2026-27 EFL season preview: Wolves vs Blackburn opens

 

The Championship starts with urgency

The biggest spotlight falls on the second tier, where the route to the Premier League remains the central prize. The report says the top two go up automatically, with places third to eighth entering an expanded playoff for the final spot at Wembley. That makes every slow start expensive.

Reports suggest West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley arrive as the headline relegated clubs trying to bounce back immediately.

  • West Ham are reported to have reshaped parts of the squad while keeping Jarrod Bowen.
  • Wolves are reported to have brought back Raúl Jiménez.
  • Burnley again look like a club expected to be around the promotion conversation.

The promotion race may not belong only to the recent dropouts. The report also points to Middlesbrough, Wrexham, Birmingham City, Norwich City, Sheffield United and Millwall as sides with top-end ambitions.

Storylines across the pyramid

There is also a strong identity theme this season. The report says Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham will give the Championship three Welsh clubs, adding another layer to an already crowded race.

Further down, Leicester City appear set to be one of the main attractions in League One, with Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday also part of a division that looks heavyweight by third-tier standards.

Cup dates matter too

The EFL Cup will quickly add congestion and jeopardy.

  • Premier League clubs without Europe reportedly enter in the week of 24 August
  • Clubs in Europe are due in during the weeks of 7 and 14 September
  • The final is scheduled for 21 March

That means the story will move fast. By the end of August, the table will already be shaping narratives - and in the EFL, those narratives have a habit of becoming season-defining earlier than anyone expects.