# 2026–27 Bradford City A.F.C. season
The 2026–27 [Bradford City A.F.C.](https://www.edgepedia.org/bradford-city-a-f-c) season is the club's campaign in [EFL League One](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-league-one), the third tier of English football, following a 2025–26 season in which Bradford reached the League One play-offs and lost to Bolton Wanderers, who were promoted.[1](https://paradersperspective.com/2026/08/14/bradford-city-2026-27-preview-we-go-again/) The team plays its home matches at Mbanq Valley Parade, a ground with a capacity of 24,840.[2](https://footballattendances.co.uk/clubs/bradford-city)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manager | Michael Duff, listed as a managerial change at Bradford City on 6 October[3](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cd94713djgyo) |
| EFL Cup | Reached the fourth round: 3 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats, 5 goals for and 1 against[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/3148d79f/history/Bradford-City-Stats-and-History) |
| League attendance | Average of 19,195 for league matches in 2026/27, down from 20,444 in 2025/26[2](https://footballattendances.co.uk/clubs/bradford-city) |
| Pre-season projection | Opta supercomputer gave Bradford City an 8.5% chance of automatic promotion, based on projections of 12 August 2026[5](https://theanalyst.com/articles/league-one-predictions-opta-supercomputer-2026-27) |
| Captain | Adam Phillips, attacking midfielder, wears number 8[6](https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/teams/) |
## Management change
**Michael Duff took charge during the season.** The BBC's tracker of managerial ins and outs for 2026–27 records Michael Duff at Bradford City under 6 October.[3](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cd94713djgyo) The club's official site subsequently published a post-match press conference in which Duff reviewed his first fixture in the City dugout, followed by reaction in which he praised the squad's humility.[7](https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/)
## Squad
The club's first-team list for the season includes central defenders Reece Welch, Macaulay Gillesphey, Hayden Matthews, Aden Baldwin (loaned in from Blackburn Rovers), George Pratt, Matt Pennington, and Oscar Lunn; wing-backs Ibou Touray, Josh Neufville (loaned in from [Portsmouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/portsmouth)), and Corey O'Keeffe; midfielders Callum Connolly, captain Adam Phillips, Antoni Sarcevic, Tyreik Wright, Henry Cartwright (loaned in from Queens Park Rangers), Kieran Morgan, Bobby Pointon, and George Lapslie.[6](https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/teams/) Forward Jake Beesley joined from Burton Albion, where he had scored 9 goals in 25 league games the previous season for a squad fighting relegation.[8](https://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/league-one-preview-1-24-final-table-predictions-for-202627/233604)
## Early results and cup run
In the [EFL Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-cup), Bradford progressed to the fourth round with an unbeaten record of two wins and one draw, scoring 5 and conceding 1, with Will Swan the team's top scorer in the competition on 2 goals and McCracken as the goalkeeper used.[4](https://fbref.com/en/squads/3148d79f/history/Bradford-City-Stats-and-History) A fourth-round tie was scheduled for Tuesday 27 October 2026.[9](https://fbref.com/en/squads/3148d79f/2026-2027/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Bradford-City-Scores-and-Fixtures-All-Competitions)
## Expectations and attendances
Pre-season assessments placed Bradford in the chasing pack rather than among the favorites. The Opta supercomputer's projections of 12 August 2026 gave the club an 8.5% chance of automatic promotion, behind Wycombe Wanderers (12.2%), Huddersfield Town (12.0%), Mansfield Town (11.9%), and [Stevenage](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevenage) (9.4%).[5](https://theanalyst.com/articles/league-one-predictions-opta-supercomputer-2026-27) Squawka's predicted final table placed Bradford City 7th, with Leicester City tipped to dominate the division.[10](https://www.squawka.com/en/news/league-one-predicted-table-2026-27/) Commentators noted that after a first season back in League One that ended in the play-offs, the club no longer had the element of surprise, with one preview summarizing the situation as the Bantams knowing the division and the division knowing the Bantams.[11](https://widthofapost.com/2026/08/14/the-bradford-city-2026-27-season-preview-the-bantams-now-know-this-division-but-this-division-now-knows-the-bantams/)
League attendances have averaged 19,195 in 2026/27, compared with 20,444 in 2025/26, at the 24,840-capacity Mbanq Valley Parade.[2](https://footballattendances.co.uk/clubs/bradford-city) The club also continued commercial initiatives aimed at local supporters, including Guard of Honour packages priced at £180 per grassroots team of 14 to 20 children, which let young players from [West Yorkshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-yorkshire) sides welcome the Bradford City team onto the pitch.[12](https://www.bcafccommercial.com/product-page/guard-of-honour-package-1)
## References
1. [Bradford City 2026/27 preview, Paraders Perspective](https://paradersperspective.com/2026/08/14/bradford-city-2026-27-preview-we-go-again/)
2. [Bradford City Attendances, History & All-Time Average](https://footballattendances.co.uk/clubs/bradford-city)
3. [Manager ins and outs, 2026-27 season, BBC Sport](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cd94713djgyo)
4. [Bradford City Stats, Records and History, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/squads/3148d79f/history/Bradford-City-Stats-and-History)
5. [League One Predictions 2026-27: The Opta Supercomputer Projections, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/league-one-predictions-opta-supercomputer-2026-27)
6. [Men's teams, Bradford City AFC](https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/teams/)
7. [Bradford City AFC official site](https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/)
8. [League One preview: 1-24 final table predictions for 2026/27, Sporting Life](https://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/league-one-preview-1-24-final-table-predictions-for-202627/233604)
9. [Bradford City Scores and Fixtures 2026-2027, All Competitions, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/squads/3148d79f/2026-2027/matchlogs/all_comps/schedule/Bradford-City-Scores-and-Fixtures-All-Competitions)
10. [League One 2026/27 predicted table, Squawka](https://www.squawka.com/en/news/league-one-predicted-table-2026-27/)
11. [The Bradford City 2026/27 season preview, Width of a Post](https://widthofapost.com/2026/08/14/the-bradford-city-2026-27-season-preview-the-bantams-now-know-this-division-but-this-division-now-knows-the-bantams/)
12. [Guard of Honour Experience 2026/27, Bradford City commercial](https://www.bcafccommercial.com/product-page/guard-of-honour-package-1)
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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