Are Reading The Early Favourites To Win League One In 2025/26?

With all of next season’s League One sides now confirmed, Marc takes an initial look at the Royals’ chances of promotion.

Rob Couhig could not have picked a better time to buy Reading FC.

Apart from anytime in the last five years, but that’s not the point. The point is: League One looks like a dream next season. It’s just a question of who can take advantage of it.

Let’s first take a look at who we’re losing. Birmingham City, the record-breaking spenders (and points scorers) who weren’t so much a fish out of water in the third tier but an angry Godzilla awoken by some wayward nuclear testing. And a financially juiced Wrexham who, had they not gone up, would have only doubled their efforts and been a right pain in the backside for any promotion chasers in 2025/26.

Reading can also be glad to see the back of Charlton Athletic, who would have been favourites to go up after a rampant finish to the season under Nathan Jones.

Of those we’ve lost to relegation, it’s much of a muchness in terms of ‘who might have threatened had they stayed up?’ - but there are no Wrexhams coming up from League Two to replace them.

That’s not to say none will contend. I’d expect one of the quartet to ride the wave and muster a play-off challenge a la Stockport County. Many will focus on Bradford due to the size of the club, and their home form in the season just gone suggests Valley Parade will be a pig of a ground to visit for away teams in 2025/26.

Speaking of who we’re gaining, the trio of relegated Championship clubs have more than a sense of familiarity to them. Cardiff City have been gently sliding to League One for years and are vulnerable to the sort of culture shock that did for Huddersfield Town.

Plymouth Argyle are dab hands at the third tier, like Rotherham United were when they came down a year ago, but the state of their squad is anyone’s guess. Luton Town are a mess but have Premier League parachute payments at their back and may fancy U-turning their longstanding policy to try and do a Birmingham - but I wouldn’t bet on it being as successful.

Looking across those who missed out on promotion last time out, it’s full of ‘ifs, buts and maybes’. Stockport won’t simply disappear, but running it back may not produce another play-off run.

Who knows what will come of the overhaul at Huddersfield? And Barnsley would struggle to replace a potential exit for Davis Keillor-Dunn. Steve Bruce has a big job on in the market to make Blackpool contenders and Bolton Wanderers are the biggest ‘if, but and maybe’ team in the league.

What this all points to is the fact that a rejuvenated, revamped Reading with Rob Couhig at the helm may just be the early-summer favourites to win it all…

And, what the hell, let’s throw in some meaningless promotion predictions:

Champions: Plymouth Argyle

Promoted: Reading

Playoffs: Stockport County, Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town