Guide to everything that you need to know ahead of 2025-26 Championship season.
With the new Championship season within sight, there is plenty of hype with plenty of teams expected to fight for promotion this season, with Ipswich and Leicester heading the contenders whilst Birmingham, Wrexham and Charlton look to spring a surprise following their promotions.
The second-tier though is a notorious league to get out of with many promotion, play-off and relegation battles having gone to the final day over the years, underlining how unpredictable yet competitive this season could be.
Now, here is a guide to everything that you need to know about 2025-26 Championship.
When will 2024-25 Championship Season Start and Finish?
The regular season will start on Friday 8 August 2025 and conclude on weekend of 2-3 May 2026.
Promotion Play-Offs will follow in May with exact scheduling details to be announced nearer the time.
How Many Teams will be Involved?
The following 24 teams will participate in the Championship this season.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
| Birmingham City | St Andrew’s | 29,409 |
| Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | 31,367 |
| Bristol City | Ashton Gate | 27,000 |
| Charlton Athletic | The Valley | 27,111 |
| Coventry City | CBS Arena | 32,609 |
| Derby County | Pride Park | 33,597 |
| Hull City | MKM Stadium | 25,586 |
| Ipswich | Portman Road | 30.056 |
| Leicester | King Power Stadium | 32,259 |
| Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 34,742 |
| Millwall | The Den | 20,146 |
| Norwich City | Carrow Road | 27,359 |
| Oxford United | Kassam Stadium | 12,500 |
| Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 20,899 |
| Preston North End | Deepdale | 23,408 |
| QPR | Loftus Road | 18,439 |
| Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | 32,050 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough | 39,732 |
| Southampton | St Mary’s | 32,384 |
| Stoke City | Bet365 Stadium | 30,089 |
| Swansea City | Swansea.com Stadium | 21,088 |
| Watford | Vicarage Road | 22,200 |
| West Brom | The Hawthorns | 26,850 |
| Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 10,771 |
Birmingham City, Wrexham and Derby won promotion from League One at conclusion of last season.
How does Championship Work?
Championship contains 24 teams who will play each other home and away across 46 matches.
The team who collects the most points (win – three points, draw – one point, loss – zero points) will be crowned champion and promoted to Premier League at end of season, alongside the second-placed team.
Those ranked 3-6 will contest the play-offs with 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th in two-legged semi-finals, with the semi-final winners meeting in the Play-Off Final to determine the final team to gain promotion to the top-tier.
Whoever finishes in the bottom three positions will be relegated to League One for next season.
How to Watch Championship in 2024-25 Season
Selected Championship fixtures throughout will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, whilst certain matches will be streamed live on Sky Sports + this season on Saturdays at 12:30pm.
Every match across opening weekend, midweek, holiday and on the final day will be available on Sky Sports + for streaming, alongside games chosen for live broadcast on Sky Sports Football.
Sky will have exclusive live coverage of the play-offs.
ITV will also show ten games across the regular season on a pick-per-month basis, excluding the final day which is Sky exclusive.
Leave a Reply