Championship

A quick overview of Championship Stadiums

The 24 stadiums in the Championship vary in size, stature and tradition, but each one brings something to the table, which is part of the reason why the second tier of English football is so great.

There is now an acceptance that second-tier stadiums must adhere to Premier League standards as each season, as all 24 teams have a legitimate shot of being promoted before a ball is kicked, such is the unpredictable nature of the Championship.

Of course, these grounds are located all over England, and given the diversity, there’s a fair chance that you won’t be all that far away from some of the stadiums mentioned here. Naturally, the stadiums vary quite substantially both in terms of their aesthetics and their overall quality, which is why we’ve narrowed things down and covered the top stadiums for teams currently in this division.

Championship football grounds map

The beauty of the UK, being a relatively small nation, is that some of the top football stadiums are never too far away. This is particularly evident in England’s second-highest division, The Championship. This division currently consists of 24 teams, which equate to 24 different football grounds that you can find information about right here. Just like stadiums in some of the other divisions, many of the Championship stadiums have been built more than 100 years ago, which already means that many of them are shrouded in history.

And to add to this, given that the Championship is home to many teams that have enjoyed some brief spells in the Premier League, some of the stadiums are seriously impressive. However, this is no surprise given that some of the stadiums have been completely refurbished to support Premier League football. As you can see on the map, the Championship has a decent balance of stadiums in the country’s North and South regions, but in our opinion, a few stadiums truly stand out from the rest.

St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton

For more than 20 years now, St Mary’s Stadium has been the home of Southampton, and it’s seen the team drop from the top flight a few times.

The ground itself became open for business in 2001, and compared to some of the other construction figures for similar grounds, this one was pretty cheap. The whole thing was built for £32 million, and it’s one of the more open stadium designs that you can find today.

London Stadium – West Ham United

West Ham United has played its home games at the London Stadium since 2016. The stadium can hold up to 60,000 spectators for football games. Interestingly, the terms of the lease dictate that this capacity can be increased depending on the sport—go figure that one!

That said, London Stadium has played host to cricket, baseball, and even high-profile rugby games, so it’s not just football that plays here.

The London Stadium is a Championship stadium for the first time following West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2025/26 season.

With a capacity of 62,500, it is comfortably the largest in the division, however, just how many times this figure will be reached over the course of the reason remains to be seen.

The Racecourse Ground – Wrexham

The home of Wrexham AFC, The Racecourse Ground, has certainly seen its fair share of highs and lows. It opened its doors in 1807, but football was first played at this historic old ground in 1864.

Between 2001 and 2008, Wrexham went into administration and also suffered relegation to the Conference Premier in the 2007-2008 season, which in turn ended their 87-year stay in the Football League.

In November 2022, Wrexham’s prayers were answered when Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny purchased the club. Since then, Wrexham achieved multiple promotions and went from the National League to the Championship in four years.

The club are currently rebuilding the Kop Stand at one end of the stadium which will help to increase the capacity and modernise the ground was completed.

Given their rapid rise through the football pyramid, it’s not out of the question that this new stand will open with Wrexham a Premier League outfit.

Molineux Stadium – Wolverhampton Wanderers

Molineux Stadium was also built before the 1900s, making it another stadium with an impressive history. It has stayed true to its original purpose, which was to allow Wolverhampton Wanderers to play professional football.

This means that the one and only permanent occupant since inception has been Wolves, and this is a true credit to how the team has stood the test of time. It’s a good reason to add it to your stadium visit list, even if you are not a fan.

Turf Moor – Burnley

When it comes to stadiums with a lot of history, Burnley’s Turf Moor certainly has it in abundance. While the stadium held its first football match in 1883, it had already been hosting cricket matches for 40 years.

Today, Turf Moor is a modern stadium with a capacity of 22,546 seats.

Pride Park – Derby County

Pride Park is not only one of the newest stadiums in the Championship, having opened in 1997, but also one of the biggest, with a capacity of 33,597.

Derby County played at The Baseball Ground before moving to Pride Park, which was built when the team was still competing in the Premier League.

The Valley – Charlton Athletic

Being located in London, The Valley is competing among a skyline of some of the best football grounds in England. With that said, it is holding its own, especially for a stadium in the Championship.

Having been opened after World War One, The Valley has remained in place to this very day, and each of the stands has been restructured throughout the years to maintain its quality.

On that note, the ‘Covered End’ is where all the magic typically happens, with loyal fans all chanting and screaming for their team during home games, with up to 9,000 fans piling into this part of the ground alone.

Vicarage Road – Watford

With a capacity of slightly above 22,000, Vicarage Road is a mid-tier stadium for a Championship club, at least in terms of size. However, this stadium was improved in 2014 with the opening of the Sir Elton John Stand, who was once the chairman of Watford, as well as various cosmetic changes.

Vicarage Road first opened in 1921 and Watford have been playing here since 1922, when they moved from their previous ground Cassio Road.

Riverside Stadium – Middlesbrough

We believe this to be one of the top Championship grounds, mainly because of how modern the stadium is. Then again, it was first built back in 1995, so you would expect it to have a more contemporary design, as well as other leading features.

As you may recall, Middlesbrough actually gained promotion to the Premier League just a few years ago, and as a direct result of this achievement, £5 million was ploughed into stadium development.

At the time of writing, Middlesbrough is fighting to get back up to the top flight of English football. On a good day, more than 34,000 Middlesbrough fans can support their team, making The Riverside Stadium an iconic staple of the Northeast.