Oxford United has officially confirmed that Matt Bloomfield is no longer the club’s Men’s First Team Head Coach. The announcement, made on June 20, 2026, marks the end of a brief and ultimately unsuccessful tenure for the manager who was brought in to keep the club in English football’s second tier.

Bloomfield’s departure comes after Oxford United’s relegation from the EFL Championship, where the club had spent the previous two seasons. The club has already begun searching for his replacement.

A short-lived appointment ends in relegation

Bloomfield was appointed on January 9, 2026, taking over from Gary Rowett partway through what turned out to be a bruising Championship campaign.

Prior to his time at Oxford, Bloomfield had accumulated more than 150 EFL matches in head-coach roles. His managerial CV included stints at Colchester United, Wycombe Wanderers, and Luton Town, giving him a solid grounding in the realities of lower-league English football management.

What relegation means for Oxford United

Oxford’s two-year stay in the Championship represented a high point for a club that has experienced significant ups and downs throughout its history. The Championship itself is widely regarded as one of the most competitive leagues in European football, with 24 teams battling across a grueling 46-game season.

Relegation drops Oxford back to League One, the third tier of English football. Championship clubs benefit from substantial television and solidarity payments that dwarf what’s available in League One.