# 2026–27 Leicester City F.C. season
The **2026–27 Leicester City F.C. season** is the club's first campaign in [EFL League One](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-league-one), the third tier of English football, since 2009, following a second consecutive relegation in 2026. Russell Martin was appointed first team manager on a contract until 2029 to lead the club's attempt to return to the Championship at the first attempt.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm2kkr9dkrlo) • [2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/russell-martin-appointed-leicester-city-first-team-manager-lcfc-press-release)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Division | EFL League One, the club's first season at the third tier since 2009[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm2kkr9dkrlo) |
| How they got there | Relegated from the Championship in April 2026 after a 2-2 draw with Hull City, a second relegation in a row[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm2kkr9dkrlo) |
| Manager | Russell Martin, appointed on a contract until 2029[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/russell-martin-appointed-leicester-city-first-team-manager-lcfc-press-release) |
| League opener | Away to Notts County on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Sky Bet League One season[3](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-sky-bet-league-one-efl-fixtures-released) |
| First league win | 2-0 at home to Plymouth Argyle on 1 September 2026[4](https://www.lcfc.com/reports) |
| Position after 8 games | 17th, with 2 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses, a goal difference of -4 and 9 points[5](https://www.lcfc.com/fixtures-results/fixtures) |
| Cup exits | Carabao Cup: beaten 3-1 at Ipswich Town (25 August); EFL Trophy: beaten 1-2 at Stevenage (6 October)[4](https://www.lcfc.com/reports) • [6](https://www.lcfc.com/match-centre?gameId=2678199) |
## Background: a second consecutive relegation
Leicester City entered the 2026-27 season after the steepest decline in the club's modern history. Champions of the Premier League in 2015-16, they were relegated from the top flight in 2024-25, finishing 18th, and then dropped from the Championship to League One in 2025-26. A 2-2 draw with Hull City on 21 April 2026 confirmed relegation to the third tier for the first time since 2009, and only the second time in the club's history.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm2kkr9dkrlo) • [7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/championship-odds-b2788742.html)
The 2025-26 season had been destabilized off the field as well. In February 2026 an independent Commission recommended an immediate six-point deduction in the Championship after finding the club in breach of the EFL Profit and Sustainability Rules for the 2023/24 season, having exceeded the permitted loss threshold by £20.8 million over the three-year assessment period from 2022 to 2024.[8](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4581043/premier-league-statement-leicester-city-05-february-2026) The club used three managers that season, ending with [Gary Rowett](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-rowett) on a contract to the end of the campaign.[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/whats-going-wrong-at-leicester-city)
## Management
Russell Martin was appointed first team manager ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, signing a contract until 2029 and beginning work immediately as pre-season preparations continued. The club described him as a manager of more than 250 games who combines extensive coaching experience with a playing career at the highest level of English football.[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/russell-martin-appointed-leicester-city-first-team-manager-lcfc-press-release) FourFourTwo characterized the appointment as a risk given his recent record, noting that his last league win before Leicester's early-season victory had come with Rangers, and before that with [Southampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/southampton).[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/whats-going-wrong-at-leicester-city)
## League One campaign
The fixture list, released in June 2026, sent [Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicester) to Notts County for the opening weekend, with the first home league game against Burton Albion on Saturday 22 August. The season began poorly: ten-man Leicester lost the home opener to Burton, and the first points arrived only on 1 September with a 2-0 home win over Plymouth Argyle.[3](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-sky-bet-league-one-efl-fixtures-released) • [4](https://www.lcfc.com/reports)
**Heavy defeats and a first away win.** On 5 September Oxford United thrashed Leicester 4-0 at the [King Power Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-power-stadium), a result the EFL said stole the headlines across League One that day.[10](https://www.efl.com/news/2026/september/05/Sky-Bet-League-One--Oxford-sink-Leicester-as-Stevenage-hit-five/) A week later the club claimed its first Sky Bet League One away win of 2026/27, edging a seven-goal match 4-3 at Stockport County's Edgeley Park on 12 September.[4](https://www.lcfc.com/reports) The pattern of inconsistency continued into October: on 10 October Leicester lost 1-3 at home to Peterborough United.[10](https://www.efl.com/news/2026/september/05/Sky-Bet-League-One--Oxford-sink-Leicester-as-Stevenage-hit-five/)
After eight league games Leicester stood 17th in the table with 9 points from 2 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses, a goal difference of -4, placed between Doncaster Rovers and [Blackpool](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackpool) in a congested mid-table.[5](https://www.lcfc.com/fixtures-results/fixtures) Upcoming fixtures included Doncaster Rovers at home on 17 October, a trip to Bromley on 20 October, and the rearranged home game against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday 27 October at 7:45pm.[5](https://www.lcfc.com/fixtures-results/fixtures) • [11](https://www.lcfc.com/news/1062948)
**Style of play.** Martin's side has dominated the ball: FourFourTwo reported that Leicester have the most possession in League One by a wide margin, with only two teams taking more shots per goal scorer. In the 4-0 defeat by Oxford, Leicester held 63 percent of possession but managed fewer shots on target than their opponents, with an expected-goals figure barely above one.[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/whats-going-wrong-at-leicester-city)
## Cup competitions
Leicester's cup campaigns ended early. In the Carabao Cup they were beaten 3-1 away at Ipswich Town on 25 August 2026.[4](https://www.lcfc.com/reports) In the [EFL Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-trophy) they lost 1-2 away to [Stevenage](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevenage) at the SPORTA Arena on Tuesday 6 October, with Riis scoring Leicester's goal in the 69th minute after Wanya Marçal and Sanderson had put Stevenage ahead; the referee was Emily Heaslip.[6](https://www.lcfc.com/match-centre?gameId=2678199) A home EFL Trophy group game against Walsall was scheduled for 10 November.[5](https://www.lcfc.com/fixtures-results/fixtures)
## Squad
[Squad numbers](https://www.edgepedia.org/number-sports) for the 2026/27 season were confirmed before the campaign, allowing supporters to personalize shirts in-store and online.[12](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-men-league-one-squad-numbers) In September the club added experienced goalkeeper Dai Cornell to the ranks on a free transfer, subject to league approval.[11](https://www.lcfc.com/news/1062948) The squad retained several players associated with the club's Premier League years, including [Wilfred Ndidi](https://www.edgepedia.org/wilfred-ndidi) and Abdul Fatawu.[13](https://www.premierleague.com/en/clubs/13/club/squad)
## Context
The season is being played against the backdrop of the club's wider financial strain. Leicester reported losses of £89.7 million in their 2022-23 accounts and a club-record £92.5 million in the twelve months to May 2022, and the six-point deduction of February 2026 was the club's first.[14](https://tcweeklynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/TC-Weekly-News-February-7-13-2026.pdf) • [8](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4581043/premier-league-statement-leicester-city-05-february-2026) Commentators have linked the on-field decline to the boardroom, with chairman [Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha](https://www.edgepedia.org/aiyawatt-srivaddhanaprabha) having blamed himself as the 2025-26 relegation approached.[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/whats-going-wrong-at-leicester-city) A new set of financial rules for English clubs comes into effect from the start of the 2026/27 season, and the Independent Football Regulator is introducing full licensing from 2026/27 after a pilot scheme for provisional licenses.[8](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4581043/premier-league-statement-leicester-city-05-february-2026) • [15](https://downloads.ctfassets.net/0wcpt07qzvlh/4qxAe2QWQRSvsvnjeD5fpJ/7fe13c11806de9ec9c42da9613f1e95b/LCFC_Financial_Statements_30_June_2025_Signed.pdf)
## References
1. [Leicester relegated: From Premier League champions to League One with Championship relegation, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cm2kkr9dkrlo)
2. [Russell Martin Appointed Leicester City First Team Manager, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/russell-martin-appointed-leicester-city-first-team-manager-lcfc-press-release)
3. [Leicester City Travel To Notts County In Sky Bet League One Opener, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-sky-bet-league-one-efl-fixtures-released)
4. [Reports, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/reports)
5. [Fixtures & Results, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/fixtures-results/fixtures)
6. [Match Centre: Stevenage v Leicester City, EFL Trophy, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/match-centre?gameId=2678199)
7. [EFL Championship odds: 2026/27 Championship winner, promotion & relegation betting odds, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/championship-odds-b2788742.html)
8. [Premier League Statement: Leicester City FC, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4581043/premier-league-statement-leicester-city-05-february-2026)
9. [What's going wrong at Leicester City?, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/team/whats-going-wrong-at-leicester-city)
10. [Sky Bet League One: Oxford sink Leicester as Stevenage hit five, The English Football League](https://www.efl.com/news/2026/september/05/Sky-Bet-League-One--Oxford-sink-Leicester-as-Stevenage-hit-five/)
11. [All News, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/news/1062948)
12. [Men's First Team Squad Numbers, LCFC](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-men-league-one-squad-numbers)
13. [Leicester City Squad Information & Player Stats 2026/27, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/clubs/13/club/squad)
14. [Turks and Caicos Weekly News, February 7-13, 2026](https://tcweeklynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/TC-Weekly-News-February-7-13-2026.pdf)
15. [Leicester City Football Club Limited, Financial Statements 30 June 2025](https://downloads.ctfassets.net/0wcpt07qzvlh/4qxAe2QWQRSvsvnjeD5fpJ/7fe13c11806de9ec9c42da9613f1e95b/LCFC_Financial_Statements_30_June_2025_Signed.pdf)
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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*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license