EFL League One Predictions & Betting tips
Check out our free prediction on the 2026-27 EFL League One winner, including the latest odds relating to the race for promotion, the Golden Boot winner and potential relegation candidates. All the information for your sports betting can be found below.
EFL League One 2026-27 Presentation and Predictions
The English Football League One, also referred to as the Sky Bet League One, or simply League One within the UK, is the second level of the English Football League (EFL) pyramid and the third tier in terms of the overall structure of England’s football league system. England’s football pyramid is among the most expansive globally, encompassing even the further reaches of the country.
The EFL system, founded by the father of modern-day football William McGregor, drives the professional tiers, with the Premier League standing separately at the very top. With the financial resources, and therefore calibre of players available to clubs in League One being much more even than in the Premier League, upset results and favourable betting odds on ‘underdogs’ are much more common, making it a potentially profitable betting option with a little bit of guidance if you’re not an avid lower-league follower.
Below you will find some of our experts’ insights and tips.
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Leagune One title prediction: Who will win the 2026-27 League One?
It’s been a wild ride for Leicester City over the last decade. Fans of the Foxes experienced the absolute highest of the highs, improbably winning the Premier League title in 2015-16, to the crushing lows of back-to-back relegations in 2024-25 and 2025-26. It’s one of the steepest falls English football has seen in years.
With that being said, all hope is not lost for Leicester. They come into the 2026-27 League One season as considerable favourites to top the table, and with a squad market value more than double that of second place, we’re backing them to do just that.
They brought in manager Russell Martin, signed through 2029, who brings promotion pedigree after leading Southampton into the Premier League off the back of a club-record 25-game unbeaten run in 2024.
Our 2026-27 League One prediction: Leicester wins the title!
2026-27 League One: odds on the favourites
- Leicester City - 3.50
- Sheffield Wednesday - 7.00
- Luton Town - 9.00
- Plymouth Argyle - 13.00
- Huddersfield - 13.00
- MK Dons - 17.00
- Bradford - 19.00
- Stockport County - 21.00
- Wycombe - 21.00
- Oxford - 26.00
- Blackpool - 26.00
Odds taken from Bet365
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Top goalscorer prediction in the 2026-27 EFL League One
Dom Ballard claimed the award last season after a stunning breakout season. The 21-year-old joined Leyton Orient last summer and blasted 23 goals in 40 appearances in his debut season with the club. This also saw him pick up the League One Player of the Season award, despite Leyton Orient finishing just one place above the relegation zone.
At just 21, there’s every reason to expect further improvement by the young striker. There are, however, a few clubs that are reported to be interested in signing Ballard. But if he stays, he’s the clear favourite to claim the award again.
Our 2026-27 League One top goalscorer prediction: Dom Ballard!
2026-27 League One: top goalscorer odds
- Dom Ballard - 6.00
- Aribim Pepple - 10.00
- Jack Marriott - 13.00
- Louie Barry - 15.00
- Alfie May - 15.00
- Harry Leonard - 17.00
- Adama Sidibeh - 21.00
- Conor Chaplin - 21.00
- Kyle Wootton - 26.00
- Ashley Fletcher - 26.00
- Stephy Mavididi - 26.00
- Joe Taylor - 26.00
Odds taken from Bet365
Who will be promoted from League One?
Along with Leicester, we're backing Luton to grab promotion in the 2026-27 season. The Hatters are a settled squad who showed real improvement under young manager Jack Wilshere last season. He took over in October with the club mid-table, turned things around with a 12-game unbeaten run that took the play-off race to the very last day, and picked up his first managerial trophy along the way, beating Stockport County 3-1 in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley. Behind Leicester, Luton also boast the highest average market value per player, giving them a real financial edge over most of the division.
Rounding out the three promoted teams, we think Stockport can finally make the breakthrough after two consecutive third-place finishes, though there's a significant change behind the scenes to note. Dave Challinor, who oversaw Stockport's meteoric rise from the National League in 2021 all the way to the brink of the Championship, departed on 1 June, with Jimmy McNulty arriving from Rochdale just four days later. McNulty has promotion pedigree of his own, having led Rochdale up through the National League play-offs, but it's undoubtably a big change for the club. With that being said, the core of a squad that's twice finished third in the last two seasons remains, and we think that quality gets them over the line this time, although it might have to be through the play-off.
Our League One promotion prediction: Leicester City, Luton Town and Stockport County!
2026-27 League One: odds to get promoted
- Leicester City - 1.80
- Sheffield Wednesday - 3.00
- Luton Town - 3.75
- Huddersfield - 5.00
- Stockport County - 5.50
- Plymouth Argyle - 5.50
- MK Dons - 6.00
- Bradford - 6.00
- Blackpool - 7.00
- Wycombe - 7.00
- Oxford - 7.50
Odds taken from Bet365
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Who will be relegated to League Two?
Four teams go down from League One this season. Three of our picks, Bromley, Notts County and AFC Wimbledon, come from a mix of squad value and poor underlying numbers: Bromley's €4.08m squad value is the lowest in the division for a club in League One for the first time in their 134-year history, while Notts County aren't much better resourced at €4.63m.
Wimbledon's -21 goal difference, the fourth-worst in the league, was backed up by equally poor underying stats. They finished the 2025-26 League One season with the fourth-worst xG differential at -17.9.
Peterborough United finished with seemingly respectable 18th place finish last season, but they were one of the easiest teams to play through. They finished with the second-worst xG against numbers in the division, and we expect that gap to catch up with them this time around.
Our League One relegation prediction: Bromley, Notts County, AFC Wimbledon and Peterborough United!
2026-27 League One: odds to get relegated
- Bromley - 2.10
- AFC Wimbledon - 2.10
- Burton - 2.38
- Cambridge - 2.75
- Notts County - 3.75
- Leyton Orient - 4.00
- Peterborough - 4.00
- Oxford - 4.50
- Stevenage - 4.50
- Doncaster - 4.50
- Mansfield - 5.00
- Barnsley - 5.00
Odds taken from Bet365
Beginners Guide to how the EFL League One works
Starting with the basics - A total of 24 teams compete in the EFL League One, the same number of teams that contest the Championship but four more than in the Premier League. Each team will play 23 home games and 23 away games over the course of the season, accumulating the normal three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss.
At the end of the campaign, the teams that finish first and second in the final league standings receive automatic promotion to the Championship, while the teams placed third through sixth enter the playoffs with the winner securing the final promotion berth.
In terms of relegation, while three teams suffer the drop in the Premier League and Championship, in League One, the bottom four teams drop to the lower division.
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How to make good predictions on League One matches
Given the fairly evenly matched nature of the teams in League One, predicting outcomes can become a little tricky, especially if you’re making decisions blindly. Here are a few factors to consider in your League One betting decisions:
- Utilize team form analysis
- Consider the fixture schedule
- Pay attention to team absences
- Factor in the match importance
- Analyze the latest League One statistics
While not foolproof, these tips will help you make better wager decisions if used correctly. Let’s break them down a little further.
Utilize team form analysis
Arguably the most obvious of strategies, analysing a team’s form will unpack a wealth of information that will be invaluable in your betting decisions. Pay attention to things like the team’s home vs away form and players who are performing well to identify potential market opportunities.
Consider the fixture schedule
With 24 teams competing in League One, along with FA Cup and EFL Cup commitments, matches can often come thick and fast, which can sometimes lead to a team playing two or even three games in a week. This is another crucial factor as a team playing too frequently may not be at the top of their powers, especially against a well-rested, fresher side.
Pay attention to team absences
Indeed, big players have a major impact on teams’ performances in League One, and the absence of a star player could spell bad news for a side in a specific match, as well as your wager if you fancy that team to win. Be sure to keep up to date with player injuries and suspensions wherever possible.
Factor in the match importance
While every match carries the same number of points on offer, some games are just more important than others, particularly late on in the season when teams are jostling for league positions, be it for a playoff spot or to avoid relegation. The importance of the match can easily influence the performance of a team in the contest.
Analyze the Latest League One statistics
Finally, with the plethora of information available, it would be a foolish decision not to make use of it, as statistics are a sure-fire way to give your betting decisions some sort of foundation. Stats can be used in a variety of ways to find solid betting opportunities, but be sure to use only reliable sources, such as those found right here on SportyTrader.
What not to do for your EFL League One predictions
When making predictions on the EFL League One, it is as important to follow certain practices as it is to avoid others. Below, we will provide you with the most common mistakes punters fall victim to, which often lead to losing bets.
- Failing to analyze team form
- Allowing team bias to sway betting decisions
- Betting blindly without any information
- Chasing huge odds on underdogs
- Trying to recover losses from previous bets
- Neglecting team news and player absences
- Failing to compare odds from different bookies
While these may seem obvious at first glance, it’s truly astonishing how many bettors ignore one or more of these factors to their detriment. Avoid them at all costs!
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EFL League One predictions: statistics you need to know
As mentioned, using statistics is an excellent way to help improve the win percentage on your bets, and we’ve put together the most relevant figures from the recently completed 2024-25 campaign to help get you started.
- Home wins: 46%
- Draws: 25%
- Away wins: 29%
- Average goals: 2.62 goals per game
- +0.5 goals: 94%
- -0.5 goals: 6%
- +1.5 goals: 72%
- -1.5 goals: 28%
- +2.5 goals: 51%
- -2.5 goals: 49%
- +3.5 goals: 28%
- -3.5 goals: 72%
- +4.5 goals: 12%
- -4.5 goals: 88%
- Goal timing distribution: 76-90 minutes (21%)
- First half goals: 44%
- Second half goals: 56%
- Average home team goals: 1.48
- Average away team goals: 1.15
- “Both teams to score: yes”: 52% of matches
- Average shots per match: 23.97 shots
- Wins by 2 goals or more (handicap): 31.5% of matches
- Correct score 0-0: 5.9% of matches
- Correct score 1-1: 12% of matches
- Most frequent score: 1-0 or 0-1 (21.7% of games)
Home teams had a good deal of success in the most recent League One season. Therefore, you'll want to be careful when considering the double chance market for the away team. And while League One doesn't see as many goals as, say, the Premier League, it still held a very respectable 2.62 average goals total in 2025-26. That just means you will have to be more selective as to which matches you decide to play the 'Both teams to score: Yes' and Over 2.5 goals markets going forward, with both coming through at over a 50% clip last year.
If you're looking for even higher odds, both the 0-0 and 1-1 exact score markets will certainly be bets that you will want to keep a close eye on. If you spot a matchup between two evenly matches teams, especially if one or both of them are strong defensively, this could be a nice avenue to score some nice payouts! Of course, nothing is guaranteed with these types of bets!
In short: how to make good EFL League One predictions?
While there is no exact science behind making good betting decisions, there are a few guidelines that can be followed which are sure to improve your success rate and increase your winnings. Chief among those guidelines are to stay in tune with the latest news relating to the league and conduct thorough research before placing wagers.
Avoid the common pitfalls laid out above, and wherever possible, leverage insights from verified experts, such as those here at SportyTrader, who will be covering the entire 2026-27 EFL League One season, and providing their valuable football predictions for you to take advantage of free of charge.
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League One (England - Football): Predictions of the moment
Our League One predictions and betting tips will be available soon. Check back regularly for the latest insights.
League One (England - Football): Best odds
In order to get more information on the League One, don't hesitate to compare League One odds and follow the matches live on our League One Livescore page. These tools will help you make more accurate predictions for the 2026-27 League One.
