The regular season wraps up on Saturday, May 2, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously at 12.30pm
Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham lifts the trophy after the Sky Bet Championship play-off final(Image: Getty Images)
The race for promotion is about to reach its dramatic conclusion, with the 2025/26 Championship play-offs just around the corner.
The regular season wraps up on Saturday, May 2, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously at 12.30pm, before attention quickly turns to the play-offs, where the teams finishing third to sixth will battle it out for the final place in the Premier League.
The play-offs are often dubbed the richest game in football, and this year’s schedule promises more high-stakes drama across a packed fortnight.
Key Championship play-off dates
Semi-final first legs
6th vs 3rd – Friday, May 8 (8pm)
5th vs 4th – Saturday, May 9 (12.30pm)
Semi-final second legs
3rd vs 6th – Monday, May 11 (8pm)
4th vs 5th – Tuesday, May 12 (8pm)
Play-off final
Saturday, May 23 – Wembley Stadium
Are the Championship play-offs on TV?
All matches will be shown live on Sky Sports, with the final taking place at Wembley Stadium across the Bank Holiday weekend.
They can also be live streamed on Sky Go or the Sky Sports app for Sky Sports customers.
How much is Championship promotion worth?
The financial rewards on offer in the 2025/26 Championship play-offs once again underline just how high the stakes are.
The winners of this season’s final are set to bank a minimum of around £200million in additional income, thanks to the huge uplift that comes with promotion to the Premier League.
Clubs promoted via Wembley will benefit from a share of the league’s lucrative domestic TV deal — currently worth £6.7bn across four seasons — along with centralised commercial revenue, facility fees and merit payments.
There is also the added safety net of parachute payments should they suffer relegation back to the Championship in future seasons, further boosting the overall value of promotion.
Both finalists will also receive a share of the Wembley gate receipts, typically worth in the region of £2million each, regardless of the result.
