The new Championship season kicks off on Friday night and the Mirror Football team have run the rule over all 24 teams before making their predictions for the campaign ahead
The Championship is back, which can mean only one thing: the Mirror Football team have dusted off their quills to share their predictions for the 2025-26 campaign.
Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton will all be looking to bounce straight back up at the first time of asking after dropping out of the Premier League last season. But Birmingham City and ambitious Wrexham will also have their sights set on challenging after coming up from League One.
Lots of clubs have strengthened diligently in the market and will be seeking to break the monopoly of relegated sides jumping straight back up.
And at the other end of the table, three teams other will exit the division, albeit not in the fashion they wanted with Sheffield Wednesday already look up against it on that front.
Read on below for the team’s predictions for the Championship, League One and League Two…
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Dan Marsh
Championship winners: Ipswich
Promoted: Southampton, Coventry
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford United, Hull City
Top scorer: Sammie Szmodics
Surprise package: Watford
League One winners: Stockport County
League Two winners: Walsall
It’s hard to look past Ipswich for the Championship title: they have a monstrous squad on paper for this level and Kieran McKenna is their trump card. The swashbuckling style that propelled them to promotion two seasons ago will fare well in a division that is slowly losing interest in the possession-fuelled frenzy that has gripped it in years past.
Southampton should join them even though Will Still is new to the Championship. I have Coventry finishing third ahead of Sheffield United, Millwall and Birmingham. I’ll go with Frank Lampard’s men to go one better and win the play-offs this time around.
Just as Ipswich looked nailed on for promotion, Sheffield Wednesday are certainties for the drop unless something drastically changes in the coming weeks. Oxford and Hull narrowly avoided relegation last season but I fancy them to fall through the trapdoor alongside Wednesday.
In terms of surprise packages, Millwall and Derby will exceed expectations after some astute work in the transfer window. But I’ll back Watford to push for the top-six: they have also done some tidy business and have some real game-changers in their XI.
I’m tipping Stockport County to go one better than the play-offs in League One: their squad has been built nicely and they have a promotion specialist at the helm in Dave Challinor. Likewise, Walsall can also put the demons from last year to rest. They will be chomping at the bit after blowing a significant lead and then losing the play-off final and can respond by winning the title.
Andy Dunn
Championship winners: Birmingham City
Promoted: Ipswich Town, Sheffield United
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City, Preston North End
Top scorer: Tyrese Campbell
Surprise package: Derby County
League One winners: Cardiff City
League Two winners: Crewe Alexandra
There is a buzz around Birmingham City and that is not just down to the behind-the-scenes documentary series and Tom Brady’s antics.
Chris Davies has done an impressive job since taking over as a manager and the club appears to have made some very shrewd signings, including the £10million striker Kyogo Furuhashi from Rennes. The Japanese forward was relatively prolific in his time at Celtic and can lead the Blues back to the Premier League.
Liam Delap’s departure for Chelsea will leave a big hole at Ipswich but George Hirst can have a good crack at filling it and they should be strong enough to bounce back.
The decision to part company with Chris Wilder and recruit Ruben Selles seems an odd one and they have not exactly been overly active in the transfer market but Sheffield United will have enough squad depth for promotion, even if it has to be via the play-offs.
For their city rivals, alas, it will be some achievement if Sheffield Wednesday can finish anywhere other than bottom and it could also be a very tough season for Hull City and Preston North End.
Cardiff City will get some momentum going in League One while Crewe Alexandra, in League Two, will be the surprise team of the entire EFL.
James Whaling
Championship winners: Ipswich
Promoted: Southampton, Coventry
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Hull, Oxford
Top scorer: Adam Armstrong
Surprise package: Millwall
League One winners: Huddersfield
League Two winners: Chesterfield
Ipswich have a scary looking squad for this level and a manager in Kieran McKenna who knows how to get out of the second tier. I fancy Southampton to join them in the top two under new boss Will Still and Adam Armstrong to finish the season at the top of the goal charts.
Frank Lampard and Coventry look well set for another tilt at the top six and could use their heartbreak from last season as a driving force to finally return to the top flight. Millwall, Birmingham and Leicester, depending on the size of any potential points deduction, to join them in the playoffs.
At the other end, it’s Sheffield Wednesday and two others. The Owls are a mess and could break some records. I fancy Oxford could suffer a touch of the old second season syndrome while Hull look to be in for another fight against the drop, which they could lose this time.
Huddersfield and Chesterfield to come out on top in Leagues One and Two.
Alex Richards
Championship winners: Ipswich Town
Promoted: Southampton, Coventry City
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic, QPR
Top scorer: Chuba Akpom (Assuming he joins Ipswich)
Surprise package: Stoke City
League One winners: Huddersfield Town
League Two winners: Crewe Alexandra
Ipswich Town are the bookmakers’ favourites and I make that about right. Kieran McKenna has proven himself an excellent manager, has more scope to strengthen in the coming weeks and they’ll score goals from all angles. The squad is full of proven performers in the second tier who are desperate to have another crack at the Premier League.
Southampton were utterly dreadful last term as they were relegated, but there’s plenty of talent remaining on the south coast and they’ll be up there. Coventry City were strong in the second half of last season, missing out in the play-offs, and Frank Lampard can have them challenging again.
I like Stoke City to be the surprise package under Mark Robins. They’ve done some good business this summer, Robins did a fantastic job at Coventry and I can see them making a play-off push.
In League One, Lee Grant is a managerial novice but the signs are good that Huddersfield can claim the title after some decent summer business, while Crewe Alexandra are worth a punt in League Two.
Nathan Ridley
Championship winners: Ipswich
Promoted: Ipswich, Birmingham City, Middlesbrough
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City, QPR
Top scorer: Kyogo Furuhashi
Surprise package: Derby County
League One winners: Luton
League Two winners: Chesterfield
I always fancy a side who’ve kept the bulk of their squad together and Ipswich have done just that. It was only a year ago when Kieran McKenna was being touted for some of the biggest jobs in the country, but fortunately for the Tractor Boys, he’s still in the dugout.
Joining them in the automatics will be Birmingham City, who’ll have top goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi leading the charge for back-to-back promotions. The winners of the play-offs will be Middlesbrough.
Rob Edwards has won promotion at Wembley before and I can see him being successful on Teesside. John Eustace made a good impact at Derby midway through last season and like he guided Blackburn to a surprisingly good start, he’ll do the same at Pride Park.
I’d love for there to be some sort of revival at Sheffield Wednesday but it seems a world away right now. Sadly for them, I think they’ll drop down to the third tier. I’m also not optimistic about Hull City and QPR’s seasons. The duo’s new managers have their work cut out to beat the drop.
As for League One, I reckon Luton will make an immediate return to the Championship by finishing top. In League Two, I’m backing Paul Cook’s side to improve on their play-off finish last season and take the title.
Tom Victor
Championship winners: Ipswich Town
Promoted: Birmingham City, Southampton
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford, Preston
Top scorer: Chuba Akpom
Surprise package: Leicester
League One winners: Stockport
League Two winners: Walsall
Teams who have just come down from the Premier League are often among the favourites for promotion, and Ipswich are my favourites after hanging onto manager Kieran McKenna. I’ve got Southampton joining them, with Will Still a shrewd appointment, but think Leicester’s dismal finish last term and off-field distractions over the summer could well keep them outside the top six.
Birmingham are my tip for the third spot as they look to emulate the Ipswich side of 2023-24 and seal back-to-back promotions. They have spent well already, helped by having deep pockets, and momentum is a real thing in the EFL.
Chuba Akpom could yet join the Blues, with Ipswich also keen to bring the Ajax striker back to the Championship. He scored 28 league goals the last time he played at this level and should have little trouble settling back in.
When it comes to the relegated three, Sheffield Wednesday’s off-field issues leave them at severe risk once again. I’ve got Oxford joining them, while Preston’s horrible end to the previous season could see them end up in that third spot.
In League One, Stockport might well have gone up last year were it not for the spending power of Birmingham and Wrexham, and are in good shape again. As for League Two, if Walsall can get over the mental toll of last season’s collapse then they still have enough for another crack at the title.
Chris McKenna
Championship winners: Ipswich
Promoted: Southampton, Coventry
Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Hull, Oxford
Top scorer: Jay Stansfield
Surprise package: Birmingham City
League One winners: Cardiff City
League Two winners: Chesterfield
Ipswich have lost players like Liam Delap and may lose more with Omari Hutchinson wanted by some Premier League clubs but they still have a good squad and a very good manager in Kieran McKenna so I expect them to bounce right back up.
Southampton will push them close while I fancy Coventry to do something and get up through the play-offs. While so much focus will be on Wrexham, I think Birmingham could be closest to the play-offs out of the two and fired up there by Jay Stansfield.
Cardiff City I think will surprise a few in League One despite their slow summer of business. Chesterfield lost out in the League 2 play-offs last season but I think they’ll go up automatically this time.
Scott Trotter
Championship winners: Sheffield United
Promoted: Ipswich Town, Southampton
Relegated Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford, Hull City
Top scorer: Sammie Szmodics
Surprise package: Charlton
League One winners: Huddersfield
League Two winners: MK Dons
The Blades did everything but get promoted last season and will know how narrow the margins are in the Championship and won’t want to suffer the same fate again. The teams relegated from the Premier League will provide stiff competition with Ipswich sure to provide a strong bit to win the title, and Sammie Szmodics has already proven his goalscoring prowess in the division.
Southampton’s disaster year perhaps makes it difficult to have too much faith but they perhaps too much quality to not be in contention, while Leicester’s own off-field frailties could cost them.
In League One, the momentum of Luton’s relegation may see a push for the title become too difficult, though they should be competitive in the promotion push. In League Two it didn’t feel quite right to tip MK Dons but the transfer intent to turn things around was just too difficult to ignore and it could be a year too many battling relegation for Newport.
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