For the 2024-25 EFL Championship, Leeds United has received 40% of the Bets to Win The League, With Odds Set at 100/30.

Leeds United, under the management of Daniel Farke, are the 100/30 favorites to win the EFL Championship for the 2024-25 season. As the league kicks off on Friday, August 9, Leeds, having narrowly missed promotion through the play-offs, have garnered over 40% of the bets to secure the title this year.

The club is determined to recover from their play-off defeat, and they are expected to face strong competition from Burnley, who are anticipated to be their main rivals.

The Championship, known for its thrilling unpredictability, will see Preston hosting Sheffield United and Blackburn taking on Derby in the opening double header.

This season will feature three Premier League teams relegated last year—Burnley, Luton, and Sheffield United—all of whom were promoted from the Championship in 2022-23, marking the first time since 1997-98 that the newly promoted teams have all been relegated in the same season.

Additionally, some notable clubs from League One are making their return to the Championship, including Derby County, Portsmouth—returning after a 12-year absence—and Oxford, who are back in the second tier for the first time in 25 years after winning their play-off final against Bolton.

Leeds United is aiming solely for promotion, while West Brom, Middlesbrough, Hull, and Coventry are also expected to have stronger seasons. Fans can look forward to another exciting Championship campaign.

Leeds United Are The Top Picks to Win the Title

It’s not surprising that Leeds United, who reached the play-off final last season, are the 100/30 favorites with Betfair Sportsbook to win the league this year.

Under Daniel Farke, Leeds set a record last season with 90 points and a +38 goal difference in the Championship, yet missed out on automatic promotion to Ipswich and Leicester. They dominated Norwich in the play-off semi-finals but suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the final at Wembley. Should they fail to secure promotion this season, Leeds would become the only relegated team not to bounce back to the Premier League on their first attempt.

Leeds have yet to achieve promotion in any of their six Football League play-off campaigns, a record only Sheffield United (9) and Lincoln City (7) have surpassed in terms of unsuccessful play-off attempts.

Despite their past disappointments, Leeds’ strong performance last season indicates they are likely to be serious contenders again, a view supported by punters. Over 40% of bets placed on the Championship Title Winner market have been for Leeds United, nearly three times more than Burnley, who have received 16% of the bets.

The last team to gain automatic promotion following a play-off final loss was Middlesbrough in the 2015-16 season, finishing second. The most recent team to win the Championship after losing in the play-offs was Reading in the 2011-12 season, who rebounded from a 4-2 defeat to Swansea in the 2011 final to secure the title with 89 points the following year. Notably, Leeds finished third last season with 90 points, surpassing Reading’s title-winning total.

Year lost Final	Team	Following Season
2014	Derby County	8th
2015	Middlesbrough	2nd
2016	Sheffield Wednesday	4th (PO SF)
2017	Reading	20th
2018	Aston Villa	5th (PO Winners)
2019	Derby County	10th
2020	Brentford	3rd (PO Winners)
2021	Swansea City	15th
2022	Huddersfield Town	18th
2023	Coventry City	9th

Burnley Lead the Group of Relegated Teams

With two of the three teams relegated from the 2022-23 season earning promotion back to the Premier League last year, expectations are high for Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton.

Among these returning teams, Scott Parker’s Burnley is considered the most likely to win the league, with odds of 7/1 from Betfair Sportsbook. However, they will be under new management, as Vincent Kompany has moved to Bayern Munich and Parker has taken over. Parker has previously secured promotion to the Premier League.

Burnley has attracted the second-highest share of bets at 16%, indicating they could be Leeds’ strongest competitors.

Luton, with odds of 10/1, is the third favorite for the title, just ahead of Sheffield United, who are priced at 12/1 (with Middlesbrough at 11/1 in between). Keeping Rob Edwards as manager might be Luton’s most significant move this summer, and their double-figure odds are worth noting.

Sheffield United, dealing with off-field issues and ownership troubles, has received just over 6% of the total bets to win the league, the lowest among the relegated teams. Despite recent notable signings like Kieffer Moore and Callum O’Hare, their financial instability could limit their market activity. Additionally, starting the season with a -2 point deduction and a challenging fixture list could make their campaign difficult. You can bet on Sheffield United to be relegated at 11.0 on the Betfair Exchange.

Carrick’s Middlesbrough is Expected to Show Improvement

Regarding managers who are staying put, Michael Carrick’s continued presence at Middlesbrough is crucial.

After missing out on the play-offs by just four points last season, Middlesbrough’s poor early-season performance was a major factor in their overall disappointing result. Carrick, who was frequently rumored to be moving on after making a strong initial impact, may have contributed to the team’s shaky start.

For the 2024-25 season, Middlesbrough is priced at 11/1 to win the league and 7/2 to secure promotion, making them the top contender among teams that were in the Championship last year, aside from Leeds.

Norwich and West Brom are both at 12/1, with Coventry at 14/1. Six other teams are at 16/1.

Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle and newly promoted Oxford United are the long shots for the title at 50/1.

Preston, at 33/1, is the only team not yet receiving bets in this market from Betfair.

Full list of Championship Winner Odds 2024-25 (prices as of Monday, July 22):

Leeds United 100/30

Burnley 7/1

Luton 10/1

Middlesbrough 11/1

Sheffield United 12/1

Norwich City 12/1

West Brom 12/1

Coventry 14/1

Watford 18/1

Derby 18/1

Sunderland 18/1

Hull 18/1

Portsmouth 18/1

Stoke 18/1

QPR 22/1

Sheffield Wednesday 22/1

Millwall 25/1

Blackburn Rovers 25/1

Bristol City 25/1

Swansea 25/1

Preson North End 33/1

Cardiff City 33/1

Oxford United 50/1

Plymouth Argyle 50/1