• 31 August 2025: August ends and the international break begins with reigning champions Liverpool top of the league as the only team in the Premier League with a 100% record. Chelsea are 2 points behind in second, while Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Sunderland, and Bournemouth are tied with 2 wins and 1 loss from the opening 3 matches. Wolverhampton Wanderers are bottom of the league as the only team with no points so far, joined in the relegation zone by Fulham and Aston Villa; Newcastle United are above Fulham on goal difference. Similar to the Premier League, the Championship is led by Middlesbrough as the only team with a perfect record, 2 points ahead of West Bromwich Albion. Stoke City, Leicester City, Coventry City and Bristol City take the playoff spots. Sheffield United, the beaten playoff finalists from the previous season, are bottom of the table with no points, and are joined in the bottom 3 by neighbours Sheffield Wednesday and by Oxford United, both of whom are 1 point ahead of them. • 30 September 2025: September draws the curtain with Liverpool still top of the Premier League title despite suffering their first defeat. Arsenal follow in 2nd place while Crystal Palace, the only side unbeaten in the league so far, follow 1 point behind in 3rd. Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Manchester City round out the top 7. Wolverhampton Wanderers have picked up their first point but remain rock bottom, joined in the relegation zone by West Ham and Burnley, whereas Nottingham Forest, without a win since the first matchday, are just 1 point out of the bottom 3. In the Championship, Middlesbrough remain at the summit, now boasting a 4-point cushion ahead of 2nd-placed Stoke City while remaining undefeated, the only club alongside Coventry City to do so in the second tier. The Sky Blues are in 3rd, joined in the play-off zone by Bristol City, Leicester City and Preston North End, in what is turning out into a heavily congested table so far as just 6 points separate 2nd from 19th place. Sheffield United have ended their losing streak, having picked up their 1st win after losing their first 6 games but remain rock bottom, joined in the bottom 3 by Oxford United and rivals Sheffield Wednesday, while Blackburn Rovers end the month outside the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference alone. • 24 October 2025: Sheffield Wednesday enters administration and gets a 12-point deduction due to unpaid wages for over 5 weeks. This has sent them to the bottom of the EFL Championship. • 31 October 2025: October draws to the finish line with Arsenal having gained top spot, boasting a 4-point lead on 2nd place after finishing the month with 6 wins out of 6 across all competitions, and without a single goal conceded. Bournemouth amazingly sit in 2nd, vastly defying the odds that wanted them to struggle following the several high-profile departures of last summer. Tottenham follow in 3rd place, tied with another underdog in Sunderland who are enjoying what is turning out to be the best start to the season by a newly promoted club in 17 years - also defying the odds that wanted them to struggle like Bournemouth. Manchester City follow in 5th, while the top 7 is rounded out by Manchester United, who have won successive games for only the first time since Ruben Amorim took over, and Liverpool, who have embarked on a freefall, having lost 6 of their last 7 games across all competitions. Wolves and West Ham continue to prop up the table - the former still searching for their first win of the campaign - now joined in the bottom 3 by Nottingham Forest, whose terrible form continues as they are already in their 3rd different manager of the season so far. In the Championship, Coventry City, statistically the best attacking side in the Football League remain top despite having just lost their first game of the campaign. Middlesbrough follow in 2nd, while a rather unusual top 6 is rounded out by Millwall, Bristol City, Stoke City and Charlton Athletic - none of the four afformentioned sides having looked like mounting a serious promotion push before the season began. Sheffield Wednesday's entry to administration has seen them drop to -6 points, and 16 points off safety, with relegation looking a certainty already from now. Struggling Norwich City and Wednesday rivals Sheffield United join the Owls in the bottom 3, with Blackburn Rovers closely outside, whereas struggling Southampton are also hovering near the bottom 3 as they sit in 20th. • 30 November 2025: November concludes with Arsenal remaining top, now 5 points ahead of 2nd-placed Manchester City. Chelsea follow 1 point behind in 3rd, joined in the top 4 by surging Aston Villa who have well and truly put behind their poor start to the season having won 7 of their last 8 games. Brighton have climbed to 5th, joined in the top 7 by impressive Sunderland and Manchester United - with Liverpool just outside the top 7, in what is turning out to be a very congested table as just 5 points separate 5th from 15th place. Wolverhampton Wanderers remain rock bottom with just 2 points so far, their relegation looking almost a certainty even from now on, Burnley and Leeds joining the Old Gold in the bottom 3, and West Ham outside just on goals scored, and Nottingham Forest being 1 point ahead amid a surge following the hiring of Sean Dyche, in a month that included a spectacular 3–0 victory at Anfield against freefalling Liverpool. Coventry City's march towards their return to the Premier League after 25 years continues, the Sky Blues having won all of their games in November to boast a massive 10-point lead over 2nd-placed Middlesbrough, and holding a 12-point cushion over 3rd-placed Millwall - numbers unprecedented for this time of the year in the Championship. Stoke, Preston North End and Bristol City round out the top 6, in another congested table as just 6 points separate 6th from 17th place. Sheffield Wednesday remain bottom at -4 points and looking set to break negative records for the fewest points amassed in the 2nd tier, joined in the bottom 3 by Norwich City and Portsmouth - with Swansea outside the bottom 3 by virtue of goal difference. • 1 December 2025: Sheffield Wednesday are hit by another points deduction, 6 this time, for breaching financial regulations, meaning they drop to -10 points, a whooping 27 points off safety. Former owner Dejphon Chansiri has also received a three-year ban from owning or being a director at any EFL club. • 31 December 2025: With a few matches to be played on New Year's Day, 2025 winds down with Arsenal still in the lead, 5 points ahead of 2nd-placed Manchester City who are yet to play. Aston Villa are now in 3rd, 6 points behind Arsenal, the top 4 rounded out by Liverpool who now are unbeaten in 6 matches and having seemingly left behind their poor run of form. Chelsea, Manchester United and Sunderland round out the top 7. Wolverhampton Wanderers have just picked up their 3rd point of the season, at Old Trafford, with relegation already seeming secured, with Burnley and West Ham deep in relegation troubles once again. Despite suffering 3 defeats in a row, Nottingham Forest remain 4 points off the bottom 3, with Leeds another 2 points ahead. In the Championship, Coventry's march has somewhat stalled during December but the Sky Blues remain 1st and with a 10-point cushion over 3rd place. Middlesbrough follow in 2nd, while Ipswich, Hull, Millwall and Watford round out the play-offs. Sheffield Wednesday have moved to -7 points, after being hit by another points deduction earlier in the month, joined in the bottom 3 by Norwich and Oxford United. • 10 January 2026: Macclesfield FC, the re-incarnation of Macclesfield Town (who folded in 2020) now playing in the 6th tier, produce what is possibly the biggest shock in FA Cup history as they defeat holders Crystal Palace 2–1, knocking them out of the competition. It is the first time the FA Cup holders have been knocked out of the competition by a non-league side since 1909, when Crystal Palace themselves had upset Wolverhampton Wanderers. • 1 February 2026: The first month of action in 2026 concludes with Arsenal still top of the table, 6 points ahead of 2nd-placed Manchester City who have started 2026 with a terrible run of just 1 win in 6 games. Aston Villa follow 1 point behind the Citizens, with a resurgent Manchester United, on a 3-game winning streak since Michael Carrick took over from the sacked Ruben Amorim as interim until the end of the season, rounding out the top 4. Chelsea, Liverpool and quite surprisingly Brentford round out the rest of the top 7. Wolverhampton Wanderers have picked up their first victory of the season this month, but their relegation still seems a certainty, together with Burnley, the two clubs being 18 and 11 points off safety respectively. West Ham have picked up some pace but are still 6 points off Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, tied at 17th place. The Championship has taken a quite dramatic turn as Coventry's lead at the top has been completely extinguished, the club now level on points with 2nd-placed Middlesbrough as their wobbles from December continue, contrary to the Riversiders who are on a 5-match winning streak. Hull City, Ipswich Town, Millwall and resurgent Wrexham - eyeing an unprecedented 4th promotion in a row - round out the play-offs. Sheffield Wednesday's hopeless form has seen them lose all of their games this month as their relegation draws even closer, joined in the bottom 3 by Oxford United and Blackburn Rovers. • 22 February 2026: Sheffield Wednesday are relegated following a 2–1
Steel City derby loss to rivals Sheffield United, setting a new record for the earliest relegation in the history of the top four divisions of the football pyramid. • 1 March 2026: February ends with Arsenal 5 points ahead of 2nd-placed Manchester City, the Citizens having a game in hand. Manchester United have overtaken crumbling Aston Villa into 3rd, the two sides separated by goal difference alone, while Liverpool, Chelsea, and Brentford round out the top 7. Wolverhampton Wanderers have just picked up their 2nd victory of the campaign but remain rock-bottom and will almost certainly be joined in the drop by Burnley; West Ham have moved to within 2 points of 17th-placed Nottingham, whereas Tottenham, the only top flight side without a win so far in 2026, have fallen to 16th, just 4 points off the Hammers. In the Championship, Coventry have restored their lead at the top following a 4-match winning streak that started by a 3–1 dismantling of 2nd-placed Middlesbrough, who are 8 points behind the Sky Blues and are playing tomorrow. Millwall, Ipswich Town - who have 2 games in hand - Hull City and Wrexham round out the play-offs, with resurgent Southampton just 4 points off the Red Dragons. Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford remain bottom and 2nd from bottom respectively, whereas Leicester City have slipped to 22nd following a collapse in form in 2026 as well as a 6-point deduction suffered earlier in the month, with West Brom, another side faltering in form, being just 1 point ahead of the Foxes in 21st. • 5 March 2026: The EFL confirms that the Championship play-offs will expand from next year to include all teams from 3rd to 8th, utilising the format presently used in the National League. Later that day, Tottenham Hotspur suffer a chastening 3–1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, dragging them well and truly into the relegation mire as they stand just 1 point ahead of 18th place, their 48-year presence in the top flight in serious peril as they remain without a win in 2026, their last victory coming on 28 December. • 31 March 2026: Just as the last international break of the season comes to an end, Arsenal have increased their lead at the top of the table to 9 points ahead of Manchester City, the Citizens still with a game in hand. Manchester United and Aston Villa hold on to the rest of the Champions League places, with Liverpool and Chelsea not far behind, while Brentford - tied on points with Everton - round out the top 7. Wolverhampton Wanderers remain bottom but a good run of form in late February and March has assured them of avoiding to become the worst side in Premier League history. Burnley follow 3 points ahead whereas West Ham still remain in the bottom 3, 1 point behind collapsing Tottenham Hotspur who are yet to pick up a league victory in 2026 and are into their 3rd manager of the season in Italian Roberto de Zerbi who has just been announced as Igor Tudor's replacement. Leeds United and Nottingham Forest are still in the battle to avoid the drop, standing at 4 and 3 points, respectively, ahead of West Ham. In the Championship, Coventry have moved to 9 points ahead of 2nd-placed Middlesbrough and 11 points ahead of 3rd place and are closing in on their Premier League return after a quarter of a century away. Ipswich and Millwall are tied at 3rd place, 2 points off Middlesbrough, whereas the top 6 is rounded out by Hull City and Southampton, ahead of Wrexham on goal difference. Sheffield Wednesday have picked up their first point since 29 December to move on to -6 points, joined in the bottom 3 by Oxford and Leicester, with Portsmouth, 1 point ahead of the 2 sides, and Blackburn and West Brom, both 4 points ahead, still in the mix to avoid relegation. • 6 April 2026: Lincoln City become the first side in the country to win promotion, a 2–1 win over Reading helping the Imps secure an unassailable 19-point lead over 3rd place with 18 points left to play for, returning to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1961. • 17 April 2026: Coventry City's long awaited return to the top flight is finally secured following a 1–1 away draw to Blackburn Rovers, the Sky Blues now 13 points ahead of 3rd place with 12 left to fight for, returning to the Premier League after 25 years away, and just 8 years after having played in League Two. • 20 April 2026: The first relegation of the Premier League is now mathematically assured, as Wolverhampton Wanderers, in the bottom 3 for the entire campaign, have their drop confirmed following West Ham's 0-0 draw to Crystal Palace, thus bringing to an end 8 years among the elite. • 21 April 2026: Just a few days after securing promotion, Coventry City also win the Championship title following a 5–1 dismantling of Portsmouth to secure their first second tier league title in 59 years. At the other end of the table, Leicester City's horrible season culminates in their second successive relegation being confirmed, meaning the club will play in League One for only the second time in their history and first in 17 years, only a few days before the 10th anniversary of their Premier League title triumph. • 24 April 2026: West Bromwich Albion receive a two-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules. The deduction puts the club mathematically back into relegation danger, though is not enough to undo Leicester City's relegation, with the Foxes still eight points behind West Brom (and Charlton Athletic) with only six to play for. • 30 April 2026: April ends with the title race in the Premier League having taken a dramatic twist as Arsenal's lead at the top has been reduced to just 3 points, with 2nd-placed Manchester City still with a game in hand. Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool will almost certainly join the two afformentioned sides in the Champions League barring a dramatic collapse in form for any of them, with the race for the rest of the European spots still wide open as just 4 points separate 6th-placed Brighton from 12th-placed Sunderland. Wolves and Burnley have been mathematically relegated, with Tottenham and West Ham the two sides principally in the battle to avoid the final relegation spot, although Nottingham and Leeds, above them, are still not mathematically out of danger. In the Championship, with one matchday remaining, Coventry have secured the league title whereas the race for the 2nd automatic promotion spot is set to go down to the wire with Ipswich, Millwall and Middlesbrough all with a chance of avoiding the post-season. Southampton have secured their play-off berth following an electric run of form in 2026, with 6th place set to be contested by Wrexham, Hull and Derby - the Rams being 1 point behind the two sides, separated by goal difference alone. The relegation battle has been decided, with Oxford United joining Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City into League One next season. == Notes ==