Updated March 17, 2026
Fratton Park fights for Championship survival in its second season back
Portsmouth's return to the Championship after winning the League One title in 2023-24 has been a gritty survival battle rather than the consolidation the club hoped for. Sitting twentieth with 10 wins from 34 matches under John Mousinho, Pompey's second consecutive season in the second tier is under threat. The squad has struggled to score, managing just 34 goals, and the run-in includes daunting fixtures against Middlesbrough, Coventry, and Birmingham.
Fratton Park's famous atmosphere sustains a club punching above its weight
The Pompey Chimes echoing around Fratton Park remain one of English football's most iconic sounds, and average attendances above 20,000 demonstrate that the south-coast club's fanbase has not wavered despite the on-pitch struggles. Portsmouth won the FA Cup in 2008 and played in the Premier League, but administration and a drop to League Two followed. The journey back to the Championship has been hard-won, and the supporters will not let go of second-tier status without a fight.
From League Two to the Championship in a decade
Portsmouth's climb from League Two, where they spent four seasons between 2013 and 2017, through League One and into the Championship represents one of the most resilient rebuilds in recent English football history. The club's community ownership model during the darkest days kept Pompey alive, and while the ownership structure has since changed, that spirit of collective defiance still permeates the club. Survival this season would represent another chapter in a remarkable comeback story.