The Championship play-offs are among the most lucrative and exciting games in English football, with a coveted place in the Premier League at stake.
Taking place after the league phase has concluded, the mini-tournament makes for a compelling end to the season, with only one team going up, while the remaining sides face another year in the second tier.
Goal brings you everything you need to know about the competition phase, when the games are, what TV channels they are available to watch on and more.
Contents
- What are the Championship play-offs?
- Which teams qualified for the Championship play-offs in 2021?
- When are the Championship 2021 play-offs?
- When & where is the 2021 Championship play-off final?
- Championship play-offs TV channel & live stream
- Who won last year's Championship play-offs?
What are the Championship play-offs?
The Championship play-offs in England are knock-out games which occur after the regular Championship season with the aim of deciding which team takes the final promotion spot to the Premier League.
Two teams - first place and second place - earn automatic promotion, but the teams which finish third, fourth, fifth and sixth enter a play-off series.
A merit system is in place to pair the teams for the semi-finals. Third place plays sixth place in one semi-final and fourth place plays fifth place in the other semi-final.
The Championship semi-finals are traditionally two-legged affairs, but the away goals rule does not apply. The semi-final winners progress to the play-off final.
Which teams qualified for the Championship play-offs in 2021?
Brentford secured their place in the 2021 Championship play-offs with three games to spare. The Bees will be joined in the promotion tournament by Bournemouth , Swansea and Barnsley .
Championship table 2020-21
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwich City (P) | 46 | 29 | 10 | 7 | +39 | 97 |
| 2 | Watford (P) | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | +33 | 91 |
| 3 | Brentford (Q) | 46 | 24 | 15 | 7 | +37 | 87 |
| 4 | Swansea (Q) | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | +17 | 80 |
| 5 | Barnsley (Q) | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | +8 | 78 |
| 6 | Bournemouth (Q) | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | +27 | 77 |
Last updated: Games played on May 8, 2021 | Key: (P) - secured promotion | (Q) - qualified for play-offs
Norwich City secured automatic promotion in April, with Watford joining the Canaries a few weeks later with a second-placed finish.
When are the Championship 2021 play-offs?
Championship play-off final
| Date | Team | Result | Team | Kick off time (BST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29 | Brentford | 2-0 | Swansea | 3pm |
The Championship play-off final took place on Saturday May 29, 2021 and finished 2-0 to Brentford, with goals from Ivan Toney and Emiliano Marcondes defeating 10-man Swansea City.
Championship play-off semi-finals
| Team | Agg. | Team | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentford | 3-2 | Bournemouth | 0-1 | 3-1 |
| Barnsley | 1-2 | Swansea | 0-1 | 1-1 |
The play-off semi-finals began on May 17, with the second legs being played five days later on May 22.
When & where is the 2021 Championship play-off final?
The 2021 Championship play-off final was played on May 29, 2021.
Wembley Stadium in London will hosted the Championship play-off final and it is the traditional venue for all EFL promotion deciders, including those for League One and League Two.
A total of 10,000 spectators were allowed into the 90,000-seater stadium for the final, with each team receiving an allocation of just under 4,000 tickets.
The FA Cup final and the Carabao Cup final, which were played at Wembley, also featured a limited number of fans.
Championship play-offs TV channel & live stream
Sky Sports has exclusive broadcasting rights for the Championship in the UK and the play-offs will be shown live on Sky Sports Football . In terms of online streaming, Sky Go is the network's dedicated service.
In the US, the ESPN / BAMTech network and its online streaming platform ESPN+ are the sole outlets broadcasting the Championship play-offs.
Who won last year's Championship play-offs?
Fulham won the 2020 Championship play-offs to book their place in the 2020-21 Premier League.
They overcame Cardiff City in the semi-final to set up the winner-takes-all tie against Brentford, who had beaten Swansea City.
Managed by Scott Parker, the Cottagers defeated the Bees 2-1 in the final, with all three goals coming in extra time. Joe Bryan scored both of Fulham's goals, including a spectacular 40-yard free kick.
Henrik Dalsgaard nabbed a consolation goal for Brentford in the final minute, but Parker's side held on to clinch promotion.
The game was played behind closed doors due to public health concerns related to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Fulham joined West Brom and Leeds United in moving up to the top flight for the 2020-21 campaign.