EFL Championship Season Preview: Are Relegated Teams No Longer Dominant?

The Championship is often described as one of the most competitive and unpredictable leagues in world football, but that is not always the case.

Parachute payments give clubs relegated from the Premier League an advantage in the betting markets — in each of the past six seasons, at least one automatic promotion place has been taken by a team that was in the Premier League the previous season.

That trend could continue this season, but it is far from certain, with the playoff race and relegation battle also worth following closely.

Relegated teams no longer have a monopoly

Last season's Championship campaign will be difficult to surpass: Coventry City won the title and returned to the Premier League after 25 years, Hull City won the playoffs after being among the relegation favorites, while Leicester City suffered a second successive relegation.

In addition, the three teams relegated from the Premier League no longer dominated the league as they had in previous years — Ipswich Town were the only promoted side among them, finishing second behind Coventry, and their total of 84 points ended a run of five consecutive seasons in which at least one relegated team had earned more than 90 points in its first Championship season after relegation.

Charlton Athletic's away win over West Ham United was one of the surprise results in this season's Championship.