2025–26 English Football League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
The 2025–26 English Football League is the 127th season of the English Football League (EFL) and the ninth season under that name after it was renamed from The Football League in 2016. For the 13th season, the league is sponsored by Sky Betting & Gaming and is therefore known as the Sky Bet EFL.
The EFL is contested through three divisions: the Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League and they are joined by the winner of the Championship playoff. The bottom two teams in League Two are relegated to the National League.
Promotion and relegation
From the Premier League
From the Championship
From League One
From League Two
From the National League
|
Map of teams
London
West Midlands
Greater Manchester
South Yorkshire
Lancashire
Locations of the 2025–26 English Football League teams:
Red: Region
Blue: Championship
Yellow: League One
Green: League Two
Red: Region
Blue: Championship
Yellow: League One
Green: League Two
Locations of the 2025–26 English Football League teams in Greater London
Locations of the 2025–26 English Football League teams in the West Midlands
Locations of the 2025–26 English Football League teams in South Yorkshire
Championship
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry City | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 48 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 42 | |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 23 | +15 | 37 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Hull City | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 37 | |
| 5 | Preston North End | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 23 | +7 | 36 | |
| 6 | Millwall | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 31 | −6 | 35 | |
| 7 | Queens Park Rangers | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 34 | −2 | 34 | |
| 8 | Stoke City | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 33 | |
| 9 | Bristol City | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 33 | |
| 10 | Watford | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 31 | 28 | +3 | 32 | |
| 11 | Southampton | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 31 | |
| 12 | Derby County | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 31 | |
| 13 | Leicester City | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 31 | |
| 14 | Birmingham City | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 29 | |
| 15 | Wrexham | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 28 | |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 29 | −4 | 28 | |
| 17 | Charlton Athletic | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 27 | |
| 18 | Sheffield United | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 26 | |
| 19 | Swansea City | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 30 | −6 | 26 | |
| 20 | Blackburn Rovers | 21 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 26 | −4 | 25 | |
| 21 | Portsmouth | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 21 | |
| 22 | Oxford United | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 31 | −9 | 19 | Relegation to EFL League One |
| 23 | Norwich City | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 18 | |
| 24 | Sheffield Wednesday[a] | 21 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 43 | −27 | −9 |
Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2025. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) Number of 12-point sending off offences; 9) Play-off (only if needed to determine promotion/relegation)[23]
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) Number of 12-point sending off offences; 9) Play-off (only if needed to determine promotion/relegation)[23]
Notes:
Results
League One
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 20 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 37 | 22 | +15 | 41 | Promotion to EFL Championship |
| 2 | Lincoln City | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 38 | |
| 3 | Bradford City | 20 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 37 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Stevenage | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 15 | +9 | 35 | |
| 5 | Stockport County | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 35 | |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 34 | |
| 7 | Huddersfield Town | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 31 | |
| 8 | Luton Town | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 29 | |
| 9 | Wycombe Wanderers | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 28 | |
| 10 | Barnsley | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 28 | |
| 11 | Leyton Orient | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 28 | |
| 12 | Northampton Town | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 27 | |
| 13 | AFC Wimbledon | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 27 | |
| 14 | Wigan Athletic | 20 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 26 | |
| 15 | Reading | 20 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 25 | |
| 16 | Peterborough United | 20 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 25 | |
| 17 | Plymouth Argyle | 21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 33 | −7 | 25 | |
| 18 | Rotherham United | 21 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 27 | −6 | 24 | |
| 19 | Burton Albion | 20 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 26 | −8 | 24 | |
| 20 | Exeter City | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 23 | |
| 21 | Mansfield Town | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 23 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 22 | Blackpool | 21 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 30 | −6 | 23 | |
| 23 | Doncaster Rovers | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 35 | −14 | 22 | |
| 24 | Port Vale | 20 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 24 | −11 | 15 |
Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2025. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[24]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[24]
Results
- ^ original match on 6 September was postponed due to international callups
League Two
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsall | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 40 | Promotion to EFL League One |
| 2 | Swindon Town | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 40 | |
| 3 | Bromley | 21 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 39 | |
| 4 | Notts County | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 38 | Qualification for League Two play-offs |
| 5 | Milton Keynes Dons | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 24 | +18 | 36 | |
| 6 | Salford City | 21 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 36 | |
| 7 | Chesterfield | 21 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 35 | |
| 8 | Cambridge United | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 34 | |
| 9 | Fleetwood Town | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 33 | |
| 10 | Crewe Alexandra | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 32 | |
| 11 | Colchester United | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 26 | +9 | 31 | |
| 12 | Gillingham | 21 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 30 | |
| 13 | Barnet | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 28 | |
| 14 | Oldham Athletic | 21 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 17 | +4 | 27 | |
| 15 | Grimsby Town | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 27 | |
| 16 | Tranmere Rovers | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 26 | |
| 17 | Accrington Stanley | 21 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 25 | −2 | 24 | |
| 18 | Cheltenham Town | 21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 34 | −16 | 24 | |
| 19 | Barrow | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 21 | 30 | −9 | 21 | |
| 20 | Shrewsbury Town | 21 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 19 | |
| 21 | Crawley Town | 21 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 18 | |
| 22 | Bristol Rovers | 21 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 39 | −23 | 18 | |
| 23 | Harrogate Town | 21 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 35 | −17 | 17 | Relegation to National League |
| 24 | Newport County | 21 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 21 | 41 | −20 | 13 |
Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2025. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[25]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[25]
Results
Managerial changes
References
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