The road to the Premier League is long and fraught, a 46-game Championship season long, congested, and testing of the 23 teams in England’s second tier.
**MORE —** [Premier League promotion history by season](https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/premier-league-promotion-by-season-history-of-promoted-clubs-playoff-final)
There are so many familiar names in the second division, where Southampton, Ipswich Town, and Leicester City dropped last season while Burnley, Sunderland, and Leeds United moved into the Premier League.
With Wrexham and Birmingham City the highly-publicized new boys while West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, and Stoke City look to refind their best days, it should be a fantastic season.
Are there any USMNT players in the Championship?
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Loads! Josh Sargent captains Norwich City and generally leads the Canaries in goals. He was nearly subject to a move to the Bundesliga this summer but stayed at Carrow Road.
World Cup scorer Haji Wright is starring up top for Frank Lampard at Coventry City, while Aidan Morris is with Northeast England high-flyers Middlesbrough.
Gold Cup star Patrick Agyemang earned a move to Derby County, but he’s currently dealing with an injury. West Brom have a pair of Americans in Daryl Dike and George Campbell, while Damion Downs has moved to Southampton.
Caleb Wiley’s left Chelsea for a loan to Watford, while goalkeeper Ethan Horvath will be facing shots at Sheffield Wednesday.
2025-26 Championship table — Standings for England’s second-tier
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1. Middlesbrough — 4-1-0, +6 GD, 13 points
2. Stoke City — 4-0-1, +6 GD, 12 points
3. Bristol City — 3-2-0, +8 GD, 11 points
4. Leicester City — 3-1-1, +3 GD, 10 points
5. West Bromwich Albion — 3-1-1, +2 GD, 10 points
6. Coventry City — 2-3-0, +8 GD, 9 points
7. Swansea City — 2-2-1, +2 GD, 8 points
8. Preston North End — 2-2-1, +1 GD, 8 points
9. Portsmouth — 2-2-1, +1 GD, 8 points
10. Norwich City — 2-1-2, +1 GD, 7 points
11. Birmingham City — 2-1-2, -1 GD, 7 points
12. Queens Park Rangers — 2-1-2, -3 GD, 7 points
13. Millwall — 2-1-2, -3 GD, 7 points
14. Ipswich Town — 1-3-1, +4 GD, 6 points
15. Southampton — 1-3-1, 0 GD, 6 points
16. Blackburn Rovers — 2-0-3, 0 GD, 6 points
17. Watford — 1-2-2, -1 GD, 5 points
18. Charlton Athletic — 1-2-2, -2 GD, 5 points
19. Derby County — 1-2-2, -3 GD, 5 points
20. Hull City — 1-2-2, -4 GD, 5 points
21. Wrexham AFC — 1-1-3, -2 GD, 4 points
22. Oxford United — 0-2-3, -3 GD, 2 points
23. Sheffield Wednesday — 0-1-4, -9 GD, 1 point
24. Sheffield United — 0-0-5, -11 GD, 0 points
How to watch the English Championship 2025-26 season, stream link
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The 2025-26 Championship season will stream matches on [Paramount Plus](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/english-football-league/).
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