The EFL Championship Promotion Race - Why It's the Best and Worst We've Ever Seen

The EFL Championship Promotion Race - Why It's the Best and Worst We've Ever Seen

The EFL Championship, the best league in the world, until it's not. Gone are the days of relegated Premier League clubs dictating proceedings in the division. Instead, Stoke and Millwall battle it out for automatic promotion. Perhaps a refreshing sight for Championship fans but the quality in the division this season is a huge concern.

The Top 6 - Or 15?

It's not every day that you see fourth and 15th separated by four points but this is common nature in the Championship. For years upon end, there has been a scramble for the 5th and 6th playoff spots on the final day, whilst the top two have steered clear and booked return flights to the Premier League. This season seems destined to break the pattern. A side with a -4 goal difference sitting in fourth spot tells you all you need to know about the current state of Championship affairs.

Here's how the table looks tonight! #EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/t2jzsylviX

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) November 26, 2025

Coventry City have had a dream start to the season and I am sure you don't need reminding about how good of a job Frank Lampard is doing there. In retrospect, the Sky Blues are being helped and not hindered by the chasing pack.

Middlesbrough had a red-hot start to the season under Rob Edwards, winning four on the bounce. They have cooled off a fair bit since then and one win in their last six attempts is not something you'd usually associate with a team sitting third in the league.

Similar to Millwall, the Lions went into yesterday's fixture sitting 9th in the league and winless in four matches. A win against Sheffield Wednesday moved Millwall up to fourth place and just two points shy of the automatic promotion places. Funny to see how far a 1-0 win against the bottom of the league can take you.

The Gap is Only Getting Bigger

Recent years have shown that newly-promoted clubs have failed to compete in the top flight. The last teams promoted to maintain their status in the Premier League were Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, who all achieved promotion in the 2021/22 season. Now, these relegated teams are suffering in the Championship and fans are struggling to come to terms with their fate as mid-table fodder.

Everything about Leicester city is miserable. No one likes going anymore, players hate it here, board are clueless and we’ve got a completely useless owner that hands out stuffed animals.

— 🦊 (@kingpowers) November 25, 2025

Though Sunderland look in great shape to rip up this script, I struggle to see how any side, excluding Coventry, would put up a realistic battle in the Premier League. The only fight of any relative concern would be an attempt to avoid the lowest points record of 11, set by Derby County in case you had forgotten (sorry, Derby fans).

Perhaps I am being too harsh on Leicester and Southampton here, considering they could move level on points with the playoff occupants despite sitting 13th and 15th in the division.

Approved by The Neutral

On the flipside, the stage is set for one of the most entertaining Championship seasons of all time. Premier League fans must be sick of seeing the same yo-yo clubs come up and deliver a hall of fame performance to ruin their teams' season before getting sent back down again.

Instead, how fulfilling would it be to see Stoke City return to the top flight After all, us EFL fans are getting tired of doing it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke. Calling the final league standings at this stage of the season would bring strong competition to winning the lottery. This Watford fan summed up what everyone else is thinking pretty well.

From 18th place, to 2 points off the play offs within 3 minutes.

The EFL Championship Ladies and Gentlemen.#WatfordFC pic.twitter.com/2FVPFacBex

— George 🐝 (@wfcgeorge_) November 22, 2025

The opportunities this season are endless and would make for pretty good viewing. Millwall in the Premier League has been a running theme for seasons upon end now but they will not get a better opportunity to do so than they have now. Meanwhile, both Wrexham and Birmingham are chasing back-to-back promotions. You'd have to admit it would make for great documentary content. Either way, the Championship promotion race is wide open and we will see if any side can chase down the runaway league leaders.