Championship matchday report: Round of 30 October to 31 October 2026
Every result from the round, set against what we predicted before kick-off.
Of the 12 Championship matches in this round, our predicted result was right in 8 (67%). There were 8 home wins, 1 draw and 3 away wins, with 41 goals scored (3.4 a match). The highest-scoring match was Southampton 4–1 QPR and Norwich 3–2 Watford (5 goals). The biggest winning margin was 4: Swansea 4–0 Blackburn. Our three most confident selections: Middlesbrough to win (Middlesbrough 3–0 Charlton, right); Southampton to win (Southampton 4–1 QPR, right); Norwich to win (Norwich 3–2 Watford, right). Our featured accumulator (Middlesbrough to win, Southampton to win, Norwich to win) won. Season to date in the Championship, our predicted result has been right in 13 of 24 published matches (54%).
Results and our predictions
| Match | Score | Our prediction | Right? | Draw view | Draw? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough v Charlton | 3–0 | Middlesbrough to win | Yes | Lower draw risk | No |
| Southampton v QPR | 4–1 | Southampton to win | Yes | Lower draw risk | No |
| Norwich v Watford | 3–2 | Norwich to win | Yes | Lower draw risk | No |
| Burnley v Portsmouth | 0–0 | Burnley to win | No | Typical draw risk | Yes |
| West Ham v West Brom | 1–3 | West Ham to win | No | Typical draw risk | No |
| Stoke v Preston | 2–0 | Stoke to win | Yes | Typical draw risk | No |
| Millwall v Derby | 4–1 | Millwall to win | Yes | Typical draw risk | No |
| Wolves v Cardiff | 3–0 | Wolves to win | Yes | Typical draw risk | No |
| Sheffield United v Wrexham | 1–0 | Sheffield United to win | Yes | Typical draw risk | No |
| Swansea v Blackburn | 4–0 | Swansea to win | Yes | Typical draw risk | No |
| Bolton v Bristol City | 2–3 | Bolton to win | No | Typical draw risk | No |
| Lincoln v Birmingham | 1–3 | Lincoln to win | No | Typical draw risk | No |
Match by match
Middlesbrough 3–0 Charlton
We predicted Middlesbrough to win (confidence rank 1 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: lower draw risk; the match did not end level.
Southampton 4–1 QPR
We predicted Southampton to win (confidence rank 2 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: lower draw risk; the match did not end level.
Norwich 3–2 Watford
We predicted Norwich to win (confidence rank 3 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: lower draw risk; the match did not end level.
Burnley 0–0 Portsmouth
We predicted Burnley to win (confidence rank 4 of 12 in the round). That was wrong. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did end level.
West Ham 1–3 West Brom
We predicted West Ham to win (confidence rank 5 of 12 in the round). That was wrong. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Stoke 2–0 Preston
We predicted Stoke to win (confidence rank 6 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Millwall 4–1 Derby
We predicted Millwall to win (confidence rank 7 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Wolves 3–0 Cardiff
We predicted Wolves to win (confidence rank 8 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Sheffield United 1–0 Wrexham
We predicted Sheffield United to win (confidence rank 9 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Swansea 4–0 Blackburn
We predicted Swansea to win (confidence rank 10 of 12 in the round). That was right. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Bolton 2–3 Bristol City
We predicted Bolton to win (confidence rank 11 of 12 in the round). That was wrong. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Lincoln 1–3 Birmingham
We predicted Lincoln to win (confidence rank 12 of 12 in the round). That was wrong. Draw view beforehand: typical draw risk; the match did not end level.
Championship table after this round
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 17 | +13 | 28 | – |
| 2 | Southampton | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 13 | +15 | 27 | – |
| 3 | Swansea | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 26 | – |
| 4 | Wolves | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 24 | +1 |
| 5 | West Brom | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 14 | +5 | 24 | +1 |
| 6 | Birmingham | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 23 | +1 |
| 7 | Stoke | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 23 | +2 |
| 8 | West Ham | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 18 | +15 | 22 | −4 |
| 9 | QPR | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 20 | −1 |
| 10 | Sheffield United | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 19 | +2 |
| 11 | Portsmouth | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 19 | – |
| 12 | Millwall | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 18 | +1 |
| 13 | Blackburn | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 18 | −3 |
| 14 | Bristol City | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 18 | – |
| 15 | Norwich | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 24 | -1 | 15 | +5 |
| 16 | Lincoln | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 23 | -9 | 15 | −1 |
| 17 | Cardiff | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 14 | −1 |
| 18 | Wrexham | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 14 | −1 |
| 19 | Bolton | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 14 | −1 |
| 20 | Charlton | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 14 | −1 |
| 21 | Watford | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 23 | -11 | 11 | – |
| 22 | Burnley | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 9 | – |
| 23 | Derby | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 25 | -14 | 7 | – |
| 24 | Preston | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 27 | -17 | 5 | – |
Our predictions for this round · All Championship matchday reports · Full results ledger · Next Championship round: Tuesday 3 November