The Championship is entering its final two weeks, with teams vying for the chance to win promotion to the Premier League. Burnley have already secured their spot in the top tier, while Sheffield United are well-placed to join them. Up to ten clubs still have a realistic chance of making it into one of the four play-off spots. The play-off final is the most financially lucrative game in football, with hundreds of millions of pounds at stake for the winners.
The top two teams in the Championship will gain automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams finishing from third to sixth will qualify for the play-offs. The third placed team will play the sixth placed team in the first semi-final, with the side in third playing the second leg at home. The fourth and fifth placed teams will contest the other semi-final, with the club who finished the season in fourth having home advantage in the second leg. The away goals rule is not enforced in the Championship play-offs meaning that, in the event of a draw on aggregate at the end of the second leg, extra-time will be used along with penalties if required. The winners of the two semi-finals will then meet in the final on Saturday, May 27, with kick-off at Wembley at 3pm. Nottingham Forest won last year’s play-off final against Huddersfield.