The play-offs for the English Championship are among the most thrilling – and lucrative – football events of the year. A spot in the Premier League is on the line, making these games some of the most intense and exciting of the season.
All that you need to understand about the 2021-22 Championship play-offs is covered in this blog post, including the teams and fixtures.
An introduction to Championship Play-Offs
The 3rd and last side to be relegated to the Premier League in England is decided through a sequence of qualification matches known as the Championship play-offs.
Finals are held after the regular season and involve the top four finishers in the league: third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
The sweetest of successes is the advancement to the EPL results through the play-offs, but the bitterest of defeats is losing. At least £135 million will be earned by the winner after just a single season in England’s Premier League, making the final touted as the wealthiest event in football.
This year’s semifinal matches are determined using a points system in which the third- and fourth-placed teams face each other, with the fifth-placed club facing the sixth-placed team, respectively. Finalists in the Championship play-off semi-finals advance to the final in a two-legged tiebreaker.
What’s in it for the winner?
Calculating the amount of money that will be awarded to the Championship Play-Off finalists in precise terms. Deloitte estimates that the elevated team will earn an additional income of at least $170 million in 2021, but the value could increase to more than $280 million.
However, this year’s final is worth considerably more. For the 2022/23 season, the Premier League winners will receive £176 million in prize money thanks to a significant rise in both abroad and UK-based broadcasting revenue.
This raise will trickle down to the lower divisions, compensating recently appointed teams who do well. No matter what happens, their piece of the television money pie will be far greater than it would be if they were to compete in the Champions League Series.
Qualified teams for the playoffs
As of this weekend, the first two competitors for the play-offs have been confirmed, with the other two sides already guaranteed elevation and four more vying for the final two spaces.
In the end, Fulham won the Championship, with Bournemouth taking second place on May 3. Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest have become the first two teams to compete for the playoffs with the return of the Cherries and the Cottagers to the EPL.
Luton Town’s hopes of qualifying for the League One play-offs were dashed when they were beaten by Bournemouth on May 3, but Forest are still in contention.
A 7-0 loss to Fulham over the weekend has blasted their points difference to a paltry +7, which is worse than any of the other three teams in the top six, including Middlesbrough and Millwall.
When can I catch the Championship Play-Offs?
After the end of the regular season, the championship playoffs are held. That means that in 2021-22, the regular season ends on May 7, 2022, which means that the very first games in the semi-final will be held on Friday, the 13th of May 2022.
This matchup is set to begin on May 14 with the first leg pitting fifth against fourth, with the rematches scheduled for the 16th and 17th of May. This year’s play-off final will be held on May 29th, according to the English Football League.
On May 29, 2022, the final of the 2022 Championship play-offs will be held. The game will be held at Wembley Stadium in London, which has hosted all EFL play-off finals, including the League One and League Two play-offs.
