The EFL Championship enters its final days with only one promotion spot decided and a playoff spot still very much up for grabs.
MORE — Premier League table | Premier League fixtures
Frank Lampard’s Coventry City are returning to the top flight for the first time since they were relegated in 2001, ending their 39-year major trophy drought (1987 FA Cup) to win the division. The Sky Blues endured years of financial turmoil and looked like they might never climb their way back up the ranks but Lampard had his men simply outscoring anyone and everyone this season, with USMNT striker Haji Wright more than doing his part in the campaign.
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On the flip side, Wrexham are eyeing an astounding fourth promotion in four seasons and control thier own destiny when it comes to reaching the playoffs. Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac’s (nee: McElhenney) club was playing non-league football as recently as 2023, and the Reds are on the march once again with former Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore and ex-Rangers midfielder Josh Windass both hitting double-digit goals.
Kieran McKenna has led an Ipswich Town surge into second place with a match in-hand on their nearest challengers, Millwall, Middlesbrough, and Southampton. The Saints went down last season but have found their way back in the playoff places and they are also FA Cup semifinalist. Hull City, Derby County, and aforementioned Wrexham are alive for for the sixth and final playoff spot.
Current promotion standings (automatic + playoff places)
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Coventry City — 92 points, +48 GD — PROMOTED AS CHAMPIONS
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Ipswich Town — 80 points, +30 GD — Automatic spot
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Millwall — 80 points, +13 GD — Playoffs
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Middlesbrough — 79 points, +25 GD — Playoffs
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Southampton — 76 points, +24 GD — Playoffs
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Wrexham — 70 points, +4 GD — Playoffs
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Hull City — 70 points, +3 GD
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Derby County — 69 points, +9 GD
Permutations for the final days
Ipswich Town face Southampton on Tuesday in match which will decide the level of chaos possible on the final day of the season. If Ipswich win, McKenna’s men will have 83 points and simply need a draw in their final match to win promotion to the Premier League.
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If Southampton win, however, thing will be bonkers on Saturday when the entire division plays their 46th fixture. Ipswich would have 80 points and a healthy goal differential advantage on Millwall, who will have 80 points. Middlesbrough and Saints would each have 79 points.
Wrexham currently have the slimmest of advantages of Hull City for the final playoff place, and they have a much more difficult fixture on the final day. Hull are just a single goal behind Saints in GD. Should either falter, Derby County could leapfrog both by beating Sheffield United.
The final match day will see every game kickoff at 7:30am ET Saturday. Here are the matches that matter to the playoff and promotion races.
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Derby County vs Sheffield United
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Hull City vs Norwich City
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Ipswich Town vs Queens Park Rangers
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Millwall vs Oxford United
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Preston North End vs Southampton
How many points are usually needed for promotion?
In the last four seasons the minimum amount of points to achieve automatic promotion have been the following:
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2024-25: 100 points
2023-24: 96 points
2022-23: 91 points
2021-22: 88 points
So, as you can see, the number of points you need for automatic promotion just keeps on going up, but this season will be a little different.
How many points do you usually need to reach the Championship playoffs?
Across the same four-year span the following number of points have been enough to secure sixth-place, the final playoff spot:
2024-25: 68 points
2023-24: 73 points
2022-23: 69 points
2021-22: 75 points
What happens in the EFL Championship promotion playoffs?
The teams who finish in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth compete in the playoffs. Third plays sixth home and away in one semifinal and fourth plays fifth home and away in the other semifinal.
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The winners, on aggregate, of those two semifinals then meet in the one-off Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium. That game has to be decided on the day with extra time and penalty kicks if needed. The Championship playoff final is known as the richest game in sports.
Promotion predictions: Who will go up to the Premier League? — By Nick Mendola
Things change quickly in the Championship. Coventry City had been fading out of first place and Middlesbrough headed up with a rocket before Frank Lampard’s men beat Boro and used the win to ride right out of their slump. They’re up!
Millwall beat Boro to pass them on the table, but that’s further opened the door for Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys are buzzing and have a lead on third place in points with a match in-hand to boot. Right now, it looks like Kieran McKenna’s going to do it again.
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Southampton have surged up the table and the Saints are the form team, with automatic promotion still possible.
Ipswich Town are our current projection for the second automatic spot while we’ll tab Boro, Millwall, Saints, and Wrexham for the playoffs — even though Hull City are hanging tough ahead of Wrexham and Derby County — with Boro cleaning up its mess to find a place back in the PL.
Read the full article here
