Championship Odds: A look at the six favourites to win the second-tier

The 2021/22 season begins in just two weeks’ time, with action from the EFL kickstarting a brand new campaign. Bournemouth welcome West Brom to the Vitality Stadium in the Championship on August 6th, before a full schedule of fixtures in the country’s second, third and fourth division play out over the following two days. 

After almost 18 months of matches taking place behind-closed-doors, supporters will be back in full attendance this season, supplying the noise and atmosphere that makes our beloved sport so exhilarating. 

We cannot wait for things to start again, and it’s around this time that we all start thinking about placing our ante-post accumulators for the coming campaign. Below, we've analysed the Championship odds for the six favourites in the winner market to assist you with your choices.

Fulham - 6/1 (Favourites)

Fulham will be looking to once again bounce straight back up to the Premier League after their relegation from the top-flight last season. The Cottagers have followed a similar pattern in recent campaigns, earning promotion from the first-tier only to be dumped straight out of it the season after. 

The west London club have earned two promotions in the previous four seasons, but also suffered relegation twice in that period. This time around, they’ll be hoping to climb out of the Championship under new management, with Scott Parker departing the club for Bournemouth in June. 

Marco Silva is the new man in the dugout and brings with him a wealth of experience. A manager of Premier League pedigree, the Portugese coach will endeavour to propel the Cottagers straight back to the top-flight, and he has plenty of top-quality assets to work with; including the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bobby Reid and Tom Cairney - each of whom are proven stars in this league. 

West Brom - 7/1 

Another side who bowed out of the Premier League last season, but will be seeking an immediate return is West Brom. Much like Fulham, the Baggies have made a bit of a habit of yo-yoing between England's top two divisions in recent seasons, but they always pose a huge threat in the Championship.  

Following the departure of Sam Allardyce, Valérien Ismaël will take charge of the West Midlands club this season after guiding Barnsley to a fifth-place finish in 20/21. The Frenchman is an exciting young manager who should get the best out of a really strong crop of players at the Hawthorns, and has further strengthened his squad with the signing of talented midfielder Alex Mowatt, who joins on a free transfer after leaving Oakwell. 

Sheffield United - 8/1

The third team to be relegated from the Premier League last season was Sheffield United, who endured a torrid time of things in the top-flight and ended the campaign with just 23 points to their name. After a fairytale season in 2019-20, things took a downward turn last term, but that won’t deter them from trying to make it back to the promised land at the first time of asking this time out. 

The Blades are well-known to be a side who really benefit from playing in front of a home crowd, and it’s widely believed that had supporters been present inside Bramall Lane last season, they might have performed a lot better. With a full house back in South Yorkshire this term, and in a significantly weaker division, there are high hopes that Sheffield United will bounce straight back up to the first-tier. 

Another huge coup is the fact they’ve signed Slaviša Jokanović, a manager with plenty of experience in the second division having previously led Fulham to promotion in 2017/18. Alongside a really talented squad of players with proven pedigree in the Championship, the Blades should be really strong candidates for the title this season.

Bournemouth - 10/1

Bournemouth will feel confident in their ability to challenge for the title this season with new manager Scott Parker at the helm. The former England midfielder guided Fulham to the top-flight in 2019-20 and played some tremendous football while doing so.

You could argue that the Cherries have a stronger squad overall with players like Arnaut Danjuma, David Brooks and Dominic Solanke at their disposal, so the potential for Bournemouth this season is huge.

Last season the south coast club missed out on the promotion after defeat to Brentford in the play-offs, but this term they will be looking to go one step further and challenge for the league title. A strong start will be pivotal for their chances - starting with a victory over West Brom on the opening day - but there is every reason to believe in their ability to clinch silverware in the second-tier. 

Cardiff - 16/1

Fifth-favourites in the betting is Cardiff, priced at 16/1. The Bluebirds have not tasted success in the Championship since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2017/18, but have secured two top-eight finishes on the spin since their relegation from the top-flight in 2019. 

Mick McCarthy’s side have one of the best strikers in the division at their disposal in the shape of Wales hitman Kieffer Moore - who last season bagged 20 league goals as the Welsh side finished two spaces outside the play-offs - while there are growing rumours surrounding a shock move for Gareth Bale this summer, after the Cardiff-born forward returned to Real Madrid following his loan spell with Tottenham. 

Last term Cardiff scored 66 goals, finishing the campaign as the Championship’s fourth-highest scorers. If they can replicate that sort of form in front of goal this coming season, they should be right up in the mix and battling it out for the title, although a more ambitious expectation for the club will be to cement a top-six finish before all else.

Nottingham Forest - 16/1

Nottingham Forest are also 16/1 in the market, but it is somewhat difficult to envisage the once-European Cup winners win the league considering they are one of the Championship’s current longest-serving clubs, having resided in the second-tier since the 2007/08 campaign. 

Last season Forest finished 17th, a year after missing out on the play-offs at the 11th hour thanks to a complete capitulation against Stoke on the final day of the campaign. They have some talented players in the form of Lewis Grabban and Joe Lolly, alongside the knowledgeable Chris Hughton on the sidelines, so should certainly be doing better than a bottom-half finish. Whether they can make an unlikely surge for league supremacy remains to be seen, however. 

A full list of Championship winner odds can be found below.