Wembley Stadium will again host the Championship play-off final on 24 May, with gates opening at 13:30 for what organisers brand the £170 million match. Kick-off is booked for 16:30, allowing broadcasters to build a three-hour programme including drone-shot montages of Wembley Way and archival clips dating back to Charlton’s dramatic 1998 penalty triumph. The stadium bowl will be split diagonally, granting each finalist an initial 36,000 allocation in blocks demarcated by neutral stewards and a sterile strip to separate rival contingents. Oxford Circus-to-Wembley Park Underground services will run at six-minute intervals, while Chiltern Railways adds 10 charter trains from Birmingham Moor Street to ease cross-country demand.
The goal-line technology system has been recalibrated and both teams will train on the lush Desso GrassMaster surface the day before, restricted to 60-minute walk-throughs. In-stadium pricing has frozen with pints at £6.95 and soft drinks at £3.30, while a commemorative scarf-and-programme bundle retails at £15. A pre-match light show set to orchestral versions of club anthems will precede the traditional national anthem. At full time the victorious captain will ascend the 107-step route to lift the EFL trophy beneath confetti cannons loaded with biodegradable red, white, and blue shards.
Behind the spectacle lies high-stakes logistics: the winning side must submit Premier League stadium compliance documents within 48 hours, while the loser must file retained-list paperwork by 27 May. For fans and players alike the date is circled in thick ink-Wembley Awaits has never felt more literal.
