The new Championship campaign gets underway on Friday as Blackburn hosts Derby at Ewood Park, with last season's Playoff Final losers Leeds heading into the season as clear favorites to secure promotion.
The likes of Burnley, Luton, and Middlesbrough are also fancied, with Coventry and West Brom coming in as outside shouts to make the Premier League next term.
2024/25 Championship Promotion Odds
Odds courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Team | Odds |
Leeds | +110 |
Burnley | +187 |
Luton | +300 |
Middlesbrough | +300 |
Sheffield United | +350 |
All other teams | +450 or above |
Championship Promotion Odds: Favorites Analysed
Leeds @ +110
Leeds fans will have considered their team extremely unlucky not to have secured automatic promotion after accumulating 90 points during the regular Championship season last season, as they became the first team to reach this tally and not be promoted automatically since 1992.
The fact they lost the play-off final 1-0 to Southampton was a huge disappointment and they will not want to extend their stay in the second tier any longer after that blow.
They head into this season as strong favorites to go up, and rightly so given the squad, Farke has at his disposal.
The Whites have made smart additions in the form of Joe Rodon on a permanent deal, as well as Jayden Bogle, whilst they also have a number of players returning from loan including Brenden Aaronson and Maximilian Wober.
They have lost the likes of Summerville, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara, however, given the talent they boast across the rest of their squad, it's easy to see why they're favored so heavily to secure promotion this term.
Burnley @ +187
Burnley was expected to do well in the Premier League after cruising to the Championship title in 2022/23, however, it didn't turn out like that for the Clarets, whose poor home record was largely responsible for consigning them straight back into the second tier.
Manager Vincent Kompany then left the club after he was surprisingly handed the job at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, with the Clarets then appointing former Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge gaffer Scott Parker as Kompany’s replacement.
Their only notable sales have been goalkeepers, with Burnley largely keeping ahold of the squad that got relegated from the PL last time.Mike Tresor and Maxime Esteve are big-money summer signings, and with finances boosted by Premier League parachute payments, it’s no surprise to see Burnley as +187 chances for a top-flight return.
Luton @ +300
If anything, Luton put up a more spirited fight to try and stay in the top flight than the likes of Burnely and Sheffield United after gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 2022/23.
It did not prove enough in the end as their defensive frailties were exposed too often, but they have not had a taste of the big time and will fancy their chances of an immediate return under young boss Rob Edwards.
Ross Barkley, Ryan Giles, and Gabriel Osho have left Kenilworth Road and replacements have been in short supply, however, they still boast a strong squad across the board.
They've managed to hold on to the likes of Marvelous Nakamba, Alfie Doughty, Tahith Chong, Carlton Morris, and Elijah Adebayo, all of whom, alongside the addition of former Brentford man Shandon Baptise, give Luton a great chance of bouncing back to the PL this term.
Middlesbrough @ +300
Middlesbrough was expected to make a big push for promotion last season having reached the play-offs in the previous campaign under Michael Carrick.
However, they were unable to fully recover from failing to win any of their opening seven games, although their faith in Carrick was rewarded by a run of just one defeat from their final 12 championship outings.
They were four points adrift of sixth spot in the end, with injuries largely being the reason why they failed to finish inside the top six come the end of the season.
They look set to hit the ground running this time around, with Carrick having signed a new three-year contract and Aidan Morris, Delano Burgzorg, and Luke Ayling making the move to Teesside.
They've also managed to keep the likes of Seny Dieng, Rav van den Berg, Finn Azaz, and Emmanuel Latte Lath, with Boro possessing a squad capable of challenging the likes of Leeds and Luton this year.
Sheffield United @ +350
Sheffield United are surprisingly low in the betting given the summer they've had combined with their failed attempt to stay in the PL last year.
The Blades finished on just 16 points come the end of the year after conceding a record 104 goals, with Chris Wilder having a lot of work to do if he's to get Shef United promoted once again.
They've lost key players in the forms of Cameron Archer, William Osula, Jayden Bogle, Oli McBurnie, and Benie Traore.
It must be said they have strengthened in some areas by adding the likes of Callum O'Hare, Kieffer Moore, Harrison Burrows, and Harry Souttar.
However given just how bad they were last year, combined with the fact they're starting this season with a two-point deduction from last season, we're not keen on Shef United's chances this term.