West Ham Favourites for Instant Premier League Return

Written By Gareth Hinton | Published at August 13, 2026

Courtney Adams, left, and Sabrina Dobler cheer on West Ham United during the first half of The Stateside Cup soccer tournament game Saturday, July 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated West Ham United 3-1 in exhibition play. The Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated West Ham United 3-1 in exhibition play.

The 2026-27 EFL Championship season is about to get underway, with Friday’s Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Blackburn Rovers fixture kicking off the new campaign.

Wolves are one of the fancied teams for promotion, but West Ham United are the outright favourites. Will the Hammers secure a spot back in the Premier League at the first time of asking?

Strong Squad at the London Stadium

On paper, West Ham have the strongest squad in the second tier. In captain Jarrod Bowen, the Irons have a fully-fledged England international in their team, while the likes of Valentin Castellanos, Tomas Soucek, and Kyle Walker-Peters are sticking around.

Nuno Espirito Santo has been a busy man this summer, bringing in several new faces. The London club have bolstered their already talented squad with the signings of Manor Solomon, Joel Veltman, and Keiber Lamadrid.

West Ham finished third from bottom in the Premier League last season, dropping down to England’s second tier for the first time in 14 years. The Hammers picked up 39 points, losing exactly half of their 38 EPL games.

Most Competitive Championship Season?

This season’s Championship could be one of the most competitive campaigns for years. Wolves and Burnley have joined West Ham from the Premier League, while the likes of Middlesbrough, Southampton, Birmingham City, and a host of other big clubs will be pushing for promotion.

According to 10Bet, West Ham are the bookies’ favourites to win the league at 13/8, with Wolves the second favourites at 11/2. Elsewhere, you have Middlesbrough at 17/2, and Burnley and Southampton at both 11/1.

Getting out of the Championship is one of the toughest tasks in English football, and West Ham will have a target on their back this season. That said, Nuno has a Premier League squad at his disposal, and United are the team to beat this term.

West Ham’s season gets underway at Turf Moor this Sunday. Can they start with a massive three points on the road against a potential title rival?