UK Football Ante Posts 2026/27
Here are my football ante posts for the 2026/27 season:
Singles
2nd August 2026
League 1 - Luton outright 7/1 William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes, each-way (3 places)
League 1 - Luton to be promoted 11/4 Bet 365, 5/2 William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes
League 2 - Grimsby outright 12/1 Bet 365, William Hill, Betfred, each-way (3 places)
League 2 - Grimsby to be promoted 11/4 Coral, Ladbrokes, 5/2 Bet 365, Betfred
Multiples
2nd August 2026
Multi 1
Four-fold (26.75/1 with Coral, Ladbrokes, 24.26/1 William Hill) on:
Arsenal outright (Premier League), 7/4
West Ham outright (Championship), 7/4
Luton top 6 finish (League 1), 4/6
Grimsby top 7 finish (League 2), 5/4
Bet Reasoning (3rd August 2026)
Premier League
ARSENAL brought to an end a 22-year title drought last year and ended up finishing seven points clear of their nearest pursuers, Man City.
The Gunners' success was built around a tight defence, which ranked top of the league in terms of xGA, and although they ranked behind Man City, Man Utd and Liverpool for xGF, they still finished easy, and deserved, champions.
Arsenal had finished runner-up three times prior to that and you wondered if they'd ever win the league again, but the capture of Gyokeres benefited them eventually, having lacked fire power for so long, and with their main title rivals undergoing changes in the dugout this summer, continuity and a settled, winning, side, could prove key this term.
Man City have since lost Pep Guardiola and Liverpool have a new man at the helm in ex Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who is entitled to need some time to settle into his new surroundings.
Man Utd are a club on the up again and Chelsea have made some interesting summer signings - not only Morgan Rogers from Villa but, unlike some, I actually really like the additions of old boys Welbeck and Henderson, for which they have been knocked, as there are some unruly characters in the Stamford Bridge dressing room and they could help keep the younger egos in check.
However, you just look at the strong Arsenal defence - with a top-class core of Gabrial and Saliba infront of Raya - and you know they have such a strong platform to build from again this season. For all Man City have Haaland, I am still not convinced they have replaced De Bruyne and their defence remains questionable at times.
With regards to summer business, Arteta's men have have been quiet (as have most with the World Cup dominating the summer) but have been linked with want-away Newcastle midfield Bruno Guimaraes, who is back from a World Cup stint with Brazil and has told his employers he wants to make the move to North London, and fellow countryman Vini Jr, who has had issues with Jose Mourinho, his new Real Madrid boss, in the past, and may potentially be allowed to move on from the Bernabeu this summer. Should Arsenal land either of the Brazilians then they would make even stronger appeal to go back-to-back than they do already.
Championship
Southampton finished like an express train last season before being booted out of the playoff final following 'spygate' over their semi-final clash with Middlesborough. Saints now start the season with a -4 pt deduction, however, which dents enthusiasm for their title chances, while Boro have lost several key men following their defeat to Hull at Wembley - standout performer Hayden Hackney has moved to Everton in a £19.3m deal and Dael Fry - another key man - has moved on to Birmingham following the expiration of his contract at the Riverside.
Although WEST HAM haven't had the smoothest of summers, with plenty of disruption going on behind the scenes and losing Fernandes to Spurs and Summerville to Al-Hilal in Saudi, they have still retained a good chunk of their Premier League squad and they might just have too much class for everyone.
I was really surprised they managed to keep hold of England international Jarrod Bowen - who many would have taken to the World Cup. There are rumours that Amanda Staveley might be leading a consortium looking to increase their stake in the club, so if those rumours have some substance, perhaps that is how they've managed to convince Bowen to stay - he'd walk into most teams outside of the top six in the Premier League, let along any side in the Championship.
West Ham will certainly have a good budget to offset their Premier League wage bill. Not only do they have parachute payments to soften the financial blow, the ca. £165m they've generated from the sale of Fernandes and Summerville is massive, while they have shifted a ridiculous amount of season tickets too - over 50,000 now - which means they will be one of the best-supported sides the Championship has ever seen.
Nuno Espirito Santo, harshly treated at Nottingham Forest after his relationship with the owner broke down, has won the Championship with Wolves, of course, and knows what it takes to get out of the division. Wolves went up with four games to spare during his first season in charge and he will be a big pull for potential signings.
West Ham have been linked with Manor Soloman, who is surplus to requirements at Spurs and was sent out on loan to Fiorentina last term, and he'd be a great addition to the Championship - a league he knows from his time at Leeds - with his pace. Simon Adingra and Wilson Isidor at Sunderland have also been linked with summer moves to the London Stadium.
