EFL Championship Average Attendances 2025/26: Which Clubs Draw the Biggest Crowds?

Data piece ranking every Championship club by average home attendance this season. Include comparisons with previous seasons, which clubs have seen the biggest growth, and context on stadium capacities. Championship fan culture is a big talking point and attendance data gets consistent search interest throughout the season.

The Championship is one of the most watched second-tier leagues in world football. In 2023/24 it drew more crowds than La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A on a per-game basis, and the 2025/26 season has maintained that momentum. With promotion, relegation and play-off places all in the balance, fans across the country are turning up in big numbers. Here’s how every club compares this season.

The highest average attendances in the Championship this season

Coventry City lead the division, averaging just over 30,000 per game at the CBS Arena. Having owned their stadium outright since August 2025 for the first time in the club's history, and with the side on the verge of a first return to the Premier League since 2001, the CBS Arena has been louder and fuller than at any point in recent memory. 

Top clubs by average attendance 

Source

Which clubs have seen the biggest attendance growth?

Birmingham City is the standout story. When they were relegated from the Championship in 2023/24, their average attendance was around 21,000. Under new ownership and with a League One title win in 2024/25, they averaged over 26,000 in the third tier, a huge jump that made them one of the best-supported clubs outside the top two divisions in Europe. Coming back up to the Championship hasn’t dented that momentum either. 

Coventry's growth tells a different kind of story. Two years ago, long-running disputes over stadium ownership and the threat of eviction hung over the club. The purchase of the CBS Arena drew a line under years of instability, and the effect on matchday atmosphere and attendance has been pretty clear. Supporters who were hesitant to invest in season tickets during uncertain times have returned in force.

At the other end of the scale, Sheffield Wednesday's situation illustrates how quickly crowds can fall when a club is in institutional chaos. Administration, an 18-point deduction and relegation have driven their Hillsborough average down to below 23,000 despite the ground holding 39,000 at full capacity.

How Championship crowds compare to the Premier League

The average Championship attendance of just under 22,000 per game sits far below the Premier League's 41,791 average, which is inflated significantly by the stadiums of clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. But the comparison is less stark than that headline gap suggests.

Several Championship clubs draw more than Premier League sides comfortably. Coventry would rank in the lower half of a Premier League attendance table. Leicester and Derby would sit similarly. Sheffield United regularly exceed what promoted sides like Brentford or Luton drew during their top-flight seasons.

The more relevant comparison is with other European second divisions. The Championship drew 23,048 per game in 2023/24, higher than La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A in the same year. That context is important when explaining what the Championship is. It’s not a bridging division for clubs waiting to return to the Premier League. It is a fully formed, mass-attended competition in its own right, and the 2025/26 season's figures reinforce that.

Keep track of the Championship run-in with Match Bingo

The promotion race is building to a finish. Every home matchday brings another sold-out CBS Arena, another full Portman Road, another 30,000-plus at Leicester. Download now and stay across every result.