EFL Championship facts for kids
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| Founded |
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|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Other club(s) from | Wales |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Premier League |
| Relegation to | EFL League One |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| League cup(s) | |
| International cup(s) |
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| Current champions | Leicester City 2nd title and 8th Second tier title (2023–24) |
| Most championships |
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| TV partners | List of broadcasters |
The English Football League Championship, often just called the Championship, is a super exciting football league in England. It's the top division of the English Football League (EFL). It's also the second-highest league in England overall, right after the famous Premier League. There are 24 teams that play in the Championship each season.
This league started in the 2004–05 season. Before that, it was known as the Football League First Division. The team that wins the Championship each year gets a special trophy. This trophy used to be given to the winners of England's very top football league before the Premier League began in 1992. Even though it's an English league, teams from Wales can also play in it!
Every season, the two teams that finish at the very top of the Championship automatically get to move up to the Premier League. Teams that finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place get another chance. They play in a special mini-tournament called the play-offs. The winner of these play-offs also gets promoted to the Premier League! But watch out, the three teams that finish at the bottom of the Championship table get moved down to League One.
The Championship is known as the richest football league outside of the top divisions. It's also one of the most popular leagues in the world for fans attending matches. For example, in the 2022–23 season, about 18,787 fans came to watch each game on average.
Cardiff City has played in this division more than any other team. Leicester City are the current champions of the league.
Contents
History of the Championship
When the league first started with its new name in 2004–05, Sunderland won the title. Wigan Athletic came in second and also got promoted. This was a huge deal for Wigan, as they had only joined the Football League in 1978. They had been in the fourth tier of English football just ten years before!
West Ham United won the first play-off final that season. They beat Preston North End 1-0 in a big match in Cardiff. The 2004–05 season was very popular. Over 9.8 million people watched games in the Championship, including the play-offs. This made it the fourth most-watched football league in Europe!
In the 2005–06 season, Reading set a new record. They finished with an amazing 106 points! This was the most points any team had ever earned in a Football League season.
Sunderland won the Championship again in 2006–07. They had been relegated from the Premier League the year before. In 2007, Leeds United faced some financial trouble. They were deducted 10 points and were relegated. Later that year, Derby County won the play-off final at the new Wembley Stadium. They beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0. West Brom then went on to win the Championship title the very next season.
In 2009, Burnley won their play-off final. This meant they would play in the Premier League for the first time since 1976!
The league has had different sponsors over the years. From 2004 to 2010, it was sponsored by Coca-Cola. Then, from 2010 to 2013, it was called the Npower Championship. Since 2013, Sky Bet has been the main sponsor.
In 2011, Birmingham City made history. They won the League Cup, which meant they got to play in the UEFA Europa League. They were the first Championship club to play in the group stage of this big European competition!
The 2016–17 season was a big one. The Football League changed its name to the English Football League (EFL). That season, over 11 million fans watched Championship games. This was the highest number of fans for the second, third, and fourth tiers of English football since the 1958–59 season. Newcastle United won the title that year.
In March 2020, games were stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league started again in June. Leeds United were crowned champions in July 2020. This was their first time back in the Premier League in 16 years!
The EFL Championship even took a break in November and December 2022. This was so players could join their national teams for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
How the League Works
The Championship has 24 teams. Each season, which usually runs from August to May, every team plays every other team twice. They play once at their home stadium and once away. This means each team plays a total of 46 games!
- If a team wins a game, they get three points.
- If they draw (tie), they get one point.
- If they lose, they get zero points.
Teams are ranked in the league table by how many points they have. If teams have the same points, they are ranked by goal difference (goals scored minus goals against). If that's still the same, it goes by goals scored.
At the end of the season:
- The top two teams automatically move up to the Premier League.
- The teams in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth place play in the Championship play-offs.
- The play-offs are a knockout competition. The third-placed team plays the sixth-placed team, and the fourth-placed team plays the fifth-placed team. These are two-game matches (home and away).
- The winners of these games then play in a single final match at Wembley Stadium. The team that wins this final gets the last promotion spot to the Premier League!
- The three teams that finish at the very bottom of the Championship table are moved down to EFL League One.
Current Teams
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Champions and Play-off Winners
Here's a look at the teams that have won the Championship and the play-offs since 2004:
1 When Norwich City gained promotion to the Premier League they were the first team to be relegated to, relegated from, promoted to and promoted from the Championship.
2 When Ipswich Town were promoted with 96 points they set a record for the most points for a second-placed team; beating a tie at 93 points between Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion. For past winners at this level before 2004, see List of winners of English Football League Championship and predecessors
Top Goal Scorers
Here are the top goal scorers for each season in the Championship:
| Season | Top scorer(s) | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 |  Nathan Ellington |
Wigan Athletic | 24 |
| 2005–06 |  Marlon King |
Watford | 21 |
| 2006–07 | Jamie Cureton |
Colchester United | 23 |
| 2007–08 | Sylvan Ebanks-Blake |
Plymouth Argyle Wolverhampton Wanderers |
23 |
| 2008–09 | Sylvan Ebanks-Blake |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 |
| 2009–10 | Peter Whittingham |
Cardiff City | 20 |
| Nicky Maynard |
Bristol City | ||
| 2010–11 | Danny Graham |
Watford | 24 |
| 2011–12 | Rickie Lambert |
Southampton | 27 |
| 2012–13 | Glenn Murray |
Crystal Palace | 30 |
| 2013–14 |  Ross McCormack |
Leeds United | 28 |
| 2014–15 |  Daryl Murphy |
Ipswich Town | 27 |
| 2015–16 | Andre Gray |
Brentford Burnley |
25 |
| 2016–17 |  Chris Wood |
Leeds United | 27 |
| 2017–18 |  Matěj Vydra |
Derby County | 21 |
| 2018–19 |  Teemu Pukki |
Norwich City | 29 |
| 2019–20 |  Aleksandar Mitrović |
Fulham | 26 |
| 2020–21 | Ivan Toney |
Brentford | 31 |
| 2021–22 | Aleksandar Mitrović |
Fulham | 43 |
| 2022–23 | Chuba Akpom |
Middlesbrough | 28 |
| 2023–24 | Sammie Szmodics |
Blackburn Rovers | 27 |
Fan Attendance
The EFL Championship is super popular! It's the second most-watched second-tier sports league in the world. Only Germany's 2. Bundesliga has more fans attending games. In the 2023–24 season, about 23,048 people came to watch each game on average. This makes the Championship the fifth most-watched league in all of Europe.
The 2023–24 season had the highest average attendance ever for the league. Over 12.7 million fans watched Championship matches in total! The lowest average attendance was in the 2013–14 season. The highest average attendance for a single club was Newcastle United in the 2016–17 season, with 51,106 fans per game.
| Season | League average attendance | Highest average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Attendance | |||
| 2004–05 | 17,417 | Leeds United | 29,207 | |
| 2005–06 | 17,607 | Norwich City | 24,952 | |
| 2006–07 | 18,179 | Sunderland | 31,887 | |
| 2007–08 | 17,027 | Sheffield United | 25,631 | |
| 2008–09 | 17,888 | Derby County | 29,440 | |
| 2009–10 | 17,949 | Newcastle United | 43,388 | |
| 2010–11 | 17,369 | Leeds United | 27,299 | |
| 2011–12 | 17,739 | West Ham United | 30,923 | |
| 2012–13 | 17,493 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 26,236 | |
| 2013–14 | 16,605 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27,283 | |
| 2014–15 | 17,857 | Derby County | 29,232 | |
| 2015–16 | 17,583 | Derby County | 29,663 | |
| 2016–17 | 20,119 | Newcastle United | 51,106 | |
| 2017–18 | 20,489 | Aston Villa | 32,097 | |
| 2018–19 | 20,269 | Aston Villa | 36,029 | |
| 2019–20 | 18,585 | Leeds United | 27,643 | |
| 2020–21 | No attendances due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021–22 | 16,776 | Sheffield United | 27,611 | |
| 2022–23 | 18,787 | Sunderland | 38,653 | |
| 2023–24 | 23,048 | Sunderland | 41,158 | |
Team Performance Over Time
Since the Championship started in 2004, many teams have played in it. In fact, 13 of the 20 teams in the 2023–24 Premier League have spent at least one season here!
Cardiff City has played the most seasons in the Championship, with 18 seasons. Ipswich Town holds the record for the longest time playing in the league without a break, with 15 seasons from 2004 to 2019. Currently, Birmingham City has the longest continuous stay in the Championship.
Norwich City has had six different times in the Championship, which is more than any other team. Seven teams have won the Championship title twice: Burnley, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Reading, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Burnley and Norwich City have been promoted from the Championship to the Premier League four times each. Five other teams have been promoted three times. On the other hand, Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic have been relegated from the Championship four times.
Images for kids
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EFL Championship Logo
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Average attendances in the EFL Championship
More About Football
- English football league system
- EFL Championship Manager of the Month
- List of English football club owners
- List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues – See how Championship attendance compares worldwide.
- List of professional sports teams in the United Kingdom
