The Championship play-offs provide English football’s most dramatic gateway to the Premier League and are contested every May by the clubs finishing third to sixth in the regular season table. Third place meets sixth and fourth faces fifth over two-legged semi-finals, with the higher-seeded side hosting the decisive second leg. Aggregate score alone determines progress; the away-goals rule was scrapped in 1999, so if totals are level after 180 minutes the tie moves to 30 minutes of extra time and then penalties if required. Video assistant referees are not used in the semi-finals but are employed for the Wembley final.
Squads may name nine substitutes in play-off fixtures and utilise up to five in three substitution windows, mirroring league protocol. Players sent off in the final regular-season round must serve suspensions in the play-offs, while yellow-card tallies reset so no one misses out for accumulation. The winners of each semi-final meet in a one-off final at Wembley on 24 May, with Premier League membership and an estimated £170 million windfall on the line. Promotion completes the English Football League pyramid, joining the automatic places claimed by the top two.
Since 1987 the play-offs have produced fairytale rises such as Blackpool in 2010 and surprise heartbreaks like Brentford’s defeat in 2020. Clubs spend months preparing for the possibility, securing provisional hotel bookings near Wembley and scheduling recovery micro-cycles so players peak for two intense weeks. Fans relish the jeopardy: every pass, clearance, or VAR review can redefine a club’s financial future and historical trajectory.
