Loftus Road is a weird place when things are going well. You can almost feel the corrugated iron vibrating when the R’s find a bit of rhythm. Right now, looking at the queens park rangers fc standings, there is a sense of "cautious optimism" that hasn't been felt in West London for quite a while. We aren't talking about a title charge—let’s be real here—but after the stress of the last few seasons, sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack feels like a luxury.
Honestly, the Championship is a meat grinder. You’ve got teams with massive parachute payments like Leicester City and Southampton dropping points left and right, yet here are QPR, holding their own under Julien Stéphan.
The Current State of the Table
As of mid-January 2026, QPR find themselves sitting in 11th place in the Championship. They’ve played 26 games, raking in 38 points. To put that in perspective, they are roughly 5 points off the playoff spots and a very comfortable 16 points clear of the relegation zone. For a fan base that spent most of 2024 checking the scores of teams in 22nd place, this is basically heaven.
The record stands at 11 wins, 5 draws, and 10 losses. It’s the definition of a "mixed bag," but the underlying numbers tell a more interesting story. Their goal difference is essentially flat at -1, having scored 38 and conceded 39.
Interestingly, the home form has been the backbone of this season. At Loftus Road, they’ve picked up 23 points from 13 games. Away from home? It’s a bit more of a struggle, with only 15 points from 13 trips. That’s a classic QPR trait—turning W12 into a fortress while forgetting how to play football the moment they hit the M25.
What Changed Under Julien Stéphan?
When Martí Cifuentes left the club in the summer of 2025, there was a lot of nervousness. Cifuentes had been the "miracle worker" who kept the club up, and replacing him felt like a massive gamble. Enter Julien Stéphan. The Frenchman, who previously won the Coupe de France with Rennes, brought a different kind of tactical discipline.
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Basically, Stéphan has moved away from the desperate "survive at all costs" mentality. He wants the team to play with more personality. You can see it in the way the midfield is organized now.
Instead of just hoofing it long to a lonely striker, the R's are actually trying to control the tempo. Nicolas Madsen has been the heartbeat of this transition. He’s played more minutes than almost anyone else (2,151 minutes across 26 matches) and has chipped in with 4 assists. He’s the guy who keeps things ticking when the game gets chaotic.
Rumarn Burrell and the Search for Goals
Let’s talk about the strikers, because that’s usually where QPR seasons go to die. This year has been different thanks to Rumarn Burrell. He has been a revelation, bagging 10 league goals so far.
Burrell isn't just a poacher. His expected goals (xG) sits at 10.0, meaning he’s finishing exactly what he should be. That’s a level of efficiency QPR fans haven't seen in a long time. Behind him, Richard Kone has been a solid secondary option with 5 goals, and Paul Smyth has chipped in with 6 from the wing.
It’s not all sunshine, though. The team still has a tendency to switch off. Look at that 1-7 drubbing against Coventry City earlier in the season—it was a total nightmare. It showed that while the floor has been raised, the ceiling is still a bit fragile.
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Comparing the Competition
If you look at the queens park rangers fc standings compared to the rest of the league, the gap to the top is still significant. Coventry City is currently running away with the league on 52 points, followed by Middlesbrough.
QPR are currently neck-and-neck with the likes of Bristol City and Stoke City. It’s a crowded mid-table. One good week where you pick up 6 points can catapult you into the top six conversation. One bad week? You’re back in 15th.
Defensive Stability (Or Lack Thereof)
- Jimmy Dunne: The captain has been a rock, playing 24 games and even scoring 3 goals. He’s also second in the team for assists (3), which is wild for a center-back.
- Paul Nardi: The Frenchman in goal has been busy. He’s kept 3 clean sheets but has a save percentage of around 62.7%.
- Steve Cook: The veteran presence. His clearance numbers are through the roof, averaging 7.2 per 90 minutes. He’s the "safety first" guy when the young defenders get too cute with the ball.
The "Ilias Chair" Factor
You can't talk about QPR without mentioning Ilias Chair. He’s the creative spark, even if his goal tally (0 in the league this season) doesn't reflect his impact. He has created 5 "big chances," the most in the squad.
There’s always talk of him leaving in the January window. Every year. Every window. If he stays, QPR have a genuine chance of pushing for a top-10 finish. If he goes, the creative burden falls heavily on Karamoko Dembélé and Kōki Saitō.
Saitō has been fun to watch. He’s got that low center of gravity that makes defenders look silly, and his expected assists (xA) of 3.0 suggests he’s been a bit unlucky not to have more than 2 actual assists on the board.
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What Most People Get Wrong About QPR Right Now
A lot of casual observers think QPR are still in a "relegation scrap" mindset. They aren't. The owners—Ruben Gnanalingam, Richard Reilly, and Lakshmi Mittal—have actually stabilized the ship.
The recruitment has been smarter. Instead of overpaying for aging Premier League stars, they’ve looked at players like Amadou Mbengue and Jonathan Varane. These are younger, hungrier players with sell-on value. It’s a business model that finally makes sense for a club of this size.
Practical Steps for Following the R’s
If you’re tracking the standings and want to know if QPR can actually make a late-season surge, keep an eye on these specific indicators:
- The Away Goal Drought: Until they start scoring more than 1.1 goals per game on the road, they won't break into the playoffs.
- Discipline: Amadou Mbengue already has 8 yellow cards. If the backline gets hit with suspensions in February, things could get ugly.
- The January Window: Watch if the club adds a veteran holding midfielder to support Sam Field and Isaac Hayden. They need someone to close out games when they are leading by one goal in the 80th minute.
The goal for the rest of the 2025-26 season is clear. Avoid the late-season collapse that has plagued the club in years past. If Stéphan can keep Burrell fit and keep the Loftus Road crowd engaged, a top-half finish is more than achievable. It might not be a promotion party yet, but for the first time in ages, QPR fans don't have to look at the standings with their hands over their eyes.
To get the most out of the remaining fixtures, monitor the fitness of Nicolas Madsen. He is the single point of failure in Stéphan's system; without his ball progression, the link between the defense and Rumarn Burrell completely vanishes. Focus on the upcoming home games against bottom-half sides as the litmus test for whether this 11th-place standing is a fluke or a foundation.