As each week passes, the EFL Championship promotion odds chop and change. This provides opportunities to back some dark horses or shoot for the favourites throughout the season.
Speaking of which, we’ve provided our thoughts on who will achieve that goal. All will be revealed here, but to start with, here are the main contenders to reach the Promised Land next spring, and the longest odds currently against them.
Best EFL Championship promotion odds – top 10 favourites
For clarity, the odds for EFL Championship promotion are totally different from the EFL Championship winner odds. Of course, these describe two different markets, as three teams gain promotion while only one will win the league.
| Team | Odds | Last PL / 1st Div campaign |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds |
1/8 |
2022/23 |
| Burnley |
4/6 |
2023/24 |
| Sheffield United |
8/13 |
2023/24 |
| Sunderland |
6/4 |
2016/17 |
| Middlesbrough |
3/1 |
2016/17 |
| West Brom |
10/1 |
2020/21 |
| Blackburn |
25/1 |
2011/12 |
| Norwich |
30/1 |
2021/22 |
| Bristol City |
33/1 |
1979/80 |
| Coventry City |
33/1 |
2000/01 |
Best value picks
As the current top three all provide poor value for punters, it is best to consider some dark horses that will certainly have a chance of gaining promotion through the playoffs. Here are some of those picks.
Sunderland – 7/4
Despite two losses in their last two games, Sunderland have managed to remain in contention for promotion due to their sizeable gap to the rest of the chasing pack. A 2-1 loss to Leeds was succeeded by a 1-0 home defeat against Hull City, but, despite a less than favourable recent record, the Black Cats remain 12 points clear of Coventry City in seventh place.
An own-goal from Anthony Patterson was enough to allow Hull to win the game, meaning that Regis Le Bris' men have only secured four points from their last four games, and have subsequently dropped out of the title race, as Leeds still have a game in hand to play.
However, 7/4 are Sunderland's current odds to be promoted to the Premier League, so for a side who could still gain an automatic spot, their return on investment is relatively strong for punters. The play-offs will be their route to the promised land, and anything could happen once the season reaches its conclusion.
West Brom – 11/1
Recent inconsistencies have hampered West Brom's chances of securing a play-off spot and therefore a guaranteed shot at promotion back to the Premier League. Wins against Oxford United, Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday have been cancelled out by disappointing losses to Plymouth Argyle and promotion rivals Blackburn Rovers.
Tony Mowbray will certainly need to instil a sense of stability amongst his team if they are to cement their promotion hopes and mould themselves into credible candidates. Goals from Alex Mowatt and John Swift were enough to gain a 2-0 win over Oxford last time out, but the Baggies will need to kick on now to extend their current one-point lead over the onrushing Coventry City.
11/1 are the Baggies odds of getting themselves back into the top flight.
Coventry – 10/1
Coventry have been a revelation since Frank Lampard took over, winning six of their last seven league fixtures, surging up the table into seventh place. Ellis Simms in particular has taken to Lampard's tenure like a duck to water, notching a brace against Sheffield Wednesday which included a last-gasp winner in the 92nd minute to win the game.
The club's only recent defeat came in an arguably expected 2-0 loss to table-toppers Leeds, but their current form will make supporters very hopeful of a push into the play-offs and a potential push for the Premier League. Ephron Mason-Clark and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto have nicely complemented Simms' goalscoring too, racking up 15 goal contributions between them to help Coventry over the 50-point mark.
Bookies now have the Sky Blues priced at 10/1 to return to the top flight, which, if they can continue their current form under the previous Chelsea and Derby County boss, may be well within their reach. Their odds would also give punters a very good chance to earn a big return.
Our verdict on EFL Championship promotion
Leeds and Sunderland are the obvious picks to fill the top two automatic promotion spots. However, there may be opportunities to specifically wager on both of those teams going up automatically, which offers a greater potential reward.
Going even more niche, you may even have the chance to select the specific order in which they will finish (Sunderland first, Leeds second or vice-versa).
As for the third promoted side, it's an exciting melting pot, and will be for many weeks yet. Even those not in the top 10 of expected promotion contenders still have a chance, and we've seen many teams start miserably in previous years only to get a top-six finish.
If you want an early pick to join Leeds and Sunderland in the 2025/26 Premier League, though, our money is still on Middlesbrough.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
In December 2020 we sadly 
