The extended international break has a way of making a fortnight feel like a month. If you've spent the last ten days or so staring at the fixture list willing the dates to change, you're not alone. The good news is that EFL football comes back on 9 October, and the Championship resumes with all the chaos, drama and unexpected scorelines we've already come to expect from a division that refuses to follow a script.

Before the action restarts, though, it's worth pausing to take stock of what's already happened. Almost every club in the second tier has played eight of their 46 fixtures — enough of a sample to form early impressions, spot the overachievers, and identify the sides who are already looking nervously over their shoulder at the relegation places.

A Division That Never Stands Still

The Championship is many things, but dull it isn't. With 24 clubs across 46 matches each, the sheer volume of football means that form swings can be dramatic and reputations can be made or shredded inside a month. Clubs with Premier League pedigree — some relegated just a season ago — are already discovering that quality on paper doesn't guarantee points on the board. Others, without the wage bill or the squad depth, are punching well above their weight in front of their own supporters.

This season has clubs spanning a huge range of ambitions: genuine promotion candidates with recent top-flight experience sitting alongside sides still finding their feet after winning promotion from League One. The early weeks have already thrown up a few eyebrow-raising results, and the table looks nothing like some pre-season predictions suggested it would.

Who's Already Making Their Mark?

A glance at the clubs involved in this season's Championship tells its own story. You've got former Premier League sides — some of them not too long ago considered established top-flight clubs — rubbing shoulders with romantic upstarts and perennial nearly-men. The opening eight rounds have started to sort out who genuinely means business and who is still finding their rhythm.

The market has already taken note of the early movers, with the promotion picture beginning to take a tentative shape. Whether it holds over the remaining 38 games is another question entirely — it rarely does in this division.

The Perfect Time to Reflect

International breaks get a rough ride from club supporters, understandably so. You're in the groove, your team has just had a result, and suddenly the rhythm is gone for two weeks. But there is one silver lining: it gives you time to look back at what's unfolded.

BBC Sport have put together a quiz testing exactly that — how much attention have you been paying to the Championship since August? It's a decent barometer for anyone who fancies themselves a true follower of the division rather than just a casual observer who checks the table on a Sunday morning.

With clubs like Sheffield United, Southampton, Burnley, Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Derby County, Watford, West Brom, Millwall, Blackburn Rovers, Preston, Portsmouth, Bristol City, Cardiff, Swansea, Stoke, Queens Park Rangers, Wrexham, Charlton Athletic, Bolton, Lincoln City, and Birmingham all involved, there's no shortage of storylines to keep across.

Football's Back on 9 October

The wait is almost over. When the Championship restarts next week, the mid-table will begin to separate, the promotion race will sharpen, and the sides in the bottom few places will either find a response or start to cut adrift. Eight games down, thirty-eight to go — the real story of the 2026-27 Championship season is only just beginning.

So while you've still got a day or two of the break to fill: go and test yourself on what you've already seen. You might be surprised by how much — or how little — has stuck.

Frequently asked

When does the Championship restart after the October international break?
EFL Championship football returns on 9 October 2026, following the extended international break.
How many games have Championship clubs played so far in the 2026-27 season?
All but two clubs have completed eight of their 46 Championship fixtures as of the international break in October.
How many teams are in the Championship in 2026-27?
There are 24 clubs in the EFL Championship, each playing 46 league matches across the season.