EFL Championship Betting
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Last Updated: Welcome to our EFL Championship Betting Guide where we hope to help you understand the twenty-four teams who are competing in this exciting division, along with the corresponding odds ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Betting on the Championship allows you to dial up the excitement you experience when watching the action unfold in the second tier of English football. Promotion to the Premier League is worth an estimated £170 million, so Championship clubs battle tooth and nail in an effort to reach the Promised Land.
The season is a real slog. Each team plays 46 games over the course of the campaign, and fixture congestion invariably causes inconsistent results. It can therefore be challenging to bet on the Championship, but it also means you can regularly find great odds with the best bookmakers.
This guide helps you maximise your chances of earning a profit when betting on the Championship. We will highlight the sites that offer the best Championship betting odds, provide tips on how to bet on this division, and shine a light on the exciting betting markets that are available to you.
- Our Top Pick1
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Established 2006#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Extra Spins on Gold Blitz (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on extra spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. Bet the Responsible Way. Full terms apply.
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Established 2001#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration Required. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. - Full Terms Apply
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EFL Championship Betting Tips
Championship Promotion Odds
All the leading bookmakers offer Championship promotion odds. Their odds compilers will assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each team in the division at the start of the campaign. They will then name a favourite to secure promotion.
The odds on each team grow progressively longer until you reach the rank outsider. In the 2020/21 season, that team was Wycombe, who were installed as huge underdogs in the race to clinch promotion.
You can find great value when browsing the Championship promotion odds. The market includes a mix of teams that were just relegated from the Premier League, sides that narrowly missed out on promotion last term and a few sleeping giants of English football.
The teams that were just relegated often suffer an exodus of star players, and it is intriguing to predict how they will cope. It is also interesting to examine how those teams that faltered in last season’s Championship play-offs will bounce back. Leeds fell apart in the 2018-19 playoffs, but then finished top of the table the following season, so some teams react well to the challenge.
The Championship promotion odds continue to change over the course of the season. If a team goes on a great run, the odds on them securing promotion will shorten. If a team goes through a poor patch of form, or suffers an injury to a key player, you can expect the Championship promotion odds on them to grow longer.
You can seize upon changes in the odds over the course of the season by backing multiple teams to secure promotion. This is known as hedging your bets.
The Championship promotion odds are really exciting, because they give you three avenues of success. You would be disappointed if you bet on a team to win the Championship, only to see them soar to the top of the table, secure promotion, take a foot off the pedal in the final few matches and finish second. Betting on Championship promotion odds as opposed to winner odds covers you in case of this eventuality.
The Best Championship Betting Sites
Our expert reviewers go into painstaking detail when assessing the quality of the sites that offer Championship betting odds. They judge these sites on several key criteria:
- Quality of Odds | A great betting site should offer high-quality odds on the Championship. The prices should sometimes be market leading, and generally be better than average. This applies to outright markets such as Championship promotion odds, Championship play-off odds, Championship top scorer odds and so on, along with pre-game betting odds and live betting EFL Championship odds.
- Range of Betting Markets | You should look for a site that offers you a broad range of betting markets on each Championship game. It should feature classics like winner, goals markets, both teams to score, draw no bet, correct score, anytime goalscorer and so on. However, the best sites for Championship betting odds also offer obscure markets, like a player to score a header or to have over 1.5 shots on target. The leading bookmakers also offer Asian handicaps, and many allow you to create your own wagers using a “bet builder” function.
- Live Betting | In-play betting has long since overtaken pre-match betting as the most popular way to wager on the Championship. It allows you to gain a feel for the game before parting with your hard-earned cash. You can see if one team looks sluggish, or is set up poorly to defend a particular attacking threat. The best live betting sites will offer Championship betting odds on dozens of in-play markets. They will also offer cash out and partial cash out, which puts you in control of your bet, while the best sites also offer live streaming of the action.
- User Experience | The top sites for Sky Bet Championship odds will make the wagering process as simple and pleasurable as possible. They should be designed in an intuitive fashion, making them easy to navigate and rich with helpful features. They should include a lot of information on each page, yet never feel cluttered or untidy. You should expect to find a simple online bet slip, pages should load quickly and you should be able to place bets with minimal fuss. The leading football betting sites will often go the extra mile by furnishing you with a wealth of statistical data on each Championship game, including head-to-heads, a form guide, injury news, team stats, player stats, referee stats, a weather report, and so on. This means you do not have to leave the site to find all the information you need.
- Mobile Betting Site | You should be able to bet on the Championship seamlessly from your mobile device. The best sites for EFL Championship odds will allow you to download an app or access a fully optimised mobile site that works well on all devices. A great betting app should use menus and other features to make the navigation process as quick, simple and convenient as possible. Ideally you want to be able to find a Championship game, identify the betting market you like the look of and place a bet in under 20 second, and with just a few taps of the screen. That is certainly possible at the best mobile sites.
- Security | You should stick to sites that offer rock solid security. They should use the latest SSL encryption software to keep your personal and financial details safe. These sites should also have never suffered a security breach.
- Reliability | It is imperative that you stick to safe, secure, reliable, trustworthy sports betting sites that are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. A number of shady, untrustworthy, unlicensed sites are trying to lure you in, but they may simply be planning to rip you off. Stick to the sites that we recommend on this page, because they all have a long history of treating players with respect and paying out in full and on time.
- Deposit Options | The best sites for Championship betting odds should provide you with a wide array of deposit options. Debit cards like Visa should always be featured in the list of payment methods, along with e-wallets like Skrill, Neteller and ecoPayz. Many bookmakers also accept PayPal. You can also arrange a direct wire transfer with most sites. Slightly more niche options that you might find include Trustly, Zimpler, Boku, Sofort, MuchBetter, GiroPay and PaySafeCard. Ideally a site will provide a relatively low minimum deposit and a large maximum deposit in order to cater to a wide range of punters. All deposits should be free and instant.
- Withdrawals | We cannot stress enough how important withdrawals are when assessing the quality of a Championship betting site. There are hundreds of con artists out there, trying to attract bettors with exciting bonuses and great odds. They are happy to take your money, but it is a different story entirely when you request a withdrawal. Many will come up with erroneous reasons for not paying out, as they are simply scam sites. Stick to licensed, regulated, trustworthy operators recommended on this page. They should be able to pay you in full and in a prompt fashion via a number of different methods. The best sites also provide free withdrawals and offer high withdrawal limits. The length of time you have to wait depends upon the method you choose, but you should generally expect to receive your funds within a few business days.
- Bonuses | Hundreds of rival sites offer Championship promotion odds, Championship top scorer odds and so on. Operators therefore need to work hard to stand out from the crowd. One key tactic is to provide exciting welcome bonuses. You might expect to deposit £100 of your own money and receive £100 in free credit, or another site might give you £30 in free credit if you deposit £10 of your own cash into a new account. Just remember to read the terms and conditions, as there are generally wagering requirements attached to these bonuses.
- Promotions | The top Championship betting sites also offer ongoing promotions throughout the course of the season. It could be an acca boost offer, a bad beat special, a bore draw refund if the game finishes 0-0, paying out if a team takes a 10-point lead at the top of the table, or boosted odds on certain games.
- Customer Service | The best betting sites offer 24/7 customer service, 365 days a year, via live chat, phone and email. They employ polite, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable representatives that can deal with a broad range of requests in an efficient fashion. They should never keep you waiting long before you can speak to someone.
We only recommend sites that perform well in each of these categories, as that gives you the best chance of earning a profit.
The Impact of Covid-19 on EFL Championship Betting
The Covid-19 pandemic wrought havoc on the Championship season in March 2020. Play was halted, the Championship odds 2019-20 were suspended and many fans feared the season would be abandoned entirely.
However, the season resumed when Brentford beat Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage on June 20, following a three-month hiatus. The season finished several months later than scheduled, with Leeds and West Brom securing automatic promotion. Fulham gained sweet revenge by beating Brentford in the playoff final to return to the top flight, while Charlton, Wigan and Hull were relegated.
The new season began on September 12, 2020, less than six weeks after that playoff final between Brentford and Fulham took place. The 2020/21 campaign is scheduled to end in May 2021, meaning 46 rounds of fixtures must be condensed into a significantly shorter period of time than players are accustomed to.
The upshot is that the 2020/21 season features 13 midweek match rounds. Players did not get a proper rest in the summer, and many of them will be exhausted by the congested schedule.
It might therefore play into the hands of the teams with the largest, youngest and fittest squads. That is something to bear in mind when checking out the EFL Championship odds.
Another impact is the lack of fans inside stadiums. Home advantage has pretty much vanished for Championship teams. We crunched the numbers and found that in the first 10 rounds of fixtures in the 2020/21 Championship season, home teams picked up 166 points, while away teams earned 163 points. You would typically expect many more points to be accrued at home, but that is not the case right now, so you should never write off the away team when looking at the Sky Bet Championship odds.
A lack of fans also has a tendency to lead to chaotic defending. Players feel less pressure and they have proven to be more error-prone. This has been seen in several leagues, not just the Championship, but it is well worth bearing in mind when betting on Championship goals markets.
How to Bet on the Championship
There are a number of Championship betting tips that you should take to boost your chances of success when betting on this division:
Choose a reputable site that offers a compelling welcome bonus and great odds across the board. Practice sensible bankroll management. Set aside a sum of money that you can afford to lose in a worst case scenario. You might then decide to start off by betting 1% of your bankroll per game, and you can then increase it progressively if you are winning, or think about reducing it if you go through a bad patch.
Conduct thorough research. Check out each team’s home and away records, how often both teams to score pays off when they play, the average number of goals they score per game, how often they are leading at half-time, and so on. This can really help you spot patterns and find great value on Championship betting odds.
Look at the head-to-head records between each team. If one team regularly trounces a particular opponent, it might be wise to back that team. However, you should also avoid reading too much into it if one team has changed drastically since the last meeting between them.
Make sure you arm yourself with up-to-date injury information. If a team is missing their goalkeeper, a defensive lynchpin, a playmaker or a star striker, results can go south.
Do not be afraid to bet against the Championship favourites. It is a long old season, shock results occur on a regular basis, and teams that finish in the top two regularly lose 10 or more games over the course of the campaign. You can find great value betting against Championship favourites.
Read expert Championship betting tips delivered by our team of writers. These free Championship betting tips can provide a great deal of valuable insight for bettors.
Consider the full range of betting options available to you. You do not have to stick to the winners market. There are dozens of goals markets, handicaps to offer more value and options like double chance and draw no bet to provide greater security.
Monitor the changing Championship promotion odds, winner odds, Championship top scorer odds and so on throughout the season. If you pay close enough attention to these long-term betting markets, you can end up covering every potential outcome and securing a profit regardless of the result.
Always shop around for your Championship betting odds. Regularly finding above average Sky Bet Championship odds can make the difference between generating a profit or a loss for the season.
How to Back the Championship Winner
You should involve assessing the quality of the three teams that have been relegated to the Championship. Some teams spend big in an effort to stay in the Premier League, and then implode when they are relegated, as they cannot support the wage bill and a mass exodus ensues. Other teams are more cautious, which promotes squad stability and allows them to regularly yo-yo between the Premier League and Championship.
Norwich are the ultimate yo-yo team. They have been promoted and relegated more than any other club since the Premier League began, followed by West Brom. They never spend heavily when they are promoted, and they retain the bulk of their squad upon relegation. The Canaries won the Championship in 2019, and they are joint favourites to be top of the pile again in May 2021.
Watford were forced to sell some key players, but they could still call upon a number of stars that flourished in the top flight, such as Ismaila Sarr, Ben Foster and Etienne Capoue. They could simply be too strong for their rivals in the second tier.
Then you can analyse how strong the teams that narrowly missed out last term are. Brentford are the obvious choice, after they finished third and went to the playoff finals last term, but they lost key players Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma in the summer.
Once you have identified the team you think will win the Championship, find the reputable site offering the best Championship betting odds and free bets. Remember you can go each way, earning a quarter of the odds if they finish second or third. It means that if you find a team with higher odds than 4/1, you will generate a profit even if they finish second or third.
In-Play Betting on the Championship
Odds compilers can spend hours analysing data before releasing pre-match Championship betting odds, giving them an advantage over most punters. However, when the action starts, they are in the same boat as you, reacting to developments in real time. It means you can seize upon great in-play betting odds by paying close attention to the action.
The odds will change rapidly, so you need to find a site that allows you to place bets quickly, before they move. You can bet on many of the traditional pre-game markets, like the result, the correct score, total goals and so on. You can also find live Championship betting odds on markets like who will score the next goal, whether there will be a throw-in during the next minute or whether there will be a corner in the next five minutes.
Try to quickly identify strengths and weaknesses in each team. Is the right-back lacking fitness? Is one striker looking really dynamic? Seize upon these observations and capitalise upon momentum swings in the game to boost your chances of success.
The number of sports with in-play betting available
Is there live streaming of sporting events?
The number of sports with in-play betting available
Is there live streaming of sporting events?
The number of sports with in-play betting available
Is there live streaming of sporting events?
Betting on Championship Top Scorer
This is an exciting market, because it does not require you to choose which team will win the division or be promoted. You simply focus on the striker that will bag the most goals in a particular campaign.
Aleksandr Mitrovic topped the scoring charts in the 2019-20 season after enjoying a prolific spell for Fulham. However, most Golden Boot winners are not former Premier League stars, with Teemu Pukki, Matej Vydra, Chris Wood, Andre Gray and Daryl Murphy earning the honour during the previous five seasons.
The top scorer is usually the focal point in attack for an ambitious side that likes to throw caution to the wind and has the quality to challenge at the top end of the table. They are invariably strong in the air, as headed goals are a regular feature in the Championship.
You can assess the quality of all the forwards in the teams most likely to challenge for Championship glory, and then choose your preferred option. Find the site offering the best Championship top scorer odds and place your bets. Remember that only the regular season counts, so it is not worth thinking about Championship play-off odds.
It can be brutal if the player you back in the Championship top scorer odds suffers an injury. You might therefore consider going each-way on your bet, or betting on a few different players to secure the Golden Boot.
EFL Championship Betting Markets
You have hundreds of Championship betting markets at your disposal, so we have picked out a few that might serve you well in this competitive division:
- Draw No Bet | This bet protects you in the event of a draw, meaning your stake is refunded if it finishes all-square. The odds are lower than those on the team to win the game, but in an unpredictable league like the Championship that insurance can be attractive.
- Total Goals | You can bet on over/under 1.5 goals, 2.5 goals, 3.5 goals and so on, without having to predict who will win the game. This is a great bet if you anticipate a drab, low-scoring clash or an exciting, open game.
- Asian Handicaps | A standard handicap allows you to gain better odds on a team winning a game. For example, you could bet on Middlesbrough -1 and they would have to win by two clear goals. Asian handicap betting takes it a step further by opening up the potential for half-wins, half-losses and pushes.
- Bookings | The Championship is a tough, scrappy league, and bookings are de rigeur. In the 2019/20 season, Charlton led the way with 102 yellow cards. Betting on over a certain number of total cards in their games was generally a good idea when looking at the 2019/20 Championship odds, or betting on their hardest tackling players to be booked in a game.
- Promotion | Betting on Championship promotion odds can be more attractive than winner odds or Championship play-off odds, because it covers you in case a team finishes second or wins the playoffs. The Championship odds 2019-20 were attractive on Leeds, West Brom and Fulham. You can also back up to three teams, and they could all pay off.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Recent Championship Winners and Promoted Teams
| Season | Champions | Runner-Up | Play-Off Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | Leeds United | West Brom | Fulham |
| 2018/19 | Norwich City | Sheffield United | Aston Villa |
| 2017/18 | Wolves | Cardiff City | Fulham |
| 2016/17 | Newcastle United | Brighton | Huddersfield |
| 2015/16 | Burnley | Middlesbrough | Hull City |
| 2014/15 | Bournemouth | Watford | Norwich City |
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FAQ
When does the Championship season finish?
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The Championship season finished in May each year. By that point, each team will have played 46 games. The season ends with the play-offs, whereby the teams that finish third, fourth, fifth and sixth lock horns to secure the final promotion berth.
When is the play-off final?
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The Championship play-off final has been earmarked for the Spring Bank Holiday weekend of May 29-31, 2021. The season began later than usual due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so a lot of fixtures must be crammed in before the end of May.
How can you tell a Championship betting site is legit?
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A legit Championship betting site should be licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. It should have a large and loyal customer base, and a long history of paying out in full and on time. A legit site should also have the liquidity to cover all winnings.
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