Credit: Imago/Championship on X

James Barker

Mon 23 March 2026 11:45, UK

Tottenham Hotspur are staring at the possibility of playing Championship football next season, but English football’s second tier is great.

Relegation is never something any club should be striving for, and if they can do so, Tottenham would of course be better off staying in the Premier League.

However, Igor Tudor’s team aren’t currently showing the quality or the minerals to suggest they’re going to be able to, with Sunday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest one of Spurs’ most embarrassing afternoons in their top flight history.

It was a new low in N17, in a season where just when you think you’ve seen it all with the Lilywhites, you’re quickly reminded that indeed you haven’t.

So, with no league win in 2026, unthinkably, it may well be the Championship in 2026-27, but Tottenham News is here to round-up some of the great things about being in the second tier, and why Spurs fans might just love it if it comes to it.

Tottenham wouldn’t have to endure VAR in the Championship

VAR is a contentious part of the Premier League experience, with the technology often taking the headlines away from the players and the coaches in games.

There hasn’t been an abundance of goals for Tottenham fans to celebrate this season, but when the ball has hit the net, that feeling of ‘I better not celebrate too much because of VAR’ is a fairly universally-hated feeling.

So, Tottenham supporters will be delighted to know that if their side do get relegated this season, that if a referee gives a goal on-field in the Championship, then it’s a goal, and fans can celebrate without the fear of intervention from a television screen-clad room.

Of course, it would probably be Spurs’ luck that the season they go down, the Championship introduces VAR, but rest assured Lilywhites, there’s no sign that the second tier/EFL as a separate entity are looking to do so.

Spurs fans could enjoy old-school away days and proper grounds

If you’ve never been to a Championship game, or an EFL fixture in general, then you’re missing out.

Here, the concept of supporting a team out of glory-hunting motivations is not just frowned upon by fans of these clubs, it’s almost an insult to their loyalty.

Preston North End, Charlton Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County, Millwall, Middlesbrough etc, etc: proper clubs, proper supporters.

Stadiums like Carrow Road, The Valley, Fratton Park, The Den and Loftus Road: everywhere you look, there’s soul and character, and some proper old-school away days for Tottenham fans to get stuck into.

Another good thing in this regard is the size of the away allocations, as Tottenham would fairly routinely get the opportunity to take 3,4,5,6, and even 7,000-plus fans on the road.

Make no mistake either, this isn’t your typical second division when it comes to a drop-off in quality either, as the Championship is a constant provider of future Premier League stars on an annual basis.

There is some very good football that gets played in this division, with vast amounts of money being thrown around by clubs too.

So, whilst it’s obviously not at the quality level of the Premier League, and it is a rougher and more physical division, if you have any pre-conceived notion of these teams only playing ‘hoofball’, then discard it.

Championship would give Spurs chance to build around youth

Naturally, should Tottenham drop into the second tier, then a massive rebuild of the playing squad would take place.

That’s probably coming either way this summer, but if Spurs remained in the Premier League with all the riches that brings, they would be more inclined to buy proven and experienced players for more money.

However, being in the Championship could force them to put a lot of faith in their young players, whilst also buying up more exciting young talent too, and that would be no bad thing.

There’s nothing better as a fan than seeing some of your own starring in the first-team, and the second tier could open up a lot of opportunities for Spurs supporters to see some of their most exciting prospects shining.

Callum Olusesi, Mason Melia, Jun’ai Byfield, Rio Kyerematen, Luca Williams-Barnett: all of these youngsters could blossom into first-team stars for Tottenham in the Championship.

How good would it be to see a Spurs side consisting of a number of their own academy starlets leading them to a Premier League promotion? That could be on offer in N17 next season.

With serious questions being asked over the commitment levels of many current first-team players this season, you certainly wouldn’t have to worry about that with the academy talents.