West Ham have been installed as the clear favourites by bookmakers to win promotion from the Championship at the first attempt in the 2026-27 season, following their relegation from the Premier League last term. The Hammers' odds are the shortest in both the outright Championship winner and promotion markets as they prepare for their first season in the second tier in 14 years.
Key Players and Manager Retained
Despite the departures of key names such as Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, West Ham have managed to retain captain Jarrod Bowen and manager Nuno Espirito Santo for their Championship campaign. Nuno has previous experience of winning the division, having done so with Wolves in 2018.
Title and Promotion Odds
Across the leading bookmakers, West Ham opened the season as the clear favourites to win the Championship title outright. A combination of parachute payments, Nuno's pedigree, and keeping skipper Bowen has the bookies predicting the east London outfit will take the second tier by storm.
In the promotion market, which covers the two automatic spots and the play-off final at Wembley, West Ham approach the new season as the only Championship team odds-on for promotion, with Betway offering a best-price of 4/7 on them going straight back up at the start of the campaign. The Hammers' two previous promotions from the Championship have come via the play-offs in 2005 and 2012.
Top Scorer and Relegation Odds
Captain Jarrod Bowen heads the Championship topscorer market on betting apps ahead of teammate Valentin (Taty) Castellanos. Despite being the market favourite, priced between 5/1 and 6/1 as of August 11, Bowen has never been a prolific scorer by trade - his best season in front of goal came in 2023/24 when he scored 16 league goals in the Premier League. Castellanos, who scored seven goals in 22 appearances for a struggling West Ham side in the Premier League, is priced around 10/1 to claim the Championship Golden Boot.
As one of the best-resourced squads in the division, West Ham start the season at the bottom of the relegation betting. However, the market exists for every club, and clubs relegated from the Premier League can be involved at the wrong end of the table - as Leicester City showed last year.
Summer Transfers 2026
West Ham's window has been dominated by outgoings rather than incomings. The sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville were plenty enough to fund a summer rebuild, although the Hammers have only added three players to their first-team squad so far. As the summer transfer window doesn't shut until 1 September 2026, more incomings and outgoings are still possible.
Notable incomings include Keiber Lamadrid (winger, Deportivo La Guaira, £1m), Joel Veltman (defender, Brighton & Hove Albion, free), and Manor Solomon (winger, Tottenham Hotspur, £5m). Outgoings include Crysencio Summerville (winger, Al-Hilal, £55m plus £5m add-ons), Lucas Paqueta (midfielder, Flamengo, £36.5m), Freddie Potts (midfielder, Club Brugge, undisclosed), Callum Marshall (striker, Luton Town, undisclosed), Callum Wilson (striker, Brentford, free), Adama Traore (winger, released), Lukasz Fabianski (goalkeeper, retired), and Mateus Fernandes (midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur, £85m).
Where to Bet on West Ham
Several major bookmakers offer competitive West Ham odds for the 2026-27 Championship season, with features such as Sky Bet's official Championship sponsorship and AccaFreeze, Betfair's exchange betting, Paddy Power's money-back specials, Betfred's Double Delight/Hat-Trick Heaven, and Betway's free bets club and boosted odds. Gambling can be addictive, so always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Any offers or odds listed are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change.
