Last season was filled with dramas in the English Championship, and the most intriguing part of that campaign was Luton Town securing promotion back to the English Premier League. Burley clinched the top spot to reclaim their top-flight ticket, and they had one of the best playing styles in the country under Vincent Kompany’s coaching. The 2023/24 EFL Championship season would be fiercely contested, with teams like Leeds United and Leicester City dropping to the second division of English football.
The English Championship season traditionally begins a week before the top English Premier League, and it is scheduled to kick off on the 4th of August 2023, with Southampton traveling to Hillsborough on Friday to face Sheffield Wednesday. All English Championship games would take place in stadiums around the country.
There are two parts to the English Championship season – the regular season, which sees each team face each other twice in the traditional double round-robin system. Then the playoffs take place and conclude the English Football League Championship season with a fight for one last ticket to join English Premier League.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | English Football League Championship 2023/24 (Sky Bet Championship) |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Stadiums Across England |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 4th August 2023 – 4th May 2023 |
The football betting odds for the new English Championship season are available, and below, you can find the SkyBet Championship odds and favorites to win the league title:
Leicester City’s brilliant story in the English Premier League came to an end last season. They gained promotion to the Premier League after winning the English Championship in the 2013/14 season. They went on to win the English Premier League two years later in one of the most historic seasons in English football.
Last season was a nightmare for the Foxes, who finished just two points away from safety despite losing just two of their last seven Premier League games. Ayoze Perez, Youri Tielemans, and James Maddison all have already left the team, with a few more leaders knocking on the doors and waiting for the ability to leave. Still, the odds for Leicester to return to the top division are the best.
A Few years after winning the English Football League to secure promotion to the Premier League, Leeds United returned to the SkyBet Championship after a disastrous end to their campaign last year. The Whites are among the favorites to win the EFL Championship, and they are still holding on to a good number of their players which could be vital for them. Daniel Farke is in charge of the team for the new season, and expectations are high for the German manager after his stint at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Southampton FC was relegated from the English Premier League for the first time since the 2004-05 season, and they are behind Leicester City and Leeds United as the favorites to win the English Championship. The Saints are trying to tie down players like James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia, but it is very unlikely that they would keep the latter with Liverpool in the chase for his signature. Southampton FC has a very strong team for the EFL Championship, and they could be back in the top flight by the end of the 2023/24 league season.
Middlesbrough odds for promotions are pretty high since they had a great season in the English Championship last time, and they recovered from a very poor start to make the playoffs. The Smoggies were eliminated in the semifinals against Coventry City despite being tagged as favorites. A huge part of their improvement started with the employment of Michael Carrick, who introduced a very admirable playing style. Middlesbrough FC was one of the best teams in the second half of the season, and if they can keep up their form, they could be getting top-flight football very soon.
Norwich City has a reputation for returning to the English Premier League immediately after relegation, but that was not possible last season as they missed out on a promotion spot, finishing 13th in the league. The Canaries appointed David Wagner as head coach earlier this year, and he has some experience in the English Championship, with four years at Huddersfield Town. Norwich City legend Teemu Pukki left the team in June after a long spell at the club, which saw him score 88 goals in 210 appearances for the Canaries.
There are 24 teams competing in the English Championship this season, and they face each other twice in the regular season, with each team playing 46 games at the end of the season. The playoffs come just after the regular season, featuring the teams occupying the third to sixth spots. The playoffs system has a knockout round starting from the semifinals to the final. The semi-finals are played over two legs, while the final game is decided after 90 minutes and, if need be, extra time and penalties.
Automatic promotion is awarded to the top two teams, and last season’s ticket went to Burnley and Sheffield United. The bottom three teams are relegated at the end of the regular season, and they are demoted to the English League One. Reading, Blackpool, and Wigan Athletic were all relegated from the English Championship last season. The teams in the English Champions are ranked in the league table by points gained, then goal difference, then goals scored, and then their head-to-head record in the league for the season.
The English Second Division was established in 1892/93 to replace the Football Alliance, and it represents the second tier of football in England. In 1992, the second tier became known as the First Division, and it would be later known as the English Championship. This rebranding took place in the 2004/05 season, and Sunderland won the title that year to secure promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history.
The English Championship is also known as the SkyBet Championship for sponsorship reasons, and it is a very tasking part of English football. There have been 13 different winners of the English Championship, with six teams (Burnley, Newcastle United, Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Reading, and Norwich City) winning this title more than once. Aleksandar Mitrovic holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in a league season after bagging 43 goals in the English Championship for Fulham in the 2021-22 season.
Norwich City has won the English Championship more than any team in the last few years, and they have five titles to their name. Leicester City and Manchester City are tied for seven titles as the most successful teams in England’s second-tier football.
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Leicester City lost some players after the drop to the English Championship, but to be fair enough, they still have a team that is capable of winning the league with ease. The Foxes are still with the services of Patson Dana and Kelechi Iheanacho, in addition to the experienced Jamie Vardy, they aren’t going to lack goals this season.
Moreover, the team already added Conor Coady to the team’s defense, and they also got Callum Doyle from Manchester City. Leicester City is joint-top for the team with the most English Championship titles, and Dean Smith can take them back to the top flight with an exciting team.
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Leeds United hired Sam Allardyce towards the end of last season to save them from relegation, but it was too late as they failed to find their feet. They put up a good fight against Manchester City and Newcastle United in their last games in the English Premier League, but they would end the season in the bottom three.
Daniel Farke is the new manager of the team, and they have a few exciting talents in the team. This Leeds team isn’t so different from the one that won the English Championship in the 2019/20 season, and they are a strong contender to win the league. It seems that the attractive odds of 7.50 (13/2) for their gold medals and a ticket to EPL look reasonable.
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One of the surprises of last season was Southampton being relegated to the English Championship, ending their long spell in the Premier League. The Saints had had a terrible end to the league season, and they didn’t have much time to recover as they had to face the top teams in the league.
Southampton would get some memorable results in their last few months in the English Premier League, holding Arsenal and Liverpool to thrilling draws. They ended the 2022/23 league season with a 4-4 draw against Liverpool at the St. Mary’s Stadium, and it was a sign of good things to come for the Saints. Russell Martin is tasked with returning the team to the English Premier League, and he has a very good team. Among the relegated teams, they have one of the best squads, and we should see them back in the top flight very soon.
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Rotherham United was very lucky to escape the drop last season, and they won just 11 games in the English Championship. Only one team had fewer wins than the Millers in the 2022/23 season, and there is no guarantee they would do better with a much weaker team. The fast payout betting sites have Rotherham United as the most likely team to be relegated, and the competition in the league is higher than last season, which is bad news for Matt Taylor’s team.
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Millwall was denied a place in the promotion playoffs after finishing one point behind the top six, and they were a very tough team to beat last season. The Lions made the most of their home advantage last season, and they were one of the best teams in London.
Watford and QPR finished behind Gary Rowett’s team last season, and they haven’t really strengthened the team to usurp Millwall. The Lions have had a good preseason, and the bookmakers in England have them as the favorite team from London.
Have no time to wait more than 300 days to grab a win? Here is our prediction for the Matchday 1 of the EFL Championship 2023-2024:
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The Saints begin their league campaign with a trip to Hillsborough, and they have a chance to make a great start. Both teams met in the EFL Cup last season, and Southampton progressed on penalties after a 1-1 draw at St. Mary’s Stadium. Sheffield Wednesday has never beaten Southampton FC in a competitive game, and that streak looks set to continue with the Saints fielding a good XI. This game marks the beginning of the English Championship, and neither of these teams would have a free ride to victory, but you should back Southampton FC to avoid defeat in this game.
The English Championship is back in action this August, and we have covered the best offers for you throughout the season. unlock BetZillion’s intel and make extra cash from this race by using our expert betting tips and predictions.
