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2025–26 Championship Playoffs: Fixtures, Dates, Teams in Contention
If teams want to reach the fabled Premier League, they must first navigate the Championship—the second tier of the English Football League (EFL).
That is no easy task. Widely regarded as one of the toughest leagues in Europe, the Championship combines relentless physical intensity with remarkable depth of quality, where any side can beat another on a given day.
Only a select few earn promotion each season, either automatically or via the notoriously unforgiving playoffs, where dreams are made and broken in the space of a few weeks.
Here, we focus on the latter. How do the Championship playoffs work? When are they held during the 2025–26 season? And which teams are in contention? Here’s everything you need to know.
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How Do the Championship Playoffs Work?
Once the Championship season concludes, the top two finishers secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The remaining promotion place is decided via the playoffs, contested by the teams that finish between third and sixth. The process begins with two semifinal ties, played over two legs. Third place faces sixth, while fourth take on fifth, with the higher-ranked side earning the advantage of hosting the second leg.
Each tie is settled on aggregate score across both matches. Should the teams be level after the return fixture, extra time is played and penalties are used if required to determine a winner.
The two semifinal victors then progress to the playoff final at Wembley Stadium—a one-off, winner-takes-all showdown often described as the most valuable match in football. Promotion is awarded to the winner, with extra time and penalties again coming into play if the match remains undecided after 90 minutes.
When Are the 2025–26 Championship Playoffs?
The 2025–26 Championship season will conclude with its final round of league fixtures taking place over the weekend of May 2–3, 2026.
While full playoff dates are yet to be confirmed by the EFL, the playoff final has been scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Wembley Stadium. The showpiece will take place one day before the League One final and two days ahead of the League Two final.
How Much Is Winning the Championship Playoff Final Worth?
The Championship playoff final is widely regarded as the most valuable single match in world football—worth more than even the Champions League final. But why?
There’s no official prize money for lifting the trophy itself. While clubs do earn additional revenue from a sold-out day at Wembley and broadcast exposure, the real value lies elsewhere: promotion to the Premier League.
Championship clubs typically earn around £11 million per season through EFL distributions and Premier League solidarity payments. That figure pales in comparison to Premier League income.
In the 2024–25 season, for example, every Premier League club received £7.9 million in central commercial revenue, plus equal shares of broadcast income—£29.8 million from domestic TV rights and £59.2 million from international rights.
On top of that are performance-based “merit payments,” which rise depending on a team’s final league position, and “facility fees” paid when matches are selected for live domestic broadcast. Even the team finishing bottom of the Premier League earned significantly more than any Championship side.
Then there are parachute payments. Clubs relegated after one season in the Premier League receive £41.6 million in their first year back in the Championship, followed by £34.0 million in their second. Even a brief stay in the top flight can transform a club’s finances.
That’s why winning the Championship playoff final is often described as football’s richest game—promotion alone can be worth well over £100 million.
Who Are in Contention for the 2025–26 Championship Playoffs?
As things stand, Coventry City—managed by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard—are the runaway leaders at the top of the Championship. They look firmly on course for automatic promotion, or at the very least a playoff place, though anything other than promotion would feel like a disappointment given their current advantage.
Below them, however, the picture is far less clear. Fewer than 10 points separate second place from 10th, leaving a huge cluster of clubs—ranging from Middlesbrough to Stoke City—well within reach of the playoffs.
As ever in the Championship, the league’s length and relentless competitiveness mean fortunes can change quickly. A strong run of wins or a brief slump can completely reshape the table, and realistically, even teams as low as 18th still have an outside chance of mounting a late playoff push.
*Championship table correct as of 29-12-25.
Position | Team | Played | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Coventry City | 23 | 51 | +31 |
2. | Middlesbrough | 23 | 43 | +9 |
3. | Ipswich Town | 23 | 38 | +15 |
4. | Hull City | 23 | 38 | +2 |
5. | Preston | 23 | 37 | +7 |
6. | Bristol City | 23 | 36 | +7 |
7. | Milwall | 23 | 36 | -6 |
8. | Watford | 23 | 35 | +4 |
9. | Queens Park Rangers | 23 | 35 | -2 |
10. | Stoke City | 23 | 34 | +7 |
Who Has the Best Championship Playoffs Record?
Crystal Palace are the most successful club in Championship playoff history, having secured promotion to the top flight via the playoffs on four separate occasions—more than any other side.
Several clubs have lifted the playoff trophy twice, including Fulham, West Ham United, Watford, Bolton Wanderers, Hull City and Swindon Town.
However, Swindon’s record comes with an asterisk: Although they won two playoff finals on the pitch, promotion was only granted once, with their first success in 1990 later voided due to financial irregularities.
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Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.