EFL Season Preview: Archie’s Run Through
Credit: Cosmin Iftode
We’re back and bigger than ever for 2026/27, and what better way to get started than with me disgracing myself with some pre-season predictions that are almost guaranteed to come back and bite me come May next year? The unpredictability of the EFL is why we love it, but I’m still going to have a go at predicting it anyway!
I hope everyone’s had a fantastic summer that hasn’t been tainted too badly by World Cup heartbreak and dubious transfer rumours surrounding your club from Twitter’s best “journalists”. We can put all that behind us now, it’s almost time for the real action to begin. It’s like the run up to Christmas. Every morning I jump onto my favourite clubs Twitter feed and excitedly shout “has he been!?”. Rather than Father Christmas delivering gifts, however, I’m wondering if the lad from Ipswich has been spotted at our training ground. (He has).
We’re a few weeks deep into pre-season preparations now, and the illustrious first round of the Carabao Cup is peeking over the horizon. While every squad in the EFL is liable to change drastically before deadline day, I’m ready to put my neck on the line and lay out my predictions for the 2026/27 season. I’ve settled on five categories for each of the three divisions, which are:
🏆 Title Winners
⬆️ Promoted Sides
😔 Underachievers
🐴 Dark Horses
⬇️ Relegated
Strap in, it’s going to be a huge season across the EFL and the biggest ever for Tipple. We’re glad to have you on board for the ride, I’ll see you in May when I look back and gloat at my 100% hit rate…
The Championship
This year’s second tier looks harder to predict than ever. With the play-offs now extending down to 8th place, every side in the mid-table rat race has perked their ears up and decided they’ve got a real shot at promotion, with some of them going all out in the transfer market to seize that opportunity ahead of their competitors.
The last two seasons have seen one of the relegated former Premier League teams immediately dumped again into League One, but this year’s crop look far too sharp to allow that to happen for a third time. Burnley are canny operators at this level, West Ham have Jarrod Bowen committed to saving them under threat from Danny Dyer, and Wolves have recruited intelligently and are already looking dangerous in the clips I’ve seen of their pre-season.
We’re also on a three-year streak of seeing none of the newly promoted League One clubs relegated in their first season back. Lincoln had an astounding season last time out to seal an historic title win, but they aren’t used to having to play at this level. Cardiff bounced back at the first time of asking and look strong, but this division has swallowed up and spat out some good promoted sides before, and Bolton’s squad building is failing to inspire confidence as the season opener draws near. Can these three sides keep the streak going? And if so, who takes the bottom three places? We’ll have to wait and see.
There’ll be plenty of twists and turns along the way, and we can’t wait to take it all in. In the meantime, here are my predictions for the upcoming Championship season.
🏆 Title Winners
There’s always a temptation to shoot for the moon and go for a rogue answer here, but I just can’t see past Wolves lifting the trophy this year.
They were so poor last year that, luckily for them, they haven’t lost many of their key players coming into this Championship campaign. Couple that with the additions of Raul Jimenez and Kieran Trippier, as well as highly-rated winger Rafiki Saïd from Standard Liege, and Wolves have the makings of a points-record challenging team.
Gaffer Cesar Peixoto is an unknown quantity, but from what I’ve seen of pre-season it looks like he’s bringing an intense high-pressing style to Wolverhampton. The off field circus, like the turmoil around Rob Edwards losing his job, is the only thing that could be Wolves’ undoing. As long as they can keep a lid on any more nonsense, I think they’re your 26/27 title winners.
⬆️ Promoted Sides
In similarly boring fashion, I’ve got West Ham finishing second. Two words: Jarrod Bowen. Their talisman committing to a Championship season is absolutely huge for the Hammers, and they have managed to raise plenty of funds from frankly bizarre player sales to avoid the necessity of having to shift on any more key players. I don’t think they’ll have it as easy as many people believe, but they’ll come good and clinch second with a late push à la Ipswich last year.
Predicting the play-off winners is always tricky, and even harder this year with the new format. For context, I had Hull to go down last year. That’s how much I know. As much as I’d love to pretend I was super confident about my Derby boys pulling off a promotion season, I think we’re a year or so away from seriously challenging at the top end. Plenty of sides will stake their claim for this position, but in the end I’ve been won over by the summer business of Middlesbrough.
Kim Hellberg had them playing some scintillating stuff last year as they just missed out on promotion, losing in the play off semi final to Southampton and the play off final to Hull, somehow. Their transfer activity has been extremely encouraging, using the funds generated from Hayden Hackney’s sale to strengthen what was already a highly competitive squad in all areas of the pitch. Crucially, they finally have a proper striker in Will Lankshear. There’s an argument to say they’ve strengthen from a position of strength and only finished four points from automatic promotion last year, so surely they can go one better. As good as they are, I think the relegated big boys will have that little bit too much for Boro to mount a challenge on the top two. They’ll have to settle for redemption at Wembley, I’m sure they won’t mind.
😔 Underachievers
I had a quick check of the bookies’ odds the other day and was amazed to see Birmingham down as one of the promotion favourites again this season. I’m sorry Blues, I just don’t see it.
They finished 10th last season, and their transfer business has been uninspiring at best, and a step backwards at worst. Transfers aside, I just don’t think Chris Davies has what it takes to lead a side through to promotion in a division as competitive as the Championship. It was alright when they were spending £40m in League One, but this is a different challenge altogether. Ultimately, I think Davies is holding Birmingham back from making a real tilt at promotion, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see their “ambitious” owners relieve him of his duties after a slow start to the campaign.
🐴 Dark Horses
I was stuck between two clubs either side of the Severn for this pick. As impressed as I’ve been with Cardiff under Brian Barry-Murphy, and I think they’ll surprise a few with a strong first season back, I have to fall on the English side of the river here and go with Bristol City.
They seem to be assembling a best-of League One XI ready for this season, with Sam Tickle, Lorent Tolaj, and golden boot winner Dom Ballard through the door already. Tolaj is a fantastic goal scorer whose all-round linkup play will help facilitate his new strike partner Ballard and the Robins’ wealth of attacking midfield options into having excellent seasons of their own. Max Bird, Jason Knight, and Scott Twine remain a threat, while new signing Jed Wallace will bring necessary experience to a fairly young side. Ballard is a monster in front of goal and a real coup for Bristol City, as he had half the Championship chasing his signature, and Sam Tickle has been a much-coveted goalkeeper for a few seasons now who was also on the radar of the majority of the league.
The big question mark hangs over their new gaffer, former Lincoln man Michael Skubala. If he can get his Robins playing half as well as last season’s Imps then they should be in for one hell of a season. There’s plenty of football between now and the play-offs but, with the expansion down to eighth place and the sheer strength of their recruitment, I think Bristol City will surprise a few and be right in the mix come May.
⬇️ Relegated
This is the one that will make me really unpopular, I fear. Here we go, from least to most controversial:
I think we’ll unfortunately be saying a quick hello and goodbye to Lincoln at this level. The losses of Michael Skubala to Bristol and Jack Moylan to Cardiff, coupled the lack of seasoned Championship operators in that squad, will be too much for them to stomach. They’ll put up more of a fight than some expect, but they’ll be comfortably relegated with a couple of games to go. If your big summer signing is Callum Elder, you’re in trouble.
Bolton will be joining Lincoln in a speedy return to whence they came. Simply put, their squad building has been far from good enough. They have a solid League One team, but with the Championship being more monied and stronger than ever, they just don’t have enough to compete to any respectable level.
And finally, Blackburn Rovers’ time has been coming, this is the year they’ll finally meet their maker and drop back to the third tier. Tony Mowbray might just be enough to save them, but they’ve been so poorly run behind the scenes for years now it’s felt like they’re building to a relegation almost on purpose. Every good player they’ve had in the last few seasons has left, most of them to Derby, and it’s hard to see where any of those funds have been invested. I’m sorry to stick the knife in Rovers fans, buts it’s time.
League One
As hard as I said the Championship was to call, League One might be even tougher. There are now nine former Premier League sides in the third tier, including the champions from just 10 years ago in Leicester, and plenty more teams that are experienced at this level and capable of making the step up to the Championship. Lincoln proved last year that you can never write any off based on their history, and for my money there are easily ten teams that can realistically put themselves forwards as promotion contenders this season. So, who have I gone for?
🏆 Title Winners
Ladies and gentlemen, presenting your 2026/27 League One champions: Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town.
The Hatters finished last season in unbelievable form, just missing out on a play-off place after a run of 11 unbeaten league games to close the campaign. They also managed to win the EFL Trophy in that time, so I think it’s safe to say that Wilshere knows what he’s doing nowadays. They’ve made some promising strides into the transfer market to strengthen their young squad, now with an extra year’s experience under their belts to patch up any mistakes from last time out.
There are plenty of solid teams at this level this season, but Luton will rise above the rest.
⬆️ Promoted Sides
Joining Luton will be last season’s big story, Leicester City. Russell Martin is marmite, but it’s hard to argue that he’s not a coup for any club at this level. His knowledge and experience should be enough to guide a squad that are far too good for League One back to the second tier. Conor Chaplin, Liam Cullen, and Tommy Watson are frankly absurd signings for League One, and I think they’ll push Luton all the way and they’ll both be well clear of the play-offs when the dust settles.
Finally, I think it’s time for the return of Plymouth Argyle to Championship football. They’re another side that had an amazing finish to the season following an abysmal start, and had the season gone on for a few more weeks (or if they’d not essentially thrown the first ten games), they would’ve comfortably hoovered up a play-off place. Cleverly finally has his team clicking and, despite losing the aforementioned Lorent Tolaj, they still have his strike partner in Aribim Pepple to bang the goals in. Harvey White is an exceptional midfielder to bring in on a free, while Wes Harding will add some welcome experience to their defence too. Arrrrrrrgyle!
😔 Underachievers
While I do think the Hatters will win the league, I also think the Hatters will be the biggest underachievers. Life after Dave Challinor could be very rough for Stockport.
Their summer business has been solid but uninspiring, and the vibe around the club just feels a bit flat from the outside. I don’t think they’ll sink as far as battling relegation, but I think it’s a mid table nothing season for the perennial play-off reaching County.
🐴 Dark Horses
It feels weird to call a club of this size with such a strong history in League One the “dark horses” but, after their dismal 15th place finish last season, I’m backing Barnsley to bounce back into play-off contention.
The driving force behind this prediction is the return of much-beloved manager Daniel Stendel, and the fact I follow too many Barnsley fans on Twitter that are telling me it’s their year. Admittedly their squad has some gaping holes that need plugging, but they have the makings of a real talented bunch if Stendel can get the formula right. It might all crash and burn, but you can guarantee that under the new coaching staff it will at least be full-throttle entertainment. The Tykes are on a play-off charge.
⬇️ Relegated
I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Burton Albion’s time has come I’m afraid, and I’m not just sticking the boot in because they beat Derby in a friendly last week! They’ve teetered on the edge of the drop for a few years now and, as much as I like Gary Bowyer, it feels like this year is one step too far for League One’s unsinkable club.
Bromley’s fairytale story will have it’s first nasty twist as they succumb to an expected, yet still disappointing, relegation. It’s an amazing achievement to even make it this far, I just think the facilities and financial muscle of the rest of the league will be too much for them to overcome. I hope I’m wrong!
Another team that I think just simply won’t have enough in the tank to escape the drop is AFC Wimbledon. Even worse, I think they’ll be pipped to survival by their evil past selves in Milton Keynes. Again, I hope I’m wrong here, but their squad looks remarkably poor compared to those around them.
Finally, rounding out the four relegated teams I have Cambridge. I was half tempted to throw Oxford in here due to the transfer embargo, and mostly to wind up Kieran, but I’ve settled on their prestige-university rivals in Cambridge. Neil Harris is a solid enough coach, and they have some players that can definitely help them compete at this level after promotion, I think it’s just more of a case of the rest of the division being too strong rather than Cambridge being remarkably poor. It feels harsh, but they’re my four.
League Two
Last but not least, League Two. I’ll confess now that this is the division I know the least about as a symptom of supporting a side that has spent my entire life stagnating in the Championship besides a brief holiday in League One and a “memorable” year in the Premier League. 11 points baby. Unbeatable. That being said, I spent a lot of time watching League Two last season for my role writing for Tipple, and was even dragged to watch Crewe by one of my mates from round that way, so I feel cautiously confident in my picks. League Two feels like it’s always on a knife edge, and one quality loan signing or a couple of injuries can take a team from relegation battlers to play-off hopefully and vice-versa. With all that in mind, here are my predictions for 2026/27:
🏆 Title Winners
I really hate to be boring again, but it’s a hat-trick of sides playing in orange winning the EFL titles for me this year as Salford take the crown with their new/old-look kits and badge. (Yes, I know Wolves technically play in gold, but it’s close enough, especially this year’s kit!)
The fact of the matter is that Salford have been throwing money at players to try and achieve promotion for years now, and I think they’ve finally cracked it. Macaulay Langstaff will score goals in a good team at this level, that’s just a fact. Luke Molyneux is the biggest statement signing, however. The talented midfielder was probably Doncaster’s best player in League One last year, and would’ve had plenty of suitors in the third tier if not the lower end of the Championship. The fact he’s dropped a division is unbelievable, and Gary Neville better hope his investment pays off in a big way at last. Huge question marks hang over the head of a manager unproven at League Two level, but I think Salford will finally make the leap to League One that they’ve been chasing for what seems like an eternity.
⬆️ Promoted Sides
To be honest, I really struggled here. I’ve decided to go with just one of the relegated League One teams to make an immediate return, as well as two sides that finished the last campaign in incredible form that I hope can carry on into the new season.
Those sides are Port Vale, Bristol Rovers, and Barnet.
Vale were fairly dismal for large swathes of last season, but put up much more of a fight after the arrival of Jon Brady. A lot of that squad have achieved promotion from this league before, and I think they’re well-set to do it again.
Steve Evans had Bristol Rovers playing some fantastic football by the end of last season, steering them comfortably away from the very real threat of relegation with just one loss in their final fourteen games. He’s one of the best managers you could possibly wish for as a fourth tier side when his teams are on song, and the Gas will rise to the top this season under his leadership.
Finally, I think there’s plenty of reasons to bee excited if you’re a Barnet supporter. They finished up the season on a nine game unbeaten run that included a 6-2 victory over Gillingham and a 5-2 win away at Fleetwood, and the future looks bright at The Hive. They have an exciting team that look hungry for success, and I think they’ll have enough to earn themselves promotion to League One ahead of some of their more experienced peers. They’d be buzzing with that.
😔 Underachievers
Listen, I know it looks like I’m just telling you that every other team in Derbyshire is rubbish except the mighty Rams, but I promise I don’t have agenda. (As much as that statement is 100% true…)
Chesterfield have enjoyed a successful couple of years back in the Football League, but this year will be one of mid table frustration for the Spireites. Armando Dobra making the step up is a huge loss that will be tricky to replace, and they’ll do well to attract loan players anywhere near the quality of those they managed to bring in last season.
I don’t think they’ll struggle, I just think they’ll be buried under a pile of marginally more successful teams and land down around 12th. Far from a disaster, but hardly the dream 26/27 for Chesterfield fans.
🐴 Dark Horses
Ding ding ding! That’s the sound of Lee Bell’s Railwaymen making another play-off tilt this season after finishing 11th last time out. What can be said about Crewe that hasn’t been said every year for over a decade? Great gaffer, amazing young squad full of local talent. The usual.
I had the pleasure of watching the Alex play last season and, even though they lost fairly convincingly, they clearly have so much talent in their ranks. A year older and a year wiser, it’s time for this generation of Crewe youngsters to earn their League One/lower Championship moves with a play-off run that ends in heartbreak. I was at Wembley two seasons ago when they lost to Crawley, I worry I’m going to have to travel down there again for a similar outcome.
⬇️ Relegated
With there being just two sides to choose here, it makes it even harder. So many League Two teams are essentially rubbish and surviving on the fact that two teams are marginally more rubbish each year that it’s almost a blind pick as to which two I think will finally face the drop this time around. I’ve made my choice, and it’s Newport and Accrington.
Of all the teams that barely scraped survival, Newport have done the least to convince me that they’ve learned their lesson and won’t let it happen again. While the rest of their competitors strengthen, Newport seem to be content being a relegation battle once more. This time, I think they’ll get dragged right to the bottom.
It’s a similar story for Accrington, I just don’t think they’ll have enough in the tank to finish above anyone other than Newport when it all shakes out. It’s set to be an extremely competitive season in League Two, and someone has to go down. Accrington are going to be the latest casualty of League Two complacency syndrome.
Wildcards
To end my predictions I’ve decided to throw in a few quick-fire wildcard shouts to pile on the embarrassment even further when every single one of these comes back to haunt me in May. No explanation, no logic, just vibes. Here we go:
A player will score 35+ league goals in the EFL this season.
Every league’s title winner will have over 100 points.
There will be 5 red cards in a single game at some point this season.
Derby County will beat someone by 4+ goals and lose to someone by 4+ goals within 7 days of each other.
Walsall will do it again. You know what.
Ian Holloway will finally lose his job because of a mad post-match rant.
A championship team will beat either Arsenal or Manchester City in the FA Cup.
The three Welsh sides in the Championship will all finish within 3 points of each other, and none of them will be very good.
Millwall vs West Ham will have no bookings in either game.
League Two automatic promotion will be decided by a 90+10th minute goal on the final day.
Well, there you have it! Make sure to rush down your local bookmaker and get some money on all of these coming true. They aren’t predictions, they’re spoilers.
In all seriousness, we hope you have a great season (even though all our teams can’t be good at once) and, most importantly, you win your Tipple league to prove that your prediction skills are far and away above your mates’ - and almost certainly mine too!
Good luck, and enjoy!