Leicester, Owls & Luton lead League One promotion odds, while Bromley, AFC Wimbledon & Burton face relegation battle. Full odds here.
Last updated:The 2026/27 Sky Bet League One campaign is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. With the first fixtures kicking off in August, the bookies have already had their say on who will be climbing up to the Championship and who will be facing the dreaded drop.
Top Promotion Favourites
Let’s start by looking at the top three favourites to secure promotion to the second tier:
- Leicester City (4/5): The Foxes are the overwhelming favourites to bounce straight back up after their relegation from the Championship. Now under the guidance of new gaffer Russell Martin, expectations will be sky-high at the King Power Stadium.
- Sheffield Wednesday (2/1): Another massive club that suffered relegation last term, Wednesday are heavily backed to make an immediate return.
- Luton Town (11/4): After narrowly missing out on the play-offs with a 7th place finish last season, Jack Wilshere’s Hatters are tipped by the bookmakers to be right in the mix for promotion this year.
The battle at the top end of the table is always fiercely contested. While recently relegated clubs like Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday, and Oxford United (13/2) usually arrive with high expectations, the competition is stiff. Teams like Huddersfield Town (4/1), last season’s play-off finalists Stockport County (9/2), and Plymouth Argyle (9/2) are well-placed to challenge the favourites for a spot in the Championship.
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Top Relegation Candidates
At the other end of the pitch, the fight for survival will be just as dramatic. Here are the three sides the bookmakers have highlighted as the prime candidates for the drop:
- Bromley (11/10): Having just secured promotion from League Two, Bromley face a massive step up in quality. The bookies have them as joint-favourites to go straight back down to the fourth tier.
- AFC Wimbledon (11/10): The Dons survived last season after finishing 19th in the table. Punters and bookmakers alike expect them to struggle massively again this term, sharing the top spot for relegation likelihood.
- Burton Albion (11/8): The Brewers finished 17th in the 2025/26 campaign. The odds suggest another long, gruelling season is on the cards for Burton as they try to avoid the drop.
Surviving in League One requires sheer grit. It’s historically tough for newly promoted sides to cement their place, which is why we also see teams like Cambridge United (7/4) and Notts County (11/4) – both freshly promoted from League Two – high on the relegation odds list. Established clubs will need to put points on the board early to avoid getting dragged into a relegation dogfight, with sides like Peterborough, Leyton Orient, and Stevenage also seen as potential candidates to struggle.
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