The road to the Premier League is long and fraught, a 46-game Championship season long, congested, and testing of the 23 teams in England’s second tier.
MORE — Premier League promotion history by season
There are so many familiar names in the second division, where Southampton, Ipswich Town, and Leicester City dropped last season while Burnley, Sunderland, and Leeds United moved into the Premier League.
With Wrexham and Birmingham City the highly-publicized new boys while West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, and Stoke City look to refind their best days, it should be a fantastic season.
2025-26 Championship leading scorers
Haji Wright, Coventry City — 8
Oli McBurnie, Hull City — 6
Brandon Thomas-Asante, Coventry City — 5
Victor Torph, Coventry City — 5
Joshua Sargent, Norwich City — 5
Anis Mehmeti, Bristol City — 4
Emil Riis Jakobsen, Bristol City — 4
Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Ipswich Town — 4
Kieffer Moore, Wrexham — 4
Richard KLone, QPR — 4
Zan Vipotnik, Swansea City — 4
Carlton Morris, Derby County — 4
Are there any USMNT players in the Championship?
Loads! Josh Sargent captains Norwich City and generally leads the Canaries in goals. He was nearly subject to a move to the Bundesliga this summer but stayed at Carrow Road.
World Cup scorer Haji Wright is starring up top for Frank Lampard at Coventry City, while Aidan Morris is with Northeast England high-flyers Middlesbrough.
Gold Cup star Patrick Agyemang earned a move to Derby County, and is on the score sheet after a long injury layoff. West Brom have a pair of Americans in Daryl Dike and George Campbell, while Damion Downs has moved to Southampton.
Caleb Wiley’s left Chelsea for a loan to Watford, while goalkeeper Ethan Horvath will be facing shots at Sheffield Wednesday.
2025-26 Championship table — Standings for England’s second-tier
- Coventry City — 5-4-0, +20 GD, 19 points
- Middlesbrough — 5-3-1, +6 GD, 18 points
- Leicester City — 4-4-1, +5 GD, 16 points
- Preston North End — 4-4-1, +4 GD, 16 points
- Stoke City — 4-3-2, +5 GD, 15 points
- Queens Park Rangers — 4-3-2, -1 GD, 15 points
- West Bromwich Albion — 4-2-3, -1 GD, 14 points
- Millwall — 4-2-3, -3 GD, 14 points
- Bristol City — 3-4-2, +5 GD, 13 points
- Watford — 3-3-3, 0 GD, 12 points
- Swansea City — 3-3-3, 0 GD, 12 points
- Charlton Athletic — 3-3-3, 0 GD, 12 points
- Portsmouth — 3-3-3, -1 GD, 12 points
- Hull City — 3-3-3, -2 GD, 12 points
- Birmingham City — 3-3-3, -3 GD, 11 points
- Southampton — 2-5-2, -1 GD, 11 points
- Ipswich Town — 2-4-1, +5 GD, 10 points
- Wrexham AFC — 2-4-3, -1 GD, 10 points
- Norwich City — 2-2-4, -1 GD, 8 points
- Derby County — 1-5-3, -4 GD, 8 points
- Blackburn Rovers — 2-1-5, -4 GD, 7 points
- Oxford United — 1-3-5, -3 GD, 6 points
- Sheffield Wednesday — 1-3-4, -12 GD, 6 points
- Sheffield United — 1-0-8, -13 GD, 3 points
How to watch the English Championship 2025-26 season, stream link
The 2025-26 Championship season will stream matches on Paramount Plus.
