Achilles heel without further additions between now and Monday’s deadline – but going forward they carry a real threat.

Boro and Stoke hoping to upset the odds

And then, there’s the sides who have started with maximum points, Middlesbrough (10/1 Betfred) and Stoke (20/1 Betfred).

Neither were expected to challenge for promotion this season, certainly not for the top two, and it may be foolish to move too far on either team at this early stage.

Boro have amalgamated surprisingly quickly, though, thanks to Rob Edwards’ charismatic man management and Adi Viveash’s impressive coaching, looking stronger against the ball than they were last season.

The Potters, meanwhile, have benefited from the goalkeeping of one of the best shot-stoppers in the Championship in Viktor Johansson, improved midfield work form from Tatsuki Seko, as well as some clinical final-third contributions from Million Manhoef and Divin Mubama.

Having only ever finished in the bottom half since coming down to this level in 2018, contrary to budget and expectation, the Staffordshire outfit are a difficult club to trust – but they’ve had a great start.

The smart money, though, is on Ipswich putting things right and pulling clear.