The 2025–26 season was the 121st season in the existence of Leicester City, and their 64th (non-consecutive) season in the second tier of English football. This season marked the club's return to the Championship following relegation from the Premier League in the previous season. In addition to the domestic league, they also competed in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. This season covers the latter period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.
This was the first season since 2011–12 not to feature the club's third-highest goalscorer Jamie Vardy. He left the club after his contract expired, having scored 200 goals in 500 games for the Foxes during his 13 seasons at the club. Vardy's departure also meant Leicester City no longer had a player from the 2015–16 title-winning squad at the club.
On 21 April, a 2–2 draw with Hull City meant that Leicester could not accumulate enough points to finish ahead of any other team excluding Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United. This led to Leicester being relegated to League One for the second time in their history, occurring only a decade after the club's remarkable Premier League triumph.
Review
Background The 2024–25 campaign was a disastrous season for Leicester City, as they had been relegated from the Premier League, following a 0–1 home loss to Liverpool on 20 April 2025.
They scored only 33 league goals all season, and conceded 80 goals, which is the highest number of goals they have conceded in a Premier League season in their history. They finished with a goal difference of −47, the worst in their history. Leicester failed to keep an away clean sheet, which was the worst away clean sheet record that season. They only kept three clean sheets at home in the Premier League, and went on a torrid spell of nine home games in a row without scoring, losing all of them. This run ended on 3 May 2025 with a 2–0 home win over Southampton. They also became the third team after Norwich City in 2020 and West Bromwich Albion in 2021 to suffer relegation at least five times.
Leicester won six Premier League games in the 2024–25 season, drew seven, and lost 25. This was statistically their worst 38 game Premier League season on record, with 2001–02 being better with 28 points amassed, compared to only 25 in 2024–25.
Pre-season Prior to the season starting, Ruud van Nistelrooy mutually agreed with the club to step down as manager on 27 June 2025. His replacement, Martí Cifuentes, was announced as manager on 15 July 2025, signing a three-year contract with the club.
Leicester played their first pre-season friendly against Peterborough United on 5 July 2025 on their training ground, which was won 3–1 by The Foxes after Louis Page scored in the 63rd minute, before Chris Conn-Clarke equalised for the visitors in the 74th minute, after which Page grabbed his brace in the 78th minute and Silko Thomas made it 3–1 to The Foxes, marking their first pre-season win.
On 12 July 2025, Leicester hosted another friendly at their training ground, this time against their sister club Oud-Heverlee Leuven, also owned by King Power. The game was played in four halves of 45 minutes, and Leicester won the game 2–1, after OHL defender Takahiro Akimoto scored an own goal to give Leicester the lead, before Jovan Mijatović equalised for the visitors. Then, Jordan Ayew scored a 119th-minute winner to win the game 2–1.
Then, The Foxes travelled to Austria for their pre-season tour and had three games scheduled against Zalaegerszeg, Karpaty Lviv and Köln.
The first of these games was played on 19 July 2025 against Zalaegerszeg, which Leicester won 1–0 thanks to a Jordan Ayew goal in the 70th minute. On 25 July, the squad was split into half to play two games on the same day, against Karpaty Lviv and Köln. The Foxes won against Karpaty Lviv 1–2 thanks to a Patson Daka brace after falling behind due to a Yaroslav Karabin goal in the 48th minute. Then, Leicester took on Köln in their final game of their pre-season tour, which they lost 1–3, courtesy to goals from Sebastian Sebulonsen, Luca Waldschmidt and Florian Kainz. Kasey McAteer scored the only Leicester goal in the 43rd minute.
Leicester then finished off their pre-season with a home game against Fiorentina on 3 August 2025. Leicester won the game 2–0 thanks to first half goals from Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu.
On 9 August 2025, the squad numbers for the First Team were announced ahead of Leicester's opening Championship clash against Sheffield Wednesday.
First team transfers (summer transfer window) The EFL Championship transfer window opened on 16 June 2025 and closed on 1 September 2025 at 19:00 BST.
On 27 May 2025, Leicester announced that 12 players were to be released, three of which were first team players, one of which was former club captain Jamie Vardy. This is the first season since 2011–12 to not feature him. He had made exactly 500 appearances and had scored 200 goals at the time of his departure. Vardy's departure also meant Leicester City no longer had a player from the 2015–16 title-winning squad at the club.
On 29 July 2025, the club announced the free transfer of ex-Everton and QPR goalkeeper Asmir Begović on a one-year contract.
On 1 August 2025, the club announced that defender Conor Coady had joined Championship rivals Wrexham on a permanent two-year contract, with the option to extend for another year, for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £2,000,000.
A week later, on 8 August 2025, the club announced that midfielder Wilfred Ndidi had joined Süper Lig side Beşiktaş on a permanent three-year contract, for a fee of £8,000,000.
A day later, on 9 August 2025, the club announced that goalkeeper Mads Hermansen had joined Premier League side West Ham United on a permanent five-year contract, with the option to extend for another year, for a fee of £20,000,000.
On 22 August 2025, the club announced that winger Kasey McAteer had joined Championship rivals Ipswich Town on a permanent four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee reported to be £12,000,000.
Three days later, on 25 August 2025, the club announced that defender James Justin had joined Premier League side Leeds United on a permanent four-year contract, for an initial fee of £8,000,000, with Leeds United paying £2,000,000 in add-ons.
On 1 September 2025 (deadline day), the club announced that midfielder Will Alves had joined EFL League One side Huddersfield Town on a one-year loan deal, for an undisclosed fee. Later the same day, the club announced the loan departures and loan signings of Bilal El Khannouss to VfB Stuttgart, Woyo Coulibaly to Sassuolo, and Julián Carranza, Jordan James and Aaron Ramsey to Leicester City respectively. All loan deals (departures and arrivals) are season long loans. All loan fees are undisclosed.
On 6 September 2025, the club announced that ex-Real Betis goalkeeper Fran Vieites had joined on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract.
August Cifuentes' side kicked off their Championship campaign with a 2–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday on 10 August 2025. Wednesday scored first, through a first half goal from Nathaniel Chalobah. However, Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes both scored crucial goals in the second half to earn Leicester a 2–1 win.
On 13 August, Leicester kicked off their EFL Cup campaign with an away game against EFL League One side Huddersfield Town as their first-round tie. Leicester drew the game 2–2 in normal regulation time, however lost 3–2 on penalties to Huddersfield, after Jordan Ayew, Bilal El Khannouss and Kasey McAteer missed their penalties.
Then, on 16 August, Leicester played their second away game of the season against Preston North End, where they had won 3–0 on 29 April 2024 to clinch the 2023–24 EFL Championship title. They lost the game 2–1, after Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine scored in the 7th minute to make it 1–0 to the hosts. Then, in the second half, Jeremy Monga scored an equaliser and become the Championship's youngest goalscorer at 16 years and 37 days of age. However, the hosts found a late winner through Milutin Osmajić and won the game 2–1.
The following Saturday, on 23 August 2025, Leicester played their third consecutive and third away game of the season against Charlton Athletic. They won the game 1–0 courtesy of a 2nd half Abdul Fatawu goal in the 48th minute.
On 29 August 2025, Leicester returned to the King Power Stadium and welcomed Birmingham City for another Championship clash. Leicester won the game 2–0, thanks to an early first half Abdul Fatawu goal in the 8th minute, after which in the second half, substitute Ricardo Pereira scored the 2nd goal in the 88th minute, which was provided by Jeremy Monga, to win the game 2–0.
Leicester had played five games in August, winning three (against Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City), drawing one (against Huddersfield Town in the EFL Cup but was subsequently knocked out in a penalty shootout), and losing one (against Preston North End).
By the end of August, Leicester had played four Championship games, won three, lost one, had nine points, and were 4th in the Championship table, one point off 2nd place, occupied by West Bromwich Albion at the time.
September Following the end of the first international break of the season, Leicester began September travelling away to Oxford United on 13 September 2025 for their first Championship game of September.
Oxford took the lead early on through Tottenham Hotspur loanee Will Lankshear in the 9th minute to make it 1–0 to the hosts. Jordan Ayew then proceeded to score just four minutes later in the 13th minute, to level the score at 1–1, and also grabbed his first Championship goal of the season. Then, Burnley loanee Aaron Ramsey got sent off just 24 minutes into his debut, and Leicester were down to 10 men. Oxford capitalised on this and led 2–1 at half-time through a Boubakary Soumaré own goal in the 44th minute. Then, in the second half, substitute Ricardo Pereira scored to level it at 2–2, which was the final score.
Leicester then returned to the King Power for another Championship clash, for an M69 derby against Coventry City on 20 September 2025. Leicester were held to a 0–0 draw by Coventry, with Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Carl Rushworth denying Leicester several times, resulting in both teams settling for a point.
Leicester then travelled away to The Hawthorns for a Friday Night Championship clash against West Bromwich Albion on 26 September 2025. Leicester went down early in the first half as Aston Villa loanee Samuel Iling-Junior scored on his debut to make it 1–0 to West Brom. Then, after an uneventful game, Bobby De Cordova-Reid struck at goal in the 93rd minute, and scored a deflection off of Nat Phillips. The goal was credited as an own goal by the latter, and the game ended 1–1.
To end September, Leicester welcomed Wrexham to the King Power on Tuesday night for a Championship clash on 30 September 2025. Leicester took the lead in the first half, with Rennes loanee Jordan James scoring the goal to put Leicester 1–0 up by half time. However, in a flip of the scripts against West Brom, Wrexham equalised late in the 77th minute as Nathan Broadhead scored for Wrexham to level the game at 1–1 at full time.
Leicester had played four games in September, drawing all four against Oxford United, Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion and Wrexham.
By the end of September, Leicester had played eight Championship games, won three, drawn four and lost one, had 13 points and were 6th in the Championship table, five points behind then-league leaders Middlesbrough.
October Leicester began October by travelling away to Swansea City on 4 October 2025 for their first Championship clash of the month.