EFL Championship Playoffs: From Promotion to the most valuable Match in the World

You can hardly imagine more drama than in the EFL Championship Playoffs, the promotion games to the Premier League. Especially the second semi-final between Coventry City and AFC Sunderland (1:2 AET / first leg: 1:2) on May 13, 2025, showed: triumph and tragedy are often just seconds apart. It's about promotion to the strongest league in the world, the greatest global media attention for a national league, and - of course - a lot of money. 

"The story of two headers – drama at the Stadium of Light" – British newspaper boys could have shouted it into the night, and that's how BBC Sport described "the most dramatic final imaginable" on May 14, 2025.

It referred to the second leg of the semi-final in the EFL Championship Playoffs for the Premier League between AFC Sunderland and Coventry City (1:1 AET). 

Premier League Promotion Mode: Just three games…

On paper, it's "just" the four teams following the two automatic promotion teams (2025: Leeds United and Burnley FC) that play for the last available Premier League spot. 

Third vs. sixth and fourth vs. fifth. The two semi-final winners go to Wembley to battle for the 20th spot in next season's Premier League. 

Crystal Palace, most recently in 2013, and Blackpool FC, who won the “Million Game” in 2010 with a 3:2 against Welsh club Cardiff City, hold the record for most successful final appearances, with four each. 

Fulham FC, West Ham United, Watford FC, and the Bolton Wanderers each won three times. 

Three games and you're in the Million Game Premier League – if only it were that simple! 

No, in fact, the Premier League playoff means: "Paradise or Pain." That's how the British commentator opened the match in Sunderland. 

Championship Wembley 2025: Pure drama in Sunderland 

That was meant literally! Desperate Sunderland fans, celebrating Coventry supporters after the 0:1 that would have taken their team to the final, and as the final twist, a perfectly downward-headed goal by Dan Ballard that went in off the crossbar. This goal caused unbelievable celebration scenes for AFC Sunderland in the 122nd minute. Seconds before the penalty shootout, the aggregate was 3:2 – it was the last action of the match. "I was so determined, I can’t say what happened," said Ballard to Sky Sports UK, "this is what dreams are made of, the fans were incredible."

Just seconds earlier, Coventry – led into the playoffs from 17th place by England idol Frank "Lamps" Lampard – had a huge chance to win through a header by US international Haji Wright. So much for the "story of two headers."

"The Blades" of Sheffield United made it anything but exciting against Bristol City on May 8 / 12, 2025 – 6:0 on aggregate. 

The story of the Wembley Championship Playoff to the Premier League actually reflects what those 120 minutes in Sunderland were all about: drama, emotion, seconds between celebration and despair. 

2013: Ten seconds of madness…

Like in 2013, when Watford FC – where ex-president Sir Elton John "scouts players no one knows" – turned the game within seconds against future Premier League champions Leicester City. 

First, with the score at 1:1, "The Foxes" were awarded a penalty, which ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia saved twice against Anthony Knockaert. A long clearance by Almunia then initiated the decision that lifted every home fan at Vicarage Road – 2:1 just ten seconds after the saved penalty thanks to Troy Deeney's goal, sending "The Hornets" to the Premier League promotion final. Deeney jumped into the ecstatic crowd. Watford's Italian coach Gianfranco Zola, whom I interviewed in Wembley in 2009, went completely wild. 

It can get even more dramatic. Like in 2017. Huddersfield Town, coached by German-American David Wagner, met Reading FC in the final and this time the final Premier League ticket was decided in a penalty shootout.

The celebration pictures from Wembley, including Huddersfield superfan Patrick Stewart ("Star Trek – The Next Generation") in the stands – that's all you need to know…

In 2022, I wrote for event-breaks.com about the return of a legend.

Nottingham Forest returned to the Premier League after 23 years and a 1:0 final win in Wembley against Huddersfield. The promotion also gave the "Tricky Trees" a financial boost. They were able to invest the more than 175 million euros of Premier League TV money for promoted teams into new stars, stayed in the Premier League, and now in 2025, they have a chance to return to international competition. 

Last year, “The White Wall of Wembley”, formed by the white-clad fans of Leeds United, couldn't prevent the 0:1 defeat against Southampton FC. 

Chronicle of a goal foretold 

My personal favorite Wembley final moment is this: Dean Windass. A 39-year-old striker veteran at the time, seen as out of his era by fans and experts, scored the winning goal for Hull City against Bristol City (1:0) in 2008, promoting them to the Premier League. 

A goal with a promise. “When coach Phil Brown benched me in January against Sheffield United,” said Dean Windass in the Guardian, “I told him I would score the goal that takes Hull to the Premier League.”

"Arrival in the land of the rich" – that was the headline of my report for the first EFL Championship Playoff Final in Cardiff in 2005, published in DIE WELT. The English football temple Wembley was under renovation from 2000, so the EFL chose the Welsh capital for the final venue through 2006. 

West Ham United returned to the Premier League with a 1:0 win against Preston North End, thanks to a goal by Bobby Zamora. With this goal, the England U21 international secured what now seems a modest guaranteed sum of around 45 million euros, among other things due to the always lucrative Premier League TV deals since the league's founding in 1992. 

Premier League Promotion Money: What’s behind the “Million Game”?

That was 20 years ago. Since then, the importance of the world's most valuable single football match has multiplied. In 2020, the consulting and auditing firm Deloitte described it as "the contest for the biggest financial prize in world football." 

According to Deloitte, promotion to the Premier League is worth about 101 million euros in the first season – from advertising and TV revenues. In the second season, even in case of immediate relegation, the "parachute payments" bring in around 85 million euros. 

Fulham FC and Luton Town were relegated again in 2020 and 2023 respectively, but still raked in more than 200 million euros. Had both clubs avoided relegation, they could have earned a staggering 345 million euros over three seasons. 

This is the kind of money Aston Villa collected after returning to the Premier League via the 2019 Championship Playoff Final (2:1 against Derby County). Now, thanks to their 2024/2025 Champions League participation, they are back among the Premier League elite. 

EFL Championship: Who gets promoted? 

AFC Sunderland, whose recent history is also featured in the Netflix documentary Sunderland 'til I die, will face Sheffield United in the Wembley Championship Playoff on May 24, 2025 (4 PM). The winner gets promoted to the Premier League and receives a trophy.

The loser at least gets the revenue from ticket sales of the Wembley final.