The Championship 2020-21 Season Free Bets & Sign-Up Offers
While people love saying that the Premier League is the best league in the world, many will say that The Championship is the hardest league in the world to win. It's a division that has a profitable prize for the three teams who can win promotion to the Premier League with riches aplenty awaiting the following season.
18+, T&Cs apply
With each team playing 46 fixtures throughout the season and the excitement that comes with the play-offs, there is plenty of action to bet on in The Championship.
West Ham are 3/5 at Bet365 to beat West Brom in the Premier League. Odds correct on publication
Odds Correct at 01:01 on 04-01-2021 and are subject to change.
The Championship Betting Offers
| Bookmaker | Offer Details | Claim Offer |
|---|---|---|
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FREE BET UP TO £25 WHEN YOU WIN A FOOTBALL SAME GAME MULTI AT 4/1 OR MORE
Place a Same Game Multi bet at combined odds of minimum 4/1 on any football game. If bet wins, you receive a free bet of up to ££25. T&Cs apply. Place a Same Game Multi bet at combined odds of 4/1 or better on any Football match available. If your bet wins, you'll get a free bet matching your stake, up to £25. |
Claim This Offer Now |
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FOOTBALL – BET £10 ON FOOTBALL MULTIPLES GET £50 ON FOOTBALL MULTIS
Min stake £10 on Football, min odds 2.0. Only deposits made using Cards or ApplePay qualify. Free bets awarded after the qualifying bet has settled, valid 30 days, must be used on multiples with 3+ legs. Max £50 in free bets. T&Cs apply. Min stake £10 on Football, min odds 2.0. Only deposits made using Cards or ApplePay will qualify. Free bets are awarded after the qualifying bet has settled, valid for 30 days, must be used on multiples with 3+ legs. Max £50 in free bets. T&Cs apply. |
Claim This Offer Now |
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Bet365 - Full Time Result - Enhanced Prices
This Bet365 offer gives you the option of taking an enhanced price on the full time result of a game for selected matches only applies to games being played in the English competitions, Champions League and Europa League. |
Claim Offer |
2020-21 Season
The new Championship season began on September 12. As is always the case, a quarter of the teams playing in the Championship this season were in other leagues last term. Norwich City, Watford and Bournemouth will all be bidding to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, after being relegated last season. Coventry City are back in the Championship for the first time since being relegated in 2012. Rotherham United are the yo-yo team in the Championship. Their last four seasons read - relegated, promoted, relegated, promoted. Wycombe Wanderers are in the Championship for the first time in their history.
24 teams take part in the Championship playing 46 games in the regular season. The top two are automatically promoted to the Premier League and the sides finishing third to sixth take part in the play-offs. The team winning the play-offs will have deserved that final promotion spot having played a total of 49 games. The bottom three in the table find themselves relegated to League One.
2020/21 League Tables
Final League Table
Top Eight
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
| 1 | Norwich City (P) | 46 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 97 |
| 2 | Watford (P) | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 91 |
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 15 | 7 | 87 |
| 4 | Swansea City | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 83 |
| 5 | Barnsley | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 78 |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 77 |
| 7 | Reading | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 70 |
| 8 | Cardiff City | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 68 |
Bottom Six
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
| 19 | Bristol City | 46 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 51 |
| 20 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 49 |
| 21 | Derby County | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 44 |
| 22 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 43 |
| 23 | Rotherham United | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 42 |
| 24 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 41* |
Sheffield Wednesday began the season on -12 points after breaking financial rules. An appeal held on 4 November reduced the deduction to six points.
Play-off Semi Finals
May 17 - Bournemouth v Brentford and Barnsley v Swansea City
Return Legs on May 22
Here's a list of the teams taking part in the Championship this season with their 2019-20 finishing position in brackets.
- AFC Bournemouth (18th in the Premier League)
- Barnsley (21st)
- Birmingham City (20th)
- Blackburn Rovers (11th)
- Brentford (3rd)
- Bristol City (12th)
- Cardiff City (5th)
- Coventry City (League One Champions)
- Derby County (10th)
- Huddersfield Town (18th)
- Luton Town (19th)
- Middlesbrough (17th)
- Millwall (8th)
- Norwich City (finished bottom of the Premier League)
- Nottingham Forest (7th)
- Preston North End (9th)
- QPR (13th)
- Reading (14th)
- Rotherham United (2nd in League One)
- Sheffield Wednesday (16th)
- Stoke City (15th)
- Swansea City (10th)
- Watford (19th in the Premier League)
- Wycombe Wanderers (3rd in League One, won the play-offs)
2019-20 Championship Season
Final Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | Goal Difference |
| 1 Leeds United - Promoted as Champions | 46 | 28 | 9 | 9 | 93 | +42 |
| 2 West Bromwich Albion - Promoted | 46 | 22 | 17 | 7 | 83 | +32 |
| 3 Brentford | 46 | 24 | 9 | 12 | 81 | +42 |
| 4 Fulham - Promoted via play-offs | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 81 | +26 |
| 5 Cardiff City | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 73 | +10 |
| 6 Swansea City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 70 | +9 |
| 7 Nottingham Forest | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 70 | +8 |
| 8 Millwall | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 68 | +6 |
| 9 Preston North End | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 66 | +5 |
| 10 Derby County | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 64 | -2 |
Bottom of the Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | Goal Difference |
| 19 Luton Town | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 51 | -28 |
| 20 Birmingham City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 50 | -21 |
| 21 Barnsley | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 49 | -20 |
| 22 Charlton Athletic - relegated | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 48 | -15 |
| 23 Wigan Athletic - relegated | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 47* | +1 |
| 24 Hull City - relegated | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 45 | -30 |
* On July 1, Wigan Athletic announced they had gone into administraton. The Football League have announced that if after 46 games, Wigan remain outside the bottom three, they will be deducted 12 points. They finished the season in 13th place on 59 points. However, 12 points have been deducted and this took them down to 23rd and relegation. They subsequently lost an appeal against that decision so will be playing in League One next season.Sheffield Wednesday have also been given a 12 point deduction for breaching financial rules. They will start next season on -12 points.
How to Use Your Championship Free Bet
There are plenty of opportunities to use a Free Bet on the Championship whatever the time of the year.
- League Winners
- Who will get promoted
- Who will make the play-offs
- Who'll be relegated to League One
- Match bets between teams
- Top goalscorer in the league and for each side
- Handicap betting
- Top Northern Club
- Top Southern Club
- League positions at certain stages of the season
- Betting on every game played during the season
There's always odds of some kind being offered on the Championship. Every game played will have some influence on the odds that are given by bookmakers. It's a good idea therefore to keep an eye on the odds given for the Championship after every set of games are played. It could just result in you finding some odds that will give that free bet of yours a good profit.
Ante post betting is always available on the Championship. There may be no games being played but that doesn't mean there's going to be any changes in the odds being offered. The transfer window always has a big influence on the following season, so make sure you know who's signing who. This can work in two ways of course.
Some teams will be signing players left, right and centre as they try to build a team that can win promotion to the Premier League. A bet on those sides could result in a win at a price that will be a lot shorter in the months ahead. On the other hand there are always some teams who are having problems and seeing top players join other clubs. Keep note of that and take a look at the relegation market for those teams who could be facing a drop down a division.
History of The Championship
It's full title is the Football League Championship but we know it better simply as The Championship and is currently sponsored by Skybet. Previously known as the First Division, while older football fans will know it as The Second Division. Its current name has been in existence since the 2004-05 season and previous winners are:
- 2019-20 Leeds United
- 2018-19: Norwich City
- 2017-18: Wolverhampton Wanderers
- 2016-17: Newcastle United
- 2015-16: Burnley
- 2014-15: Bournemouth
- 2013-14: Leicester City
- 2012-13: Cardiff City
- 2011-12: Reading
- 2010-11: QPR
- 2009-10: Newcastle United
- 2008-09: Wolverhampton Wanderers
- 2007-08: WBA
- 2006-07: Sunderland
- 2005-06: Reading
- 2004-05: Sunderland
The Play-Offs
Finishing third in the Championship doesn't mean you automatically claim the third promotion spot. The teams placed third to sixth take part in the play-offs with two semi-finals (third v sixth and fourth v fifth) with the final being held at Wembley. There have been 14 play-offs with the team finishing third in the table winning on six occasions, the fourth placed side being promoted on three occasions, the team finishing fifth winning three times and the side down in sixth place winning twice.
Previous Winners are:
- 1019-20: Fulham (4th)
- 2018-19: Aston Vila (4th)
- 2017-18: Fulham (3rd)
- 2016-17: Huddersfield Town (5th)
- 2015-16: Hull City (4th)
- 2014-15: Norwich City (3rd)
- 2013-14: QPR (4th)
- 2012-13: Crystal Palace (5th)
- 2011-12: West Ham United (3rd)
- 2010-11: Swansea City (3rd)
- 2009-10: Blackpool (6th)
- 2008-09: Burnley (5th)
- 2007-08: Hull City (3rd)
- 2006-07: Derby County (3rd)
- 2005-06: Watford (3rd)
- 2004-05: West Ham United (6th)