Ipswich Town have had a difficult start, and Southampton have been underwhelming. The value could be in teams like Birmingham City and Coventry City.
Championship Promotion Odds: Betting Favourites
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
| Championship promotion odds | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ipswich Town | 1/1 |
| Southampton | 7/4 |
| Coventry | 7/4 |
| Birmingham | 15/8 |
Championship promotion odds: Favourites Analysed
Ipswich Town - 1/1
The Tractor Boys have had a pretty dreadful start to the season by their standards. After a brilliant Championship season last time out, they spent big but fell short in the top-flight. They’re spending big once again, but are winless after three games.
There’s reason for optimism, however. They have a good manager in Kieran McKenna, and once the likes of Kasey McAteer, Chuba Akpom and others settle in, they’ll be fine. Additional new signings will make them even stronger.
Concerns will grow if struggles persist a month from now, but for now, it’s just a case of settling into things again.
They're yet to win so far, drawing three and losing one of their four games thus far, however once Ipswich's new signing get jelling, they should have more than enough to bounce back to the PL at the first time of asking, hence their odds of just 1/1 despite this rocky opening three weeks of the season.
Southampton - 7/4
The Saints have had a difficult summer in many ways. They were always expected to lose players, but the scale of player turnover has been quite substantial. Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes are the big-money departures, but are by no means the only exits that will be felt.
They have made a couple of solid signings, with Damion Downs and Josh Quarshie coming, but have they signed enough to cover those they’ve lost? That’s up for debate. You’d expect a busy end to the window for them, and if they get it right, they’ll be fine.
Will Still has a very good squad at this level, and with the likes of Shea Charles back from loan, there is plenty of quality on the pitch. Still, there are question marks after a mixed start.
They've won just one of their first four games this term, with this coming on the opening day against Wrexham, with draws against Ipswich and Watford, as well as surprising loss against Stoke, seeing them on just five points from their first four.
Given the quality of their squad however, it would be a huge shock to see them not up there in promotion contention come May, hence their low odds of 7/4.
Coventry City - 7/4
What can you say about a side that’s already scored 14 goals in four Championship games? Frank Lampard has done a brilliant job since taking over the Sky Blues, and they’ve started the new season in strong form.
The 7-1 thumping of Queens Park Rangers followed an eight-goal thriller at Derby County, and they’re proving to be a great watch.
They only drew 2-2 with Oxford at the weekend, a disappointing result given their previous two wins, however this does see them maintain their unbeaten start.
At the time of writing, they’re in fifth place, and if they can keep up their scoring form, they’ll remain there or thereabouts. Defenders in the division will probably have their hands full.
Haji Wright is already on five goals for 2025/26, and Victor Torp has four. Kaine Kesler-Hayden, meanwhile, could prove to be a very good signing, and they’ve managed to keep hold of most of their stars as well. They’re in very good shape for the season ahead.
Coventry may not yet be genuine title challengers, but it would be surprising if they’re not in the top six by the time May comes around.
Birmingham City - 15/8
Now this is a team to watch. The Blues haven’t held back in the transfer market, making some brilliant signings over the summer. They were unbeaten after three games back in the second tier after drawing against Ipswich on the opening day, beating Blackburn Rovers and seeing off Oxford United too.
Tougher tasks will and have come their way after they suffered a 2-0 loss to Leicester, with this being their first of the season.
Jay Stansfield has already got three goals to his name, and both Kyogo Furuhashi and Seung-ho Paik have found the net. The squad now combines seasoned players with talented youth, and Chris Davies has been given significant support.
Birmingham are a really interesting prospect this season, and we definitely expect them to be in the promotion conversation.