# 2025–26 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season
The 2025–26 [Bolton Wanderers F.C.](https://www.edgepedia.org/bolton-wanderers-f-c) season was the English football club's campaign in [EFL League One](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-league-one), the third tier of the [English football league system](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-football-league-system), in which Bolton finished fifth in the regular season and won promotion to the Championship through the play-offs under head coach Steven Schumacher.[1](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one) • [2](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/history)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Division | EFL League One (third tier), 2025–26[1](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one) |
| League finish | 5th of 24: played 46, won 19, drew 18, lost 9, goals 70 for and 52 against, 75 points[1](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one) |
| Outcome | Promotion to the Championship via the Play-Offs, Schumacher's first full season in charge[2](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/history) |
| Play-off semi-final | Against 4th-placed Bradford City; an Amario Cozier-Duberry strike gave Bolton a narrow first-leg lead[1](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one) |
| Head coach | Steven Schumacher, appointed 30 January 2025[3](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/wanderers-name-schumacher-new-boss) |
| FA Cup | Lost in the Second round proper to Swindon Town[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/445d3104/2025-2026/matchlogs/c690/schedule/Bolton-Wanderers-Scores-and-Fixtures-EFL-Cup) |
| Support | Over 16,000 season ticket holders signed up for 2025/26[5](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/202526-fixtures-announced) |
## Background and expectations
Steven Schumacher was appointed Bolton's head coach on 30 January 2025, succeeding Ian Evatt, who had led the club through the 2022/23 promotion challenge and the 2023/24 third-place finish.[3](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/wanderers-name-schumacher-new-boss) • [2](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/history) The 2024/25 season under him ended in an eighth-place League One finish, a step back from the previous campaign's play-off final appearance at Wembley.[6](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/club-publishes-accounts-year-ended-30-june-2025)
**Pre-season expectation was high.** The BBC's club-by-club League One preview described "enormous expectation" on Wanderers to win promotion, noting the resources afforded to Schumacher to reshape his squad.[7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crr25jjl54qo) Schumacher himself told [Sky Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-sports) in September 2025 that there was "no hiding from the expectation at the club".[8](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11672/13424152/bolton-boss-steven-schumacher-there-is-no-hiding-from-the-expectation-at-the-club)
## League campaign
The fixtures, announced on 26 June 2025, opened with a away trip to [Greater Manchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/greater-manchester) neighbors Stockport County at Edgeley Park, broadcast live on Sky Sports Football on Sunday 3 August with a 12pm kick-off, one day after the rest of the division's opening round.[5](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/202526-fixtures-announced) The first home league game followed on Saturday 9 August against Plymouth Argyle, Schumacher's former club, and the season closed at home to Luton Town on Saturday 2 May 2026.[5](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/202526-fixtures-announced) The home game against Reading on 19 August was also selected for Sky Sports coverage.[9](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/league-one-fixture-updates-confirmed)
Over the 46-game regular season Bolton recorded 19 wins, 18 draws, and 9 defeats, scoring 70 goals and conceding 52 for a total of 75 points and a fifth-place finish.[1](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one) The high draw count, 18 of 46 matches, meant Bolton converted a large share of games into at least a point even when wins were not secured.
## Play-offs and promotion
Finishing fifth placed Bolton against fourth-placed Bradford City in the Play-off Semi Final. An Amario Cozier-Duberry strike gave Bolton a narrow lead over Bradford in the tie, reported by the EFL on 9 May 2026.[1](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one) Bolton went on to win promotion through the play-offs, the club's own history record crediting Schumacher with guiding the Whites to promotion via the Play-Offs in his first full season.[2](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/history) The promotion returned Bolton to the Championship, the second tier, for 2026–27.[2](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/history)
## Cup competitions
In the Emirates FA Cup, Bolton were eliminated in the Second round proper by Swindon Town.[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/445d3104/2025-2026/matchlogs/c690/schedule/Bolton-Wanderers-Scores-and-Fixtures-EFL-Cup) The scheduled calendar included Carabao Cup rounds from late August onward and Vertu Trophy group-stage dates in September, October, and November 2025.[5](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/202526-fixtures-announced)
## Off-field context
The club's accounts for the financial year ended 30 June 2025, published in March 2026, showed group turnover of £20.5m for the preceding 2024/25 season, down from £21.3m the year before, a reduction the club attributed to the absence of play-off related income rather than any decline in the underlying business. Professional football income grew to £6.86m and Academy income rose 4.8 per cent to £611,718. The year carried an operating loss of £13.91m, and shareholders invested £20.15m into the group ahead of a formal share issue, with net assets growing to £17.66m.[6](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/club-publishes-accounts-year-ended-30-june-2025) That investment underpinned the squad spending the BBC preview linked to the promotion push.[7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crr25jjl54qo)
The club's third kit for 2025/26 carried a section of the "Bolton fabric" graphic, a Bolton Council community branding design linking the town's textile heritage with its present diversity.[10](https://www.bolton.gov.uk/downloads/file/7579/issue-22-spring-2026)
## References
1. [EFL Sky Bet League One table, results, fixtures, stats, The English Football League](https://www.efl.com/competitions/efl-league-one)
2. [History, Bolton Wanderers FC](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/history)
3. [Wanderers Name Schumacher As New Boss, Bolton Wanderers FC](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/wanderers-name-schumacher-new-boss)
4. [2025-2026 Bolton Wanderers Scores and Fixtures, EFL Cup, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/squads/445d3104/2025-2026/matchlogs/c690/schedule/Bolton-Wanderers-Scores-and-Fixtures-EFL-Cup)
5. [2025/26 Fixtures Announced!, Bolton Wanderers FC](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/202526-fixtures-announced)
6. [Club Publishes Accounts For Year Ended 30 June 2025, Bolton Wanderers FC](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/club-publishes-accounts-year-ended-30-june-2025)
7. [League One 2025-26 season preview: Club-by-club guide, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crr25jjl54qo)
8. [Bolton boss Steven Schumacher: There is no hiding from the expectation at the club, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11672/13424152/bolton-boss-steven-schumacher-there-is-no-hiding-from-the-expectation-at-the-club)
9. [League One Fixture Updates Confirmed, Bolton Wanderers FC](https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/league-one-fixture-updates-confirmed)
10. [Our Bolton Spring 2026, Bolton Council](https://www.bolton.gov.uk/downloads/file/7579/issue-22-spring-2026)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Club seasons › English lower league club seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license