Sports
Every Championship Club’s Wage Bill Revealed
One would assume that English football, thanks to the popularity of the Premier League, would be a money-spinning machine. That would be correct in regard to how much money players in England’s top flight tend to get paid on a weekly basis. Clubs in the Championship, from Leicester City to Oxford United and Millwall, spend far less money on player wages.
The focus, from teams in England to those in the Middle East following the boom of the beautiful game, is typically centred around the riches, and it’s not unreasonable to wonder how much players get paid to do what they love: play football.
Typically, for clubs in England’s second tier, transfer fees are significant sums of money – but the same cannot be said about the average salary of a player, especially in comparison to those plying their trade in the Premier League. Using data from Capology, we’ve taken a look at each club’s annual wage bill for the current season. Let’s take a closer look.
24. Charlton Athletic – £11,731,200
After boss Nathan Jones oversaw last season’s promotion to England’s second-tier, Charlton Athletic will be hoping to stay put – and given the size and stature of the south London outfit, it may come as a surprise that they’ve got the lowest wage bill of all 24 teams at £11,731,200 a year. Will the Addicks survive the drop?
23. Sheffield Wednesday – £11,754,600
Sheffield Wednesday have been in all sorts of financial trouble this season, being docked 18 points for multiple rule breaches. Their top earners are Ike Igbo, Dominic Iorfa and Nathaniel Chalobah, all of whom are on £20,000-per-week.
22. Portsmouth – £12,506,000
Between 2003/04 and 2009/10, Portsmouth were a bona fide Premier League side, but serious financial issues have seen them dance up and down the English football pyramid since. With John Swift their highest-earning player on £20,000-per-week, they are now in the nation’s second tier and are spending just £12.5m on wages.
21. Queens Park Rangers – £13,146,800
After being relegated from England’s top flight in the 2014/15 season, Queens Park Rangers have enjoyed a decade-long spell in the Championship. Will they ever return to the promised land is the question; but, for now, the London outfit are spending £13,146,800 on wages for the likes of Steve Cook and Rhys Norrington-Davies.
20. Oxford United – £14,008,800
Oxford United won’t be happy with their campaign, especially given they are spending such a hefty wad – £14,008,800 – on player wages. In other news, the club have been given the green light to build a one-of-its-kind stadium worth a grand total of £130 million, which is nearly ten times the amount of their year-by-year wage bill.
19. Swansea City – £14,638,000
Swansea City, one of two sides in the Championship that are based in Wales, are on course for another mid-table finish this season. Summer additions Adam Idah and Cameron Burgess both earn £25,000 on a weekly basis.
18. Bristol City – £14,834,800
Bristol City were looking to make the playoffs again this season, but they have fallen short. On £20,000-per-week apiece, Luke McNally and Samy Morsy are the club’s joint highest-earning assets.
17. Blackburn Rovers – £15,056,000
Back in the day, especially in 1994/95 when they won the Premier League with Alan Shearer as striker, Blackburn Rovers were a force to be reckoned with in England. That’s no longer the case, however, and they are plying their trade in the Championship with a wage bill around the £15 million mark. Earning double that of Sean McLoughlin, Todd Cantwell is the Rovers’ highest-earner on £30,000-per-week.
16. Preston North End – £15,340,000
Paul Heckingbottom and Preston North End can count themselves lucky to still be in the Championship given they finished just above the three-team drop zone in 2024/25. They’ve avoided a relegation battle this campaign, all while spending £15,340,000 on player wages.
15. Millwall – £15,769,000
Millwall‘s home of The Den may have been ranked among the five worst in England by a journalist, but that won’t stop their dream of reaching the Premier League. The south London outfit, who are fighting for promotion this season, cough up £15,769,000 a year on player wages, with Joe Bryan and Alfie Doughty taking home the most.
14. Derby County – £15,912,000
Another club that were lucky to avoid a date with relegation last term are Derby County, who finished one point ahead of the relegated Luton. With an annual wage bill of £15,912,000, which is the 14th-highest in the division, they’ve enjoyed a much better campaign and are fighting for a playoff berth.
13. Coventry City – £17,056,000
Frank Lampard has masterminded promotion for his Coventry City side this season, despite having the 13th highest wage bill in the division. Luke Woolfenden, Matt Grimes, Ellis Simms and Haji Wright all earn £25,000-per-week at the club, which takes their overall annual spend to just over £17 million.
12. Wrexham – £17,864,600
Like Birmingham, the popular Wrexham – buoyed by the financial power of their owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac – achieved promotion last season, but the Welsh side’s wage bill is perhaps lower than initially expected. Keiffer Moore and Jay Rodriguez, both of whom possess Premier League experience, are the club’s highest-earners.
11. Watford – £19,022,000
Following the odd stint in the Premier League over the years, Watford have plied their trade in the Championship for four years, establishing themselves as a side that tend to settle for mid-table obscurity. Their wage bill of £19,022,000 sees the London outfit just finish outside the top ten on this list.
10. Stoke City – £19,162,000
Stoke City flirted with the prospect of relegation to League One last season, finishing on 51 points – two ahead of Luton Town, who finished 22nd. They’ve enjoyed a better campaign this term and, in doing so, they are paying the players a total of £19,162,000. Ben Gibson is their highest-earner on £35,000-per-week.
9. West Bromwich Albion – £19,500,000
West Bromwich Albion would have been hoping to crack the play-offs this season but, instead, they’ve flirted with relegation. Nat Phillips (£40,000-per-week), Chris Mepham (£35,000-per-week) and Charlie Taylor (£30,000-per-week) provide the Baggies with plenty of experience and are, understandably, three of James Morrison’s highest-earning players.
8. Middlesbrough – £21,100,000
Middlesbrough, under the stewardship of Kim Hellberg, are flying near the summit of the Championship and fighting for a return to the Premier League. The on-loan Matt Targett is currently their biggest earner.
7. Hull City – £21,213,400
For Hull City, John Lundstram leads the way as the club’s highest-paid player on £45,500 and the Englishman is closely followed by Amir Hadziahmetovic and Ryan Giles, who both pocket £35,000 on a weekly basis. Altogether, The Tigers – who are fighting for a spot in the play-offs – have an annual wage bill of £21,213,400.
6. Birmingham City – £22,932,000
The sixth highest-spending side in regard to wages are Birmingham City, who achieved promotion back to England’s second tier last term. Thanks to their fruitful summer, welcoming the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Demarai Gray to the club, their wage bill currently sits at an eye-catching £22,932,000.
5. Norwich City – £24,898,000
In 2024/25, Norwich City finished in the middle of the pack after a torrid conclusion to the campaign. They are on course to finish in the top half this campaign and they’ve done so with the fifth-highest wage bill in the division – £24,898,000.
4. Ipswich Town – £29,614,000
Ipswich Town – managed by Kieran McKenna – signed a host of players in the summer of 2024 as a means of competing in the big time. Now in England’s second tier, Dara O’Shea, Leif Davis and Jens Cajuste are the Tractor Boys’ three highest earners on £35,000 every seven days.
3. Southampton – £31,538,000
Next up, we travel to the south coast. Tonda Eckert is hoping that he can steer Southampton back to where they belong: England’s top flight. He’s doing so with players such as Finn Azaz and Cameron Archer, who earn £50,000-per-week and £40,000-per-week respectively. Altogether, Saints spend £31,538,000 on player wages on an annual basis.
2. Sheffield United – £31,551,000
Chris Wilder is back for his third stint in charge of Sheffield United, who are set to part ways with £31,551,000 on player wages this season. The Blades, who are set to finish in the bottom half, will be extremely upset with their season, given only one side in the Championship spends more than them.
1. Leicester City – £42,666,000
Despite being the Championship’s biggest spenders when it comes to player wages, Leicester City have suffered yet another relegation and will play in League One next season. They’ve suffered demotion despite Harry Winks, Ricardo Pereira and Patson Daka all earning just shy of the £100,000-per-week mark.
Chaos in the Monaco paddock ensued after a Lewis Hamilton comment, which proved to be the first time many teams heard about it.
Following the Monaco Grand Prix, the first ADUO is on the horizon. ADUO is Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities for manufacturers and teams. This allows the teams further upgrades for 2026 and 2027, depending on how far down the power engines are from the benchmark.
From the FIA’s findings, they’ve declared that Red Bull has the fastest engine and, therefore, won’t receive the additional help. The news came as a surprise to many, as they’ve had their own problems to contend with this season, though, it is important to note that only the internal combustion engine is taken into account for ADUO.
Mercedes have so far been the team to beat this season. They have won every Grand Prix, while leading both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Following the opening race of the season, George Russell also gave his glowing verdict on the package.
“Very nice, very nice. I like this car, I like this engine,” he said.
Despite this, they are deemed to be 2% behind Red Bull in terms of engines and will, as a result, be granted an additional upgrade for 2026 and 2027.
Lewis Hamilton’s Reveal Stunned ‘Several’ Teams
When discussing the situation on The Race F1 Podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm noted that many teams only learned the outcome through Hamilton’s interview.
“What was quite funny, to be completely honest, is several teams only found out about the ADUO outcome because Lewis Hamilton had said it in the press conference,” he said.
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“And we then stood that up with our sources and ran a story on Sunday evening, because it was only the manufacturers that got informed about what the FIA was doing on the Sunday. The teams didn’t, because the teams aren’t manufacturers, so why would they get that initial assessment?
“So I know there were people in teams that were discovering it on Sunday evening in Monaco, and that’s why it was such a surprise to people, because they hadn’t had that information in advance, and when they got it, they were like, ‘Well, how have they come to this solution?’
“So it is quite messy, and I am very curious to see what the fallout is politically, what we see when it’s finally communicated and then in the coming days, maybe even weeks and months, as people try to argue it or work it out. Because it’s not set in stone, like this is the only judgment now that happens over the rest of the year, it’s quite curious, quite curious situation overall.”
Alongside many teams suddenly hearing the news, Red Bull were also surprised by the decision, as not every component was assessed.
It’s likely to hurt the team from Milton Keynes as they won’t benefit from the upgrades. The kings of the Ground Effect era are already struggling to come to grips with the new regulations; they remain fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 72 points.
Lewis Hamilton’s Awkward Response to Kimi Antonelli Trolling Kim Kardashian With Towel Video
Mercedes poked fun at Kim Kardashian for stealing Kimi Antonelli’s towel after the Monaco Grand Prix, and Lewis Hamilton has now reacted.
When reacting to the news, Max Verstappen admitted he was surprised and that they are looking into the situation. He said: “I think we can be proud of the job we have done, but it never felt like we were, let’s say, the best. That’s why we were surprised and that’s why I think we’re discussing with the FIA to understand what happened there.”
As the FIA does not allow a formal challenge, Red Bull won’t be able to protest too hard. Instead, looking to understand the decision seems the more likely plan of action.
Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria showed glimpses of the champion he would become after just a handful of fights in the promotion.
Fans instantly began to appreciate him for his precise striking, fluid combinations, and staggering power. There was one question, though, that kept coming up; why did he have a hole above his knee?
In July 2022, El Matador posted a photo of himself on Instagram entering the Octagon, where he had a visible scar that looked like a hole just above his left knee.
MMA fans immediately began to speculate as to the cause of the scar, with some fans theorising that it could have been the result of a staph infection or a medical procedure like amniocentesis, which is a prenatal test performed by a doctor to assess the health of an unborn child, while others hypothesised that it could’ve been the result of an injury.
Conspiracies as to the cause of the scar have continued to emerge over recent years, but the most popular fan theory was that it had been caused by a gunshot wound, which had healed but left a hole-shaped scar.
Ilia Topuria Put Gunshot Wound Theory to Bed
Speculation grew to the point where Ilia had to shut it down
Topuria was confronted with these rumours by Shak MMA’s Shakiel Mahjouri, who told him that fans were convinced that the Spanish-Georgian fighter had been shot when he was younger, asking him to clarify the cause of the scar.
The 28-year-old was quick to dismiss these theories, clarifying that the scar was caused by a childhood injury.
“I got a cut when I was a child with a crystal. When I was a child, I was playing with my friends, and yeah, I just got a cut with a crystal.”
Mahjouri then joked that the actual cause of the scar was far less exciting than the bullet wound theory, and a smiling Topuria responded: “No, it’s not a bullet.”
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In one of the quickest, most impressive runs the sport has recently seen, Topuria captured both featherweight and lightweight gold, with knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.
This momentum has been slightly curtailed in recent months, with his time outside the Octagon almost reaching a year. A well-documented divorce played a part in this absence, with the interim lightweight belt being brought into action.
‘I Have Fought Both Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje – Here’s Who Wins at UFC Freedom 250’
The main event for UFC Freedom 250 at the White House is set and a mutual opponent has already made his prediction.
Of course, Justin Gaethje managed to get the better of Paddy Pimblett and ultimately set up this eagerly anticipated match-up. This weekend will see Topuria, the young star on a rampage of finishing big names in the sport, go up against Gaethje, for whom it could be one last dance, one last shot at gold after coming up short twice before.
If the occasion didn’t write itself, the two have also been going back and forth during fight week. It’s become personal, making the clash at the White House all the more exciting.
United States broadcaster FOX has sparked massive backlash after breaking a FIFA rule in the opening game of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa.
The 2026 World Cup officially got underway on Thursday as Mexico took on South Africa at the Azteca Stadium.
It was the hosts that cruised to victory in a match that featured three red cards. South Africa duo Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane, as well as Mexico’s Cesar Montes, were all sent off as the hosts won 2-0.
Football fans watching the match on FOX were not happy at all with the broadcaster for their coverage of the game, though.
FOX Break FIFA Rule During Mexico vs South Africa
Due to the high temperatures in North America for this World Cup, FIFA have instituted two mandatory, three-minute hydration breaks, which will take place in the middle of both halves.
FOX, the home of the World Cup in the United States, took the opportunity to go straight to commercials when the hydration breaks were called.
The broadcaster proceeded to show so many ads during the hydration break that it went over the allotted time. When FOX returned from their ad break, the match had already resumed and fans watching had missed a portion of the game because of the ads.
Football fans watching the match on FOX were, understandably, not very happy at all.
The Athletic’s Tom Bogert said: “All it took was literally the second hydration break for FOX to run too many commercials and miss some live action. Absolutely ridiculous conceit.”
While Paul Tenorio, also of the Athletic, said: Fox comes back late from its hydration break commercials. Unreal. Second break of the tournament, and we’re already missing live World Cup action. Brutal and embarrassing.”
A FIFA source revealed to the Athletic that broadcasters were told the ad break shouldn’t start within 20 seconds of the referee’s whistle pausing play, and that they should return to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumes.
FOX broke the rules in both halves.
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How Other Broadcasters Covered the Hydration Break
In the United Kingdom, ITV did not cut away from the match and instead focused on the players with commentator insight. Australian and Danish broadcasters both stayed with the feed as well.
In Germany, Magenta TV went on a full ad break. While in Argentina, Telefé went to a full break, but DirecTV Sports stuck with the match feed.
Interestingly, Telemundo, the Spanish-language broadcast rights holder in the United States, did not cut away to commercials. They have insisted they will stay with the match feed throughout the tournament.
The World Cup continues on Friday, with Canada taking on Bosnia and Herzogovina, and United States going head-to-head with Paraguay.
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