Supercomputer predicts final table for Portsmouth, West Ham, Charlton and rivals.

Portsmouth are expected to secure another season of Championship football, according to Opta’s projection for the 2026-27 campaign.

Pompey are forecast to make it three consecutive seasons in the second tier, while improving their points total under John Mousinho.

However, supporters should not expect a dramatic push towards the play-offs. Opta’s model suggests the club could spend much of the season looking over their shoulders before finishing 16th.

That would represent an improvement on last season’s 18th-place finish and would match the position Portsmouth achieved at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. The prediction has the Blues collecting 56.58 points, their best total since winning promotion from League One.

Portsmouth’s summer recruitment has been designed to reduce the threat of another relegation battle. Tornante, the club’s owners, invested heavily during the transfer window after the Blues had spent their first two Championship seasons fighting to stay clear of danger.

The club brought in 12 players, including sizeable deals for Marko Milovanovic, Abu Kamara, Rocco Shein and Tyrese Shade. The intention was clear: strengthen Mousinho’s squad and give Portsmouth enough quality to compete higher up the division.

Opta believes that investment will make a difference. The model predicts Portsmouth to finish with 56.58 points, comfortably above the 54 points they collected previously and also ahead of the 55-point tally recorded in another Championship campaign.

That projected total should be sufficient for Portsmouth to avoid relegation and begin preparing for a fourth straight season in the second tier. The prediction is unlikely to satisfy everyone at Fratton Park.

Chairman Michael Eisner has spoken about ambitions of eventually taking the club back to the Premier League, meaning 16th place would hardly represent the rapid progress some supporters dream of. Still, given the competitiveness of the Championship, another year of survival could be regarded as a step forward.

There is also little room for complacency. Opta’s projected five-point gap between Portsmouth and the relegation places is considerably smaller than the eight-point cushion they enjoyed last season.

The current standings underline how difficult the opening stages have been. Portsmouth are presently 19th with eight points from seven matches. They have played one fewer game than several teams around them because their away fixture at Wolves has been postponed twice.

Their schedule becomes demanding immediately after the international break. Portsmouth travel to St Mary’s for the South Coast derby against Southampton, beginning a sequence of five matches across just 14 days.

That spell could prove decisive in shaping their season. The Blues are dealing with injuries, and the intensity of playing so frequently could test the depth Mousinho has built during the summer.

Despite those concerns, Opta’s prediction remains positive enough to suggest Portsmouth will pull clear of the bottom three and secure another Championship campaign.

At the other end of the table, West Ham are predicted to finish first with an estimated 81.62 points. Wolves are projected to take second place on 79.19, while Middlesbrough are third with 78.35.

Southampton are forecast to finish fourth with 73.91 points, narrowly ahead of Swansea on 73.83. Millwall are sixth on 69.19, followed by Birmingham with 67.16 and West Bromwich Albion with 67.04.

Wrexham are projected to finish ninth on 64.96 points, with Norwich just behind on 64.74. QPR are predicted to take 11th with 62.57, while Bristol City sit 12th on 62.46.

Lincoln City are forecast to finish 13th with 61.30 points, followed by Sheffield United on 59.64 and Stoke City on 59.41.

Portsmouth occupy 16th place in Opta’s forecast, with Blackburn Rovers just behind on 56.28. Burnley are projected to finish 18th on 56.03, meaning the three clubs could be separated by less than a single point.

Charlton are predicted to finish 19th with 55.31 points, while Bolton Wanderers are 20th on 54.68. Derby are projected to take 21st place with 53.03 points.

The bottom three predicted positions belong to Cardiff, Watford and Preston North End. Cardiff are forecast to finish 22nd on 51.58 points, Watford 23rd on 50.34, and Preston 24th with 44.55.

For Portsmouth, the forecast offers a mixture of encouragement and warning. A 16th-place finish would mean survival and a modest improvement, while the projected points total would mark a new high since their return to the Championship.

Yet the prediction also suggests the Blues remain some distance from the promotion contenders. If Eisner’s Premier League ambition is to become reality, Portsmouth will eventually need to make another jump.

For now, however, Mousinho’s objective will be keeping the team clear of danger, navigating the difficult winter schedule and building on the progress made since promotion.

Opta expects him to succeed, but the projected table also indicates that Portsmouth may once again have to work hard before they can feel comfortable.