History of EFL Championship in Timeline

The English Football League Championship (EFL Championship) is the second-highest division in the English football league system, below the Premier League. It features 24 professional clubs from England and Wales. The Championship is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL). It is also known as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship reasons.

1958: Highest Crowds for Second to Fourth Tier in England

The 2016–17 season was included in the highest crowds for the second to fourth tier in England since the 1958–59 season.

1976: Burnley Last Season in Football League First Division

In 1976, was Burnley's last season in the Football League First Division.

1978: Wigan Athletic Elected to Football League

In 1978, Wigan Athletic were elected to the Football League.

1992: Restructuring of English Football

In 1992, the top flight of English football was reorganized as the Premier League, leading the original Football League Second Division to become the First Division.

1994: Wigan Athletic playing in the fourth tier

In 1994, Wigan Athletic played in the fourth tier before their promotion.

2004: List of winners before restructuring

For past winners at this level before 2004, see List of winners of English Football League Championship and predecessors

2004: Teams in English Second Tier Seasons

From the 2004–05 season until the 2025–26 season there will have been 58 teams that have taken part in 22 English second tier seasons.

2004: Rebranding season winners and attendance

In 2004, Sunderland won the league in the first season since rebranding, and West Ham United won the first Championship play-off final. The division announced a total attendance (including postseason) of 9.8 million.

2004: Rebranding to Football League Championship

In 2004, the First Division was rebranded as the Football League Championship, marking the beginning of the current competition format.

2004: Teams in the division

Since the restructuring into the Championship in 2004, 57 teams have spent at least one season in the division, including 13 of the 20 teams in the 2025–26 Premier League.

2005: Millwall UEFA Cup qualification and Reading Breaks Record

In 2005, Millwall qualified for the UEFA Cup and Reading broke the Football League points record for a season, finishing with 106 points.

2006: Sunderland Championship Title

In the 2006–07 season, Sunderland won their second Championship title after being relegated from the top division the previous season.

May 2007: Leeds United Administration and Derby County Play-off Win

In May 2007, Leeds United entered administration and were relegated, and Derby County won the Championship play-off final at the new Wembley Stadium.

September 2009: Coca-Cola Ends Sponsorship Deal

On 30 September 2009, Coca-Cola announced they would end their sponsorship deal with the Football League, which began in 2004, at the end of the 2009–10 season.

2009: Brentford in League Two

In 2009, Brentford were in League Two.

2009: Burnley Earns Premier League Promotion

In 2009, Burnley defeated Sheffield United to earn their first season in the newly branded Premier League.

March 2010: Npower Announced as New Title Sponsors

On 16 March 2010, npower were announced as the new title sponsors of the Football League. Crystal Palace became the second Championship club to enter administration in 2010.

January 2011: Barnsley attains 1,000 wins

On 3 January 2011, Barnsley became the first club to attain 1,000 wins in second-tier English league football with a 2–1 home victory over Coventry City.

2011: Birmingham City in UEFA Cup/Europa League

In 2011, Birmingham City became the first Championship club to compete in the group stage of the UEFA Cup/Europa League after winning the 2011 League Cup final.

2012: Npower Championship

From the start of the 2010–11 Football League season until the end of the 2012–13 season, the Football League Championship was known as the Npower Championship.

March 2013: Barnsley Plays 3,000 Games

On 12 March 2013, Barnsley became the first club to play 3,000 games in second-level English league football following another 2–1 home victory against Brighton & Hove Albion.

July 2013: Sky Bet Becomes League Sponsor

On 18 July 2013, UK bookmaker Sky Bet announced that they had signed a five-year agreement to sponsor the league.

2013: Wigan Athletic in Europa League Group Stage

In 2013, Wigan Athletic became the second club to participate in the Europa League group stage after winning the 2013 FA Cup.

2013: Lowest Average League Attendance

In the 2013–14 season, the lowest average league attendance came with 9.1 million spectators watching at an average of 16,605 per game.

May 2014: Highest Crowd for a Championship Fixture

On 24 May 2014, the Championship play-off final between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers saw the highest crowd for any Championship fixture with 87,348 attendees.

2014: Longest Tenure in EFL Championship

In 2014, Bristol City, Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers began holding the longest tenure in the EFL Championship, having last been absent in the 2014–15 season.

2016: Football League Rebrand

In 2016, the Football League was rebranded as the English Football League.

2016: Newcastle United Highest Seasonal Average

In the 2016–17 season, Newcastle United had the highest seasonal average for a club with 51,106.

2019: Aston Villa returned to Premier League

In 2019, Aston Villa returned to the Premier League

2019: Ipswich Town Consecutive Spell

The 15-season spell for Ipswich Town between 2004 and 2019 is the longest consecutive spell of any team in the division.

March 2020: Championship Play Halts Due to COVID-19

In March 2020, Championship play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a suspension lasting until 4 April and then extended to the end of April.

July 2020: Leeds United Confirmed as Champions

In July 2020, Leeds United were confirmed as champions, being promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, after the league restarted on June 20.

May 2021: Brentford Promotion to Championship

In May 2021, Brentford gained promotion to the Championship following a play-off victory against Swansea City.

May 2022: Nottingham Forest Promotion

On 29 May 2022, Nottingham Forest ended their 23-year absence from the top flight by beating Huddersfield Town in the play-off final.

December 2022: EFL Championship Break for FIFA World Cup

In November and December 2022, the EFL Championship took a unique four-week break to allow for players to join their national teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.

2022: World Cup Break

In 2022, because of the World Cup break in November and December, the league started in July.

2022: High attendance in EFL Championship

In 2022, the average match attendance for the EFL Championship was 18,787, making it the 12th best-attended division in world football and the second highest per-match attendance of any secondary league, behind the German 2. Bundesliga.

2023: Highest Average League Attendance

In the 2023–24 season was the highest average league attendance, when 12.7 million fans attended Championship matches, at an average of 23,048 per game.

2023: EFL Championship Viewership

In the 2023–24 season, the EFL Championship is the second most-watched second-tier domestic sports league in the World, behind the German 2. Bundesliga, with an average of 23,048 spectators per game.

2025: Teams in English Second Tier Seasons

By the 2025–26 season, there will have been 106 teams that have taken part in 122 English second tier seasons.

2025: Teams in Premier League and Longest League Time

Since the restructuring into the Championship in 2004, 57 teams have spent at least one season in the division, including 13 of the 20 teams in the 2025–26 Premier League. Bristol City, Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers, who will each have their eleventh consecutive season as a Championship team in the 2025–26 season.