The BBC’s club-by-club Championship preview assesses a highly competitive 2026-27 season, with promotion and relegation prospects shaped by reduced parachute-payment advantages and several ambitious returning or relegated sides.

– West Ham, Wolves and Burnley enter after Premier League relegation with parachute payments, while Southampton also receive payments but begin with a four-point deduction following the previous season’s spygate scandal.
– Lincoln City return to the second tier for the first time since 1961; Cardiff return after one year away, and Bolton return for the first time since 2019.
– Birmingham City, who finished 10th last season, are targeting at least a top-eight finish under Chris Davies.
– Birmingham’s main concern is their away form: they won only five league matches away last season, despite recording the division’s fourth-best home points total.
– The preview highlights 22-year-old Danish forward August Priske as a possible breakthrough player capable of scoring more than 15 goals; pundit Jobi McAnuff predicts Birmingham will finish 11th.