2019–20 EFL Championship

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The season was suspended on 13 March 2020 after several players and club staff fell ill from COVID-19. The initial pause lasted until 4 April, then extended to 30 April. Following a meeting on 13 May, clubs agreed to resume the season, with players returning to training on 25 May. In May, 1,014 tests across the English Football League, funded by clubs, found two positive results from Hull City.

Later that month, Elliott Bennett of Blackburn Rovers and two unnamed Fulham players tested positive; further tests revealed positive cases for Preston North End's Jayden Stockley and one unnamed person each from Cardiff City and Middlesbrough. On 31 May, the EFL announced a restart on 20 June, with the playoff final around 30 July, pending safety and government approval. On 7 June, two Championship clubs each reported one positive case in the latest testing round; 1,179 people were tested over four days, with positive individuals self-isolating.

The first post-restart fixture on 20 June was Fulham against Brentford. On 8 June, Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill tested positive after five negative tests; a practice game between Stoke and Manchester United was called off at short notice.

Personnel and sponsoring

Clotet started as a temporary manager before getting the job for good on 4 December 2019. Bristol City had Bailey Wright as captain for the first part of the season, but he went to Sunderland on loan on 21 January. Vice-captain Josh Brownhill then took over from 21 to 30 January, when he moved to Burnley; no new captain had been chosen by 30 January. Derby County let Richard Keogh go on 30 October 2019, and Curtis Davies stepped in as captain from that date until 1 January 2020. Huddersfield Town’s kit lacked Paddy Power’s logo because of the bookmaker’s “Save Our Shirt” campaign. Queens Park Rangers’ shirt sponsor was Royal Panda until 29 January 2020, when that company exited the UK market.