Supercomputer Predicts Final 25/26 Championship Table

There are some people, for good reason, that claim that England’s second tier – the Championship – is the most exciting league in world football. Renowned for its highly competitive nature and unpredictability, it’s action-packed from start to finish.

From the first round of fixtures in August to the play-offs the following spring, the chaos that spills out is never-ending.

Last season, Leeds United reigned supreme to regain their status as a Premier League outfit – with Burnley coming in a close second. The pair of clubs both racked up 100 points and were separated by goal difference. Then, Sunderland beat Sheffield United to win the play-off final at Wembley.

But what’s going to happen this time around? Now approaching the business end of the season, what better way to continue the fun than to look at some predictions? Opta Analyst, via a supercomputer which has simulated every single fixture on 10,000 occasions, have produced a full table of England’s second tier.

Race for Automatic Promotion Spots

Season-upon-season, the two sides that finish atop of the standings earn automatic promotion to the Premier League. Last season, it was Leeds, as alluded to earlier, and Burnley. This season, the supercomputer has predicted that Frank Lampard’s Coventry City will be joined by Kim Hellberg’s Middlesbrough.

Coventry City, under former Everton and Chelsea boss Lampard, are expected to finally return to England’s top division with a 90-point haul and Boro, after a vast change in management from Michael Carrick to Rob Edwards to Hellberg, are also predicted to go up.

So far, the former Premier League outfit are sat just behind the table toppers, and they are expected to finish there come the end of the campaign on 82 points, just pipping Ipswich Town on goal difference.

Ipswich – who, at the time of writing, are still managed by Kieran McKenna – are set to finish in the playoffs places. Their boss will not be short of job offers in the future but, regardless, the supercomputer believes they will finish on 82 points, which would make them narrowly miss out on automatic promotion after being relegated from England’s top flight last term.

Millwall are expected to finish in fourth come the end of the campaign with a total of 79 points, thus securing themselves a spot in the play-off. Although journalist-turned-groundhopper Oliver Holt ranked their stomping ground among the five worst in the country, the south London outfit were close to securing play-off status last season, and they are set to buck their trend and secure a spot this season.

Race for Play-Off Spots

Once a mainstay in England’s top flight, Hull City are expected to finish in fifth spot. The Tigers have struggled in seasons gone by – as evidenced by their 21st-placed finish in 2024/25 – and that isn’t set to continue throughout the current campaign. As of present, the Tigers have 60 points from 34 outings after a rocky start to proceedings.

Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham have flown up the English Football League with, what looks like, relative ease in years gone by. The Welsh side have enjoyed back-to-back-to-back promotions and, incredibly, the supercomputer thinks they can make it four in a row as they are predicted to just about sneak into the playoffs.

Southampton, under plenty of managers, have somewhat struggled to adapt to second-tier football – and that’s expected to drag on throughout the 2025/26 season. The side from the south coast kick-started the season with a win but struggled in the weeks that followed. Will Still’s departure coincided with a turnaround in form, but the supercomputer predicts they will just miss out on the playoffs and finish seventh.

Derby County, who are famously one of the worst teams in Premier League history, are also set to miss out on the playoffs. The Rams are one of the most in-form teams in the league after overcoming a tough start. Watford and Birmingham are also narrowly expected to miss out on the top six.

Mid-Table Security

Last season, Sheffield United – under Chris Wilder’s hodgepodge tenureship – finished third in the table but lost 2-1 in the play-off final. They got off to an awful start to the campaign this time round, and it looked as if they were in danger of relegation. A managerial change saw Wilder back in the dugout and he’s worked his magic. While an 11th place finish wouldn’t have been what the Blades were looking for at the start of the season, they at least will be well clear of the relegation scrap.

Bristol City would have been hoping to make the play-offs once again this season after finishing sixth last time out. As things stand, they’ve secured 14 victories – and boss Gerhard Struber will be hoping that more wins will come down the line.

Preston North End and Stoke City both started the season on fire and had aspirations of promotion to the Premier League. They have since fallen away, though, and are expected to finish in the bottom half.

Queens Park Rangers, who appointed Julien Stephan as their head coach after a summer of incomings and outgoings, are predicted by the supercomputer to finish 15th with 61 points. They’ll be happy with that after flirting with relegation in seasons gone by.

Norwich City and Swansea City both looked at threat of relegation at the midway part of the season, but their form has picked up in recent weeks. They are expected to finish 16th and 17th respectively.

Relegation Dogfight

While those at the top of the table are hustling and bustling for Premier League football, those at the foot of the 24-strong standings are doing the same in order to prevent facing the prospect of demotion to League One – and the supercomputer predicts that Charlton Athletic, ending on 55 points, will just about be safe.

The South East London outfit defied the odds and earned a spot in the Championship for the first time in five years after a narrow 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final in late May 2025. They are expected to stay up and avoid relegation at their first time trying.

South coast outfit Portsmouth, who used to call the Premier League their home, are predicted to just about finish outside the drop zone on 54 points. Thus far, they’ve secured 10 wins, nine draws and 15 defeats in an up-and-down, and rather tumultuous, campaign.

Blackburn Rovers have been flirting with relegation in recent years, with their struggles linked to ownership issues. They are expected to retain their Championship status, surviving the drop by just three points.

Leicester City are also expected to finish above the relegation zone by the narrowest of margins. The Foxes were one of the favourites to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but they are having a disastrous campaign. A six-point deduction landed them in the relegation zone, but they are just predicted to do enough to avoid the drop.

Now, we’re on to the three lowest-finishing teams, who have been predicted to be relegated to England’s third tier come the end of the current campaign.

West Bromwich Albion started 2025/26 brightly by going three games unbeaten at the start of the current campaign, but they’ve since tumbled down England’s second tier and relegation is now being predicted.

Oxford United then follow in the penultimate place in England’s second tier league competition with just 45 points to show from their 46-match campaign. With just seven wins this term, relegation is certainly on the cards. Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation has already been confirmed – the only question that now remains is whether they will finish on a positive points total. The supercomputer is predicting them to end the campaign with just two points after they were docked 18 points earlier this campaign.