2026 Championship Playoffs: Fixtures, Teams, and Viewing Information

The 2026 Championship playoffs are rapidly approaching, bringing with them the excitement of a final showdown in the English Football League. The playoffs will consist of four teams competing for the coveted final promotion spot to the Premier League.

Since their introduction in 1987, the playoff system has undergone various changes, now featuring a format where the teams finishing third through sixth in the league standings battle it out for a place in the top flight. The top two teams grab automatic promotion, while the remaining four enter the high-stakes playoff bracket.

The playoff mechanism is thrilling: the teams ranked third through sixth face off in semi-finals. In these matchups, the third-placed team competes against the sixth-placed team, while the fourth and fifth-placed teams also clash. Each tie consists of two legs, with aggregate scoring determining the winner. If the overall scores are tied, extra time and, if necessary, penalties will decide the victor.

The champions of the semi-finals advance to the playoff final at Wembley Stadium. This one-off match is crucial, as it finalizes one team’s promotion to the Premier League for the following season.

As of now, the teams that have qualified for the playoffs are:
– Coventry City
– Middlesbrough
– Ipswich Town
– Hull City

The Championship playoffs are scheduled to commence shortly after the regular season concludes on May 2 and 3, 2026. The playoff final is set for Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the iconic Wembley Stadium, known as ‘The Home of Football’, which has a capacity of 90,000.

For fans looking to catch the action, Sky Sports will broadcast all playoff games in the UK, while viewers in the United States can tune in through CBS Sports Network and Paramount+, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial for new subscribers.

Winning the Championship playoffs is often referred to as ‘The Richest Game in Football’. The financial benefits of promotion, which can exceed £100 million ($120 million) due to TV revenue and sponsorships, make this playoff stage critically important for the competing clubs.