The EFL Championship is one of the toughest leagues to get out of, but which side are favourites to finish first and get back into the Premier League?
Picking a winner for the EFL Championship can be very difficult. The favourites are always a mixture of newly relegated sides, along with those that just missed out on promotion the previous season.
With 24 teams in contention, the season runs for 46 games, and often, it is a matter of a few points between first and second.
You can usually predict which sides will be up there, fighting for it, but sometimes there’s a team that can surprise you.
Last season, Leicester City won the league, pipping Ipswich Town to the title, though both teams received automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, and Norwich City made the playoffs, with Leeds and Southampton reaching the 2024 EFL Championship play-off final.
At the final whistle, Southampton had won the game and were promoted, courtesy of the only goal from Adam Armstrong.
West Brom, Fulham, and Sheffield United all went the other way and were relegated back into the Championship.
At the other end of the table, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham United were relegated to EFL League One.
So how will it all play out this season, and who do the bookies think has the best chance of reaching the holy grail of football – the Premier League?
Outright Winner Odds
Burnley and Leeds are currently the two main contenders to win the Championship at the end of the 2024-25 season.
This isn’t much of a surprise given that both teams yo-yo between the leagues. More on that later…
For now, here are the odds on all 24 teams currently in the league, all of which are hoping to be in the EPL next May.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Burnley | 11/4 |
| Leeds United | 100/30 |
| Middlesbrough | 10/1 |
| Sheff Utd | 12/1 |
| Luton | 12/1 |
| Coventry City | 14/1 |
| Sunderland | 14/1 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 16/1 |
| Stoke City | 25/1 |
| Norwich City | 33/1 |
| Watford | 33/1 |
| Sheff Wed | 33/1 |
| Hull City | 40/1 |
| QPR | 40/1 |
| Bristol City | 40/1 |
| Portsmouth | 50/1 |
| Millwall | 50/1 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 50/1 |
| Swansea City | 66/1 |
| Cardiff City | 66/1 |
| Derby | 80/1 |
| Preston North End | 80/1 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 100/1 |
| Oxford Utd | 100/1 |
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Burnley
I imagine being a Burnley fan is akin to being on a permanent rollercoaster. With highs and lows in abundance, the club has had quite the ride over the last four years.
After having spent its entire history managed, or at least kept alive, by locals and fans, in 2020, ALK Capital, an American investment firm, purchased 84% of Burnley for £170 million.
It didn’t do much for the prospects of the club, which, in the 2021–22 season, was relegated to the Championship after finishing 18th.
Vincent Kompany was then appointed as Burnley’s manager for the 2022-23 season, and he went on quite the spending spree, bringing in 16 new players.
With a new style of play implemented, Burnley turned things around and returned to the Premier League with a whopping seven matches to spare, which is a Championship record.
But the party didn’t last long and after one dismal season, the club were back down to the Championship which is where they find themselves heading into the 2024-25 season.
The blame was laid squarely at Kompany’s feet and he has now departed, headed for greener pastures at Bayern Munich.
Taking his place is Scott Parker, whose track record includes securing two previous promotions to the Premier League with Fulham and Bournemouth.
Can he turn things around again at Turf Moor? Only time will tell.
Leeds United
With 104 years of history behind the club, their footballing journey has been on a par with Burnley insofar as they keep bobbing between the EFL and the EPL.
They spent most of the 2000s in the Championship, but in 2020 were promoted back to the top flight where they put in enough consistent performances to end up in the top half of the table finishing in a very respectable 9th place.
However, the momentum didn’t last long. Manager Marcelo Bielsa was given the boot and replaced by Jesse Marsch and it was only by the skin of their teeth that they managed to avoid relegation at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Marsch didn’t last long either, and in February 2023 was replaced by Javi Gracia. Can you guess what happened next? Yep, Gracia was dismissed in May 2023, barely three months later.
In came Sam Allardyce, but with too much to do and not enough time, he couldn’t save the club from relegation, and Leeds headed back into the Championship on the final day of the season.
They played well but were very unlucky to miss out on promotion in May 2024, losing the play-off final to Southampton.
Now it’s the turn of Daniel Farke to get them back to the EPL. There is some light at the end of the tunnel for The Whites, though.
In July 2024, 49ers Enterprises, then owning 44% of the club’s shares, purchased the remaining 56% in a complete takeover. Will that mean more money for players? Will extra investment reap dividends and get them back to the Premier League?
Guess we’ll find out in May 2025.
Middlesbrough
While Burnley and Leeds United tend to dominate the headings in the EFL, Middlesbrough are not without their chances and will nipping at the heals of their rivals for a coveted promotion spot.
Having been through the ringer since 2017, the club has tried and ultimately failed to find its way back to the Premier League.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that, at times, they were lucky to even stay in the Championship. Garry Monk, Tony Pulis, Jonathan Woodgate, Neil Warnock, and Chris Wilder all tried but to no avail.
Then, in October 2022, ex-Manchester United footballer Michael Carrick was appointed head coach. At that point, the club was really struggling, in the 21st spot on the table, with 17 points from 16 games played.
Carrick turned things around quickly, winning 16 of his first 23 games in charge. By some miracle, they climbed the table and actually made the playoffs in fourth place.
Middlesbrough lost the play-off semi-finals to Coventry City and, the following season ended their campaign in 8th position.
So here we are in the 2024-25 season with Carrick signed up for another three years. Can he do what five other managers couldn’t and finally get Middlesbrough back into the EPL?
He has every chance, but it’s a long season…
