Here we go again... you can leave the Viking Row, Wonderwall, Mexican ducks and (most) hydration breaks in the summer of '26 - proper football is back. The open road of the Championship season stretches nine months before us, punctuated by 46 twists and turns along the way. Whisper it, but it looks like being one of the most open and competitive seasons ever in a division which is already known around the world for being ridiculously unpredictable.
Just four of the 24 clubs in the second tier have the benefit of parachute payments in 2026-27, newly relegated West Ham, Wolves and Burnley, while the other, Southampton, begin the campaign with a four-point penalty after the spygate scandal which cast a shadow over the climax of the last campaign. Lincoln City take their place in the division for the first time since 1961 after their heroics in League One, while Cardiff bounced back after a 12-month exile as runners-up and Bolton join them in the Championship for the first time since 2019. As Wolves and Blackburn prepare to hit the open road on Friday, BBC Sport correspondents across England and Wales break down the 24 teams and what - at this stage at least, given the transfer window remains open until 1 September - we can expect from them.
Jobi McAnuff from the BBC's dedicated EFL podcast 72+ also offers his predicted finishes in the table. Fighting relegation & eyeing promotion? Championship set for six-team play-offs How will relegated trio fare in the Championship?
Key ins: James Beadle (Brighton, loan), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Jhon Solis (Girona), Luis Vazquez (Anderlecht) Key outs: Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union), Ibrahim Osman (end of loan), Jonathan Panzo (released), Tommy Doyle (end of loan), Kyogo Furuhashi (LA Galaxy) Expectations? While many supporters expected play-off places last season, this time around it is a more realistic ambition. Indeed, entering his third season boss Chris Davies will likely accept that the expectation of the owners will be a top eight finish as a minimum.
There is a sense of continuity from the second half of last season when the squad was revamped with younger, hungrier players. The likes of winger Carlos Vicente, midfield stopper Jhon Solis and striker August Priske will have all benefited from the experience they gained. Skipper Christoph Klarer and Phil Neumann should be one of the more formidable central defensive pairings in the Championship.
Any route to the play-offs will require a rethink as to how Chris Davies sets up away from home. Last season they fell short on their travels - their five away wins put them in the Championship's bottom six and only two clubs scored fewer goals away from home. By way of contrast St Andrew's was something of a fortress, a 44-point haul was the fourth best record in the division.
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