The English game’s second tier is a unique European football offering. Given that there are so many quality players involved, many of the games have the pace and class of many of the top leagues on the continent. So much is at stake for those teams that can break into the top end and get promoted into the mega-money of the Premier League; this has cultivated a high, consistent and ultra-competitive standard. Unlike the English Premier League, which often sees a merry-go-round of five or six teams making up the top four, the championship usually has surprises and is notoriously difficult to predict.
The unpredictable nature of the league is highlighted at the beginning of each season, from the individual games with extremely close betting odds to the outright markets, which can often be too close to call at the beginning of each championship season. Although once the action is under way, specific teams can peel away and immediately show that they have more chance of getting to the Premier League than others, it’s easy to see why the EFL Championship contains some of the most popular sport games for bettors and sees some of the most explosive footballing action in any of the top four professional English leagues.
Some teams have fallen into that unfortunate void between the top two flights of English football — rising and falling and being unable to stay in the top flight for more than a handful of seasons at a time. Burnley is one such club that has spent the last decade dipping their toes into each league. After dominating the championship last year with scintillating football, they appear to be returning to the second tier after failing to secure a win in their opening five fixtures.
Conversely, teams on the other end of this theory look at the glass as half full. Leicester City have had an extraordinary decade, from winning the Premier League in 2016 to losing most of their squad and ending up in the championship at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. Leicester City fans will be optimistic that they’ll return to the top level of English football. They are by far the bookies’ favourite and top contenders, currently top of the league with seven wins in their first eight, with a great blend of young, highly talented players like Kasey McAteer and old stalwarts like Jamie Vardy, who is still finding the back of the net.
On the other hand, Leeds United has had an uninspiring start to the season and is languishing behind the likes of Leicester City and Ipswich Town. Although they find themselves third favourites to return to the Premier League, with only three wins in their first eight, they could get lost in the second tier again and dispel the yo-yo theory. But the season is still in its early stages, and there will inevitably be lulls and high points in the season for each of these teams.
Other than Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United and Southampton, analysts and fans don’t believe many other teams stand out as potential promotion candidates. However, the championship is such a minefield of surprises and incredible games that it wouldn’t be unusual for other teams to spoil the party, especially given how long there is left in the season.
Preston North End have started the season strong, unbeaten in their first eight, and if they can continue this momentum and form, they could be one of the teams that emerge as potential contenders. Sunderland is a huge team and they had a spirited end to last year’s campaign, which saw them squeeze into the playoffs. Although they ran out of steam, a club of Sunderland’s size will be eager to get back into the Premier League sooner rather than later, and if they can get into the playoffs again, they could be the team that ends up getting into the Premier League via any means they can.
Early signs suggest that Leicester City will return to the Premier League. Still, it could be a toss-up between Ipswich, Leeds United or Southampton to see who else gets the second automatic promotion spot. One guaranteed thing is that there will be high drama and incredible displays of action and skill in this year’s EFL Championship. With the relegated teams looking to respond immediately and other teams like Sunderland desperate to finally get back into the Premiership, all of the ingredients are there for another pulsating and highly engaging domestic competition in England’s second tier.
