2026–27 Championship Playoffs: Fixtures, Dates, Teams in Contention

The Championship playoff final is often considered the richest single match in world soccer.

Hull City won the 2025-26 Championship playoffs. | Julian Finney/Getty Images

The road to the Premier League runs through the Championship, the second level of English soccer and one of the most fiercely contested divisions in the game.

With 24 clubs battling through a demanding 46-game schedule, the league offers little room for error. Established names, ambitious newcomers and fallen top-flight sides all compete in a division where the gap between teams is often remarkably small.

Promotion is the ultimate prize, but only a handful of clubs get there each year. Some earn their place automatically, while others must endure the high-pressure playoffs, where an entire season can come down to a few crucial games.

That’s what we’re focusing on here: how the Championship playoffs work, when they take place in 2026–27, and which teams can compete for the final promotion spot.

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Jump To:

1. How do the Championship Playoffs Work?
2. When Are the 2026–27 Championship Playoffs?
3. Current Championship Playoffs, Standings
4. How Much Is Winning the Championship Playoff Final Worth?
5. Who Has the Best Championship Playoffs Record?

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How do the Championship Playoffs Work?

Sunderland won the 2025-26 Championship playoff final. | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The top two Championship finishers earn automatic promotion to the Premier League, leaving one final spot to be claimed through the playoffs.

For decades, the playoffs featured the four teams who finished third to sixth. The team who finished third would face sixth in a two-legged semifinal, with fourth playing fifth over the same format. The winners then met each other for a place in the Premier League.

Things have been shaken up for 2026–27, though, with the EFL adopting the format used in the National League since 2017.

How the EFL Championship Playoffs Work From 2026-27 Onwards

• The playoffs in the Championship will consist of seven fixtures.
• Fifth will play eighth, sixth will play seventh in two single eliminator games.
• The two winners will go on to contest the semifinals against the teams that finished third and fourth. These games will be played over two legs.
• The winners will meet at Wembley Stadium in a one-off final. Extra time and a penalty shootout will decide the game if necessary.

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When Are the 2026–27 Championship Playoffs?

The 2026–27 Championship regular season is scheduled to finish on Saturday, May 1, 2027, with the final round of fixtures.

The EFL has yet to confirm the playoff schedule, but the semifinals and Wembley final will conclude before the end of the month.

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How Much Is Winning the Championship Playoff Final Worth?

The Championship playoff final is supposedly soccer’s “richest game.” | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The Championship playoff final is often regarded as the most lucrative game in soccer, and the reason has little to do with the trophy itself.

There is no huge EFL prize for winning the final. The Wembley occasion can generate extra ticket and broadcast revenue, but the real jackpot is promotion to the Premier League.

A typical Championship club receives roughly £11 million ($15 million) through solidarity and broadcast distributions. In the Premier League, the numbers are dramatically higher. Even the bottom club received around £109 million ($147 million) in central payments in 2025–26, before accounting for other commercial and matchday income.

Promotion can also trigger a huge increase in a club’s overall revenue. Deloitte estimates that newly promoted Coventry and Hull could gain at least £210 million ($283 million) across three seasons, with the figure potentially rising to £365 million ($492 million) if they remain in the Premier League for a second season.

And if a promoted club is relegated after just one season, parachute payments provide further protection, with first-year payments now estimated at around £56 million ($76 million).

So while there is no official jackpot attached to the playoff final, winning it can transform a club’s finances almost overnight.

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Who Has the Best Championship Playoffs Record?

Palace are playoff specialists. | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Crystal Palace sit at the top of the Championship playoff record books, having earned promotion through the postseason four times, more than any other club.

Hull City, who won the 2025–26 final, are three-time playoff winners. Fulham, West Ham United, Watford, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and Swindon Town have each won the final twice.

Swindon’s record is slightly complicated, though. Their 1990 victory was later overturned because of financial irregularities, meaning only one of their two playoff wins ultimately resulted in promotion.

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