Our betting expert has three ante-post selections in the Championship ahead of the new season, as well as some of the best free bets on offer from UK betting sites ahead of the start of the 25/26 campaign.
Championship free bets & betting offers
Now is a great time to sign up with betting sites as the 2025/26 football season returns. With so many matches being played across the season, you will have lots of opportunities to use your free bets available via sign up offers with betting sites.
| New Betting Sites | Championship 25/26 Free Bets |
| Betzone | Bet £10 get £20 in free bets |
| The Pools | Bet £10 get £20 in free bets |
| BetMGM | Bet £10 get £40 in free bets |
| Mr.Play | Bet £10 get £15 |
| JeffBet | Bet £10 get a £30 free bet |
Championship free bets & betting offers – Key T&Cs
JeffBet: New Players Only. Free bet – one-time stake of £30, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network.. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms Apply 18+ #ad gambleaware
Betzone: 18+ | New Customers Only | Promo Code: WELCOME10 | Place a single £10 bet within 3 calendar days of registration. Bet must settle on the same day of placement | Min odds Evens (2.00) | Free Bets valid for 7 days | Max win £250 | T&Cs apply | Ends 31/07/25 | GB residents only | Gamble responsibly
The Pools: 18+, UK only. Deposit and place a £10 cash bet at single or accumulated odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater and we will give you £20 in free bets. Free bets credited as 4 x £5 bets. 1x Football, 1x Racing, 1x Tennis & 1x Any Sport. Cashed out, Void or ‘Draw No Bet’ wagers do not qualify for this promotion. Available to customers who register from an Affiliate link only. Available once per customer. Free bets will be credited upon bet settlement and will expire 7 days after being claimed. Full T&Cs apply.
BetMGM: New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Mr Play: 18+, Welcome Bonus: New Players only, 1st Deposit, Min Deposit: £10, max £15 bonus, valid for 14 days, bets must be placed at a min. odds of 1/1 (2.00) or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets no eligible. GambleAware.org
Championship Betting Tips
- Ipswich to win the Championship @ 3/1 with bet365
- Preston to be relegated from the Championship @ 9/2 with Sky Bet
- Mathias Kvistgaarden to be top scorer @ 40/1 with LiveScore Bet
Tractor Boys look the pick of the crop
The Championship is often dubbed an unpredictable league, but even with that in mind, it is hard to look past favourites Ipswich when deciding the destination of the title.
The Tractor Boys were the story of the season in their last Championship stint, racking up a mammoth 96 to finish second behind Leicester and make it back-to-back promotions.
And, worryingly for their rivals, there is reason to believe they could even top that tally and a ton this time around.
Ipswich built cleverly last term, knowing that relegation from the Premier League was a real possibility, and brought in players who starred alongside their own in the 23-24 season such as Sammie Szmodics, Jaden Philogene, Jack Clarke and Jacob Greaves.
That means they now have the strongest squad in the Championship, as well as one of the best managers in Kieran McKenna, and they may not even be done strengthening yet.
Azor Matisuwa has already been brought in to help soften the blow of captain Sam Morsy’s departure and they are still in the market for a second high-class midfielder, too, with Hayden Hackney and Jens Cajuste, a Portman Road loanee last term, the top targets.
Last season’s top scorer Liam Delap has left for Chelsea, but George Hirst is a proven goal threat in the second tier and should receive plenty of support from Szomdics, Clarke and Philogene.
Ipswich should be challenged by Southampton, Sheffield United and Birmingham, but both plenty of their players and tactically astute McKenna have been here before, suggesting they are worthy favourites for the title.
- Championship tip 1: Ipswich to win the Championship @ 3/1 with bet365
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Preston primed for another difficult season
With crisis club Sheffield Wednesday’s position in the bottom three practically cemented before a ball has been kicked, there are just two relegation spots for the remaining Championship sides to avoid.
However, this is no normal Championship season. Of the promoted sides, both Birmingham and Wrexham will be targeting promotion and Charlton are led by Nathan Jones, a manager who knows how to grind out results at this level.
That leaves some of the old guard looking vulnerable and it may be Preston, one of three sides to have spent 11 straight seasons in the division, who fill one of those two spots at a decent price.
North End avoided the drop by just one point last term, yet are a tasty 9/2 to be relegated this time around. That is even more surprising when considering they have lost one of the division’s best goalkeepers, Freddie Woodman, as well as their top scorer from last season, Emil Riis.
The Lilywhites failed to win any of their final eight matches of last season and Paul Heckingbottom’s side look to be heading in entirely the wrong direction.
- Championship tip 2: Preston to be relegated from the Championship @ 9/2 with Sky Bet
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Kvistgaarden could provide each-way value
George Hirst appeals at 9/1 in the Championship’s top-scorer betting, but Ipswich are still being linked with strikers – Chuba Akpom is the latest forward target – and his injury record is a concern, meaning it is a different forward plying his trade in East Anglia who catches the eye instead, especially for each-way punters.
Josh Sargent may lead Norwich’s line at the start of the campaign, but it is hard to imagine the Canaries spent almost £7 million on Mathias Kvistgaarden for him to just sit on the bench.
The Danish forward, who has already been capped by his national side, netted 23 goals in 36 games for Brondby last term, including two in three in the Conference League, suggesting he should be up to the standards of the Championship.
The 23-year-old’s pace makes him a constant threat and, with City set to challenge for a play-off spot again, he should get plenty of opportunities to add to his impressive scoring record, potentially making a hefty price of 40/1 far too big to ignore.
- Championship tip 3: Mathias Kvistgaarden to be top scorer @ 40/1 with LiveScore Bet
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