EFL Championship 2025/26 Betting Odds, Tips & Live Stream Soccer
England is the birthplace of modern soccer and home to the oldest soccer league in the world, the English Football League (EFL). The Championship is the highest level of the EFL, and the league directly below the English Premier League. You can bet on soccer matches in the EFL Championship right here at Stake Sportsbook.
What is the EFL Championship?
The EFL consists of the Championship, League One, and League Two, with teams getting promoted and relegated between them based on their results over the course of the season.
The EFL Championship is the 2nd tier of the English football pyramid, directly below the Premier League. Its proximity to the richest and most popular soccer league in the world makes it incredibly competitive, with teams battling to achieve 1 of the 3 promotion spots. Despite being below the Premier League, the Championship is still massively popular and has the highest attendances of any secondary league in the world. It’s also the 12th best-attended division in world football. Teams in the Championship can also compete in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, meaning it’s also possible to qualify for the UEFA Europa League and Conference Leagues.
History of the EFL Championship
The Championship was originally founded as the Second Division of the English Football League in 1892. 100 years later, the Premier League broke away from the EFL, and the Second Division became the Football League First Division. In 2004, the league was rebranded as the Championship, reflecting its status as the top tier of the EFL.
The most recent champions are Leeds United, who won the 2024-25 Championship season. Leeds have now lifted the Championship trophy twice and won 5 2nd tier titles in their history. There have been 13 different winners since the Championship was rebranded in 2004, and a total of 58 teams have spent at least 1 season in the league.
Format & Schedule of the 2025 EFL Championship
A total of 24 teams play in the Championship, competing in a round-robin league format. Teams play a home and away fixture against every other opponent, earning 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and none for a loss. These points determine the league positions of each club.
At the end of the season, the team with the most points is crowned the champion. The top 2 teams earn automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the 3rd to 6th-placed teams all compete in the playoffs in the hope of earning the final promotion spot. The bottom 3 teams in the Championship table are all relegated to League One.
When is the EFL Championship?
The 2025-26 Championship season gets underway in August 2025 and ends in May 2026. Here are the important dates and Championship fixtures to remember:
8 August 2025 - Opening fixture of the season
2 May 2025 - Final day of the regular season
23 May 2026 - Championship playoff final
Which Teams Play in the EFL Championship?
Birmingham City - Second Division winners 1892-93, 1920-21, 1947-48, 1954-55
Blackburn Rovers – First Division/Premier League winners 1911-12, 1913-14, 1994-95
Bristol City – Second Division winners 1905-06
Charlton Athletic - Second Division winners 1999-2000
Coventry City – Second Division winners 1966-67
Derby County – First Division winners 1971-72, 1974-75
Hull City – Championship runners-up 2012-13
Ipswich Town - First Division winners 1961-62
Leicester City - Premier League winners 2016-16
Middlesbrough – Second Division/First Division winners 1926-27, 1928-29, 1973-74, 1994-95
Millwall - Second Division winners 1987-88
Norwich City – Second Division/First Division/Championship winners 1971-72, 1985-86, 2003-04, 2018-19, 2020-21
Oxford United – Second Division winners 1984-85
Portsmouth – First Division winners 1948-49, 1949-50
Preston North End – First Division winners 1888-89, 1889-90
Queens Park Rangers – First Division runners-up 1975-76
Sheffield United - First Division winners 1897-98
Sheffield Wednesday – First Division winners 1902-03, 1903-04, 1928-29, 1929-30
Southampton - Second Division/Championship winners 1965-66, 1977-78, 2011-12
Stoke City – Second Division winners 1932-33, 1962-63
Swansea City – Championship playoff winners 2011
Watford – first Division runners-up 1982-83
West Bromwich Albion – First Division winners 1919-20
Wrexham - Third Division winners 1977-78
How to Bet on the EFL Championship & Types of Soccer Betting
Choose a match to bet on, and then select a betting market.
Enter your stake in your bet slip and confirm to place.
Cash out your winnings if your bet is successful.
You can bet on a wide range of different soccer tournaments and leagues at Stake, including the FIFA World Cup. Loads of different types of bets are available to choose from too. There are more than 70 pre-live Championship betting markets to choose from on every game. These include:
Live betting lets you take advantage of price movement during the match as the live sports odds change to reflect the live scores. All Championship games are available to bet on live, with stats to help you make informed decisions whether you’re betting pre-match or live. While you won’t be able to watch Championship games live at Stake, there are plenty of free soccer streams to enjoy, including the English National League. If you have trouble with your stream, you can contact customer support.
EFL Championship Odds & Payouts
Before you start betting on the Championship at Stake or placing outright World Cup bets, check out our guide to reading odds. It’s important to understand how betting odds work and how to calculate your payouts before you place a bet. You can switch between decimal, fractional, and American odds to make things easier, and our full guide explains the differences between them. Here are some examples of how they work:
Decimal odds – Calculate your potential payout by multiplying your stake by the odds. For example, if you place a $10 bet at odds of 3.5 and it wins, you’ll receive $35 back, with $25 profit and your $10 original stake.
Fractional odds – Simply multiply your stake by the first number in the fraction and then divide by the 2nd number to work out how much profit you’d make. If you bet $15 at 5/2 odds and won, you’d win $37.50
American odds – These odds are displayed with a plus or minus sign, which will affect how you calculate the payout. For odds with a plus sign, the number tells you how much you’d win from a $100 bet, while odds with a minus sign tell you how much you’d need to bet to make $100 profit.
Research your bets – The Championship is incredibly exciting to watch because of how competitive it is and how unpredictable many of the games can be. However, you can still use research to spot trends and highlight potential ways to win bets. Ensure you check all available data and stats, including form, goals, yellow cards, and defensive records. Last season, an average of 2.45 goals were scored in Championship games, and home sides won 46% of the time.
Make the most of live betting - Live betting markets are available on all Championship games at Stake. This is a great way to find increased value, especially if you watch the match or live stats and pay attention to the momentum. Championship games are often closely contested, but paying attention to sustained attacking momentum is a great way to place live bets.
Stay up to date with news – As well as checking stats, you should keep track of the latest news from the Championship by checking stats. Has one team recently fired their underperforming head coach? This news can have a big impact on performances, enabling you to find value in the football betting odds.
Bet Bonuses & Responsible Gambling Online
Here at Stake, we have lots of great sports betting offers and bonuses to help you have more fun and get more out of your bets. When you join the site, you’ll also become a member of our VIP Club, which lets you earn regular rewards, including loyalty rakeback and reload bonuses. If you keep levelling up your account, you can even work your way to getting a VIP host. Check the full terms before you use, and read the VIP FAQ page for details of how it all works. Ensure you always follow our Stake Smart guide too, and bet responsibly so you’re staying in control while having fun.
