EFL Championship

Last updated

EFL Championship
EFL Championship Logo.svg
Founded
  • 1892;132 years ago (1892) (as Football League Second Division)
  • 1992;32 years ago (1992) as (Football League First Division)
  • 2004;20 years ago (2004) (as Football League Championship)
  • 2016;8 years ago (2016) (as EFL Championship)
Country England
Other club(s) from Wales
Number of clubs 24
Level on pyramid 2
Promotion to Premier League
Relegation to EFL League One
Domestic cup(s)
League cup(s)
International cup(s)
Current champions Leicester City
2nd title and 8th Second tier title
(2023–24)
Most championships
TV partners List of broadcasters
Website Official website
Current: 2024–25 EFL Championship

The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship in England and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, [1] is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the English football league system, after the Premier League, and is currently contested by 24 clubs.

Contents

Introduced for the 2004–05 season as the Football League Championship, the division is a rebrand of the former Football League First Division, which itself is a rebrand of the now-defunct Football League Second Division prior to the 1992 launch of the Premier League. The winning club of this division each season receives the EFL Championship trophy, which was the previous trophy awarded to the winners of the English top-flight prior to the launch of the Premier League. As with other divisions of professional English football, Welsh clubs can be part of this division, thus making it a cross-border league.

Each season, the two top-finishing teams in the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League. The teams that finish the season in 3rd to 6th place enter a playoff tournament, with the winner also gaining promotion to the Premier League. The three lowest-finishing teams in the Championship are relegated to League One.

The Championship is the wealthiest non-top-flight football division in the world, the ninth-richest division in Europe, [2] and the 12th best-attended division in world football (with the second highest per-match attendance of any secondary league – after the German 2.Bundesliga). [3] Its average match attendance for the 2022–23 season was 18,787. [4]

Cardiff City have spent more seasons in this division than any other team, and Bristol City, Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers currently hold the longest tenure in this division, having last been absent in the 2014–15 season. Barnsley became the first club to attain 1,000 wins in second-tier English league football with a 2–1 home victory over Coventry City on 3 January 2011. They also became the first club to play 3,000 games in second-level English league football following another 2–1 home victory, this time against Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 March 2013 [5] The current champions of the league are Leicester City.

History

Sunderland won the league in the first season since rebranding, with Wigan Athletic finishing second to win promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history. They had only been elected to the Football League in 1978 playing in the fourth tier as recently as 1994 before their promotion. West Ham United won the first Championship play-off final that season, following a 1–0 victory over Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The 2004–05 season saw the division announce a total attendance (including postseason) of 9.8 million, the fourth-highest total attendance for a European football division, behind the Premier League (12.88 million), Spain's La Liga (11.57 million) and Germany's Bundesliga (10.92 million). [6] [7] [8] Additionally, Millwall, competing in the inaugural Championship season, qualified for the UEFA Cup, only to lose in the first qualifying round. In the 2005–06 season, Reading broke the Football League points record for a season, finishing with 106 points, exceeding the record of 105 set by Sunderland in 1999. [9]

Sunderland won their second Championship title in the 2006–07 season, after being relegated from the top division the previous season. On 4 May 2007, Leeds United became the first side since the re-branding of the division to enter administration; they were deducted 10 points and were relegated as a result. [10] [11] On 28 May 2007, Derby County won the first Championship play-off final at the new Wembley Stadium, beating West Bromwich Albion 1–0. [12] West Brom would go on to win the Championship in the following season.

Burnley, who finished fifth in 2009, defeated Sheffield United to earn their first season in the newly branded Premier League, last being in the Football League First Division in 1976. [13]

On 30 September 2009, Coca-Cola announced they would end their sponsorship deal with the Football League, which began in 2004, at the end of the 2009–10 season. [14] On 16 March 2010, npower were announced as the new title sponsors of the Football League, and from the start of the 2010–11 Football League season until the end of the 2012–13 season, the Football League Championship was known as the Npower Championship. [15] Crystal Palace became the second Championship club to enter administration in 2010. [16]

After winning the 2011 League Cup final, Birmingham City became the first Championship club to compete in the group stage of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, finishing third in the group, only one point behind Portuguese club Braga. Birmingham City eventually finished fourth in the Championship that season, and would lose to fifth-place Blackpool in the play-off. Wigan Athletic became the second club to participate in the Europa League group stage after winning the 2013 FA Cup, only to accumulate one win and lose their last three group matches. [17]

On 18 July 2013, UK bookmaker Sky Bet announced that they had signed a five-year agreement to sponsor the league. [18]

On 24 May 2014, the Championship play-off final between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers saw the highest crowd for any Championship fixture – 87,348 witnessed a Bobby Zamora stoppage time winner for QPR to win promotion for the London club. [19]

For the 2016–17 season, the Football League was rebranded as the English Football League. The league had a cumulative attendance of more than 11 million – excluding play-off matches – with more than two million watching Newcastle United and Aston Villa home fixtures alone, both of whom had been relegated from the Premier League in the previous season. This was included in the highest crowds for the second to fourth tier in England since the 1958–59 season. [20] Newcastle won the title in 2016–17, while Aston Villa finished 13th, eventually returning to the Premier League in 2019. [21]

On 13 March 2020, Championship play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a suspension lasting until 4 April. It was then extended to the end of April, with the league eventually restarting on 20 June. Leeds United were confirmed as champions on 17 July 2020, being promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years. [22]

Brentford, having been in League Two in 2009 and gaining promotion to the Championship five years later, were promoted following a play-off victory against Swansea City on 29 May 2021, after losing the play-off to Fulham the previous year. [23] On 29 May 2022, Nottingham Forest, having been in the Championship for 14 consecutive seasons, ended their 23-year absence from the top flight by beating Huddersfield Town in the play-off final, after being last in the league as late as round 8 of the 2021–22 season. [24]

The EFL Championship took a unique four-week break in November and December 2022 to allow for players to join their national teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. [25]

League structure

The league comprises 24 teams. Over the course of a season, which runs annually from August to the following May (in 2022, the year of a World Cup break in November and December, the league started in July), each team plays twice against the others in the league, once at 'home' and once 'away', resulting in each team competing in 46 games in total. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the league table by points gained, then goal difference, then goals scored, and then their head-to-head record for that season (including away goals record). If two or more teams finish the season equal in all these respects, then teams are separated by alphabetical order, unless a promotion, relegation, or play-off place (see below) is at stake, when the teams are separated by a play-off game, though this improbable situation has never arisen in all the years the rule has existed. [26]

At the end of the season, the top two teams and the winner of the Championship play-offs are promoted to the Premier League and the bottom three teams are relegated to EFL League One. The Football League Championship play-offs is a knock-out competition for the teams finishing the season in third to sixth place with the winner being promoted to the Premier League. In the play-offs, the third-placed team plays against the sixth-placed team and the fourth-placed team plays against the fifth-placed team in two-legged semi-finals (home and away). The winners of each semi-final then compete in a single match at Wembley Stadium with the prize being promotion to the Premier League and the Championship play-off trophy.

Current members

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Ewood Park 31,367
Bristol City Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium 27,000
Burnley Burnley Turf Moor 21,944
Cardiff City Cardiff Cardiff City Stadium 33,280
Coventry City Coventry Coventry Building Society Arena 32,609
Derby County Derby Pride Park Stadium 32,956
Hull City Kingston upon Hull MKM Stadium 25,586
Leeds United Leeds Elland Road 37,608
Luton Town Luton Kenilworth Road 12,000
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium 34,742
Millwall London (Bermondsey) The Den 20,146
Norwich City Norwich Carrow Road 27,359
Oxford United Oxford Kassam Stadium 12,500
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Home Park 17,900
Portsmouth Portsmouth Fratton Park 20,899
Preston North End Preston Deepdale 23,404
Queens Park Rangers London (Shepherd's Bush) Loftus Road 18,439
Sheffield United Sheffield Bramall Lane 32,050
Sheffield Wednesday Hillsborough Stadium 39,732
Stoke City Stoke-on-Trent bet365 Stadium 30,089
Sunderland Sunderland Stadium of Light 49,000
Swansea City Swansea Swansea.com Stadium 21,088
Watford Watford Vicarage Road 22,200
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich The Hawthorns 26,850

    Results

    League champions, runners-up and play-off finalists

    SeasonChampionsRunners-upPlay-off winnersScorePlay-off runners-up
    2004–05 Sunderland 94 Wigan Athletic 87 West Ham United 73 (6th)1–0 Preston North End 75 (5th)
    2005–06 Reading 106 Sheffield United 90 Watford 81 (3rd)3–0 Leeds United 78 (5th)
    2006–07 Sunderland 88 Birmingham City 86 Derby County 84 (3rd)1–0 West Bromwich Albion 76 (4th)
    2007–08 West Bromwich Albion 81 Stoke City 79 Hull City 75 (3rd)1–0 Bristol City 74 (4th)
    2008–09 Wolverhampton Wanderers 90 Birmingham City 83 Burnley 76 (5th)1–0 Sheffield United 80 (3rd)
    2009–10 Newcastle United 102 West Bromwich Albion 91 Blackpool 70 (6th)3–2 Cardiff City 76 (4th)
    2010–11 Queens Park Rangers 88 Norwich City 1 84 Swansea City 80 (3rd)4–2 Reading 77 (5th)
    2011–12 Reading 89 Southampton 88 West Ham United 86 (3rd)2–1 Blackpool 75 (5th)
    2012–13 Cardiff City 87 Hull City 79 Crystal Palace 72 (5th)1–0 ( a.e.t. ) Watford 77 (3rd)
    2013–14 Leicester City 102 Burnley 93 Queens Park Rangers 80 (4th)1–0 Derby County 85 (3rd)
    2014–15 Bournemouth 90 Watford 89 Norwich City 86 (3rd)2–0 Middlesbrough 85 (4th)
    2015–16 Burnley 93 Middlesbrough 89 Hull City 83 (4th)1–0 Sheffield Wednesday 74 (6th)
    2016–17 Newcastle United 94 Brighton & Hove Albion 93 Huddersfield Town 81 (5th)0–0 (4–3 pen.) Reading 85 (3rd)
    2017–18 Wolverhampton Wanderers 99 Cardiff City 90 Fulham 88 (3rd)1–0 Aston Villa 83 (4th)
    2018–19 Norwich City 94 Sheffield United 89 Aston Villa 76 (5th)2–1 Derby County 74 (6th)
    2019–20 Leeds United 93 West Bromwich Albion 83 Fulham 81 (4th)2–1 ( a.e.t. ) Brentford 81 (3rd)
    2020–21 Norwich City 97 Watford 91 Brentford 87 (3rd)2–0 Swansea City 80 (4th)
    2021–22 Fulham 90 Bournemouth 88 Nottingham Forest 80 (4th)1–0 Huddersfield Town 82 (3rd)
    2022–23 Burnley 101 Sheffield United 91 Luton Town 80 (3rd)1–1 (6–5 pen.) Coventry City 70 (5th)
    2023–24 Leicester City 97 Ipswich Town 2 96 Southampton 87 (4th)1–0 Leeds United 90 (3rd)

    1 When Norwich City gained promotion to the Premier League they were the first team to be relegated to, relegated from, promoted to and promoted from the Championship.
    2 When Ipswich Town were promoted with 96 points they set a record for the most points for a second-placed team; beating a tie at 93 points between Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion.

    For past winners at this level before 2004, see List of winners of English Football League Championship and predecessors

    Relegated teams (from Championship to League One)

    SeasonClubs (Points)
    2004–05 Gillingham (50), Nottingham Forest (44), Rotherham United (29)
    2005–06 Crewe Alexandra (42), Millwall (40), Brighton & Hove Albion (38)
    2006–07 Southend United (42), Luton Town (40), Leeds United (36)
    2007–08 Leicester City (52), Scunthorpe United (46), Colchester United (38)
    2008–09 Norwich City (46), Southampton (45), Charlton Athletic (39)
    2009–10 Sheffield Wednesday (47), Plymouth Argyle (41), Peterborough United (34)
    2010–11 Preston North End (42), Sheffield United (42), Scunthorpe United (42)
    2011–12 Portsmouth (40), Coventry City (40), Doncaster Rovers (36)
    2012–13 Peterborough United (54), Wolverhampton Wanderers (51), Bristol City (41)
    2013–14 Doncaster Rovers (44), Barnsley (39), Yeovil Town (37)
    2014–15 Millwall (41), Wigan Athletic (39), Blackpool (26)
    2015–16 Charlton Athletic (40), Milton Keynes Dons (39), Bolton Wanderers (30)
    2016–17 Blackburn Rovers (51), Wigan Athletic (42), Rotherham United (23)
    2017–18 Barnsley (41), Burton Albion (41), Sunderland (37)
    2018–19 Rotherham United (40), Bolton Wanderers (32), Ipswich Town (31)
    2019–20 Charlton Athletic (48), Wigan Athletic (47), Hull City (45)
    2020–21 Wycombe Wanderers (43), Rotherham United (42), Sheffield Wednesday (41)
    2021–22 Peterborough United (37), Derby County (34), Barnsley (30)
    2022–23 Reading (44), Blackpool (44), Wigan Athletic (42)
    2023–24 Birmingham City (50), Huddersfield Town (45), Rotherham United (27)

    Relegated teams (from Premier League to Championship)

    SeasonClubs (Points)
    2004–05 Crystal Palace (33), Norwich City (33), Southampton (32)
    2005–06 Birmingham City (34), West Bromwich Albion (30), Sunderland (15)
    2006–07 Sheffield United (38), Charlton Athletic (34), Watford (29)
    2007–08 Reading (36), Birmingham City (35), Derby County (11)
    2008–09 Newcastle United (34), Middlesbrough (32), West Bromwich Albion (32)
    2009–10 Burnley (30), Hull City (30), Portsmouth (19)
    2010–11 Birmingham City (39), Blackpool (39), West Ham United (33)
    2011–12 Bolton Wanderers (36), Blackburn Rovers (31), Wolverhampton Wanderers (25)
    2012–13 Wigan Athletic (36), Reading (28), Queens Park Rangers (25)
    2013–14 Norwich City (33), Fulham (32), Cardiff City (30)
    2014–15 Hull City (35), Burnley (33), Queens Park Rangers (30)
    2015–16 Newcastle United (37), Norwich City (34), Aston Villa (17)
    2016–17 Hull City (34), Middlesbrough (28), Sunderland (24)
    2017–18 Swansea City (33), Stoke City (33), West Bromwich Albion (31)
    2018–19 Cardiff City (34), Fulham (26), Huddersfield Town (16)
    2019–20 Bournemouth (34), Watford (34), Norwich City (21)
    2020–21 Fulham (28), West Bromwich Albion (26), Sheffield United (23)
    2021–22 Burnley (35), Watford (23), Norwich City (22)
    2022–23 Leicester City (34), Leeds United (31), Southampton (25)
    2023–24 Luton Town (26), Burnley (24), Sheffield United (16)
    SeasonClubs (Points)
    2004–05 Luton Town (98), Hull City (86), Sheffield Wednesday (Play-off winners) (72)
    2005–06 Southend United (82), Colchester United (79), Barnsley (Play-off winners) (72)
    2006–07 Scunthorpe United (91), Bristol City (85), Blackpool (Play-off winners) (83)
    2007–08 Swansea City (91), Nottingham Forest (82), Doncaster Rovers (Play-off winners) (80)
    2008–09 Leicester City (96), Peterborough United (89), Scunthorpe United (Play-off winners) (76)
    2009–10 Norwich City (95), Leeds United (86), Millwall (Play-off winners) (85)
    2010–11 Brighton & Hove Albion (95), Southampton (92), Peterborough United (Play-off winners) (79)
    2011–12 Charlton Athletic (101), Sheffield Wednesday (93), Huddersfield Town (Play-off winners) (81)
    2012–13 Doncaster Rovers (84), Bournemouth (83), Yeovil Town (Play-off winners) (77)
    2013–14 Wolverhampton Wanderers (103), Brentford (94), Rotherham United (Play-off winners) (86)
    2014–15 Bristol City (99), Milton Keynes Dons (91), Preston North End (Play-off winners) (89)
    2015–16 Wigan Athletic (87), Burton Albion (85), Barnsley (Play-off winners) (74)
    2016–17 Sheffield United (100), Bolton Wanderers (87), Millwall (Play-off winners) (73)
    2017–18 Wigan Athletic (98), Blackburn Rovers (96), Rotherham United (Play-off winners) (79)
    2018–19 Luton Town (94), Barnsley (91), Charlton Athletic (Play-off winners) (88)
    2019–20 [27] Coventry City (88.71), Rotherham United (77.94), Wycombe Wanderers (Play-off winners) (76.35)
    2020–21 Hull City (89), Peterborough United (87), Blackpool (Play-off winners) (80)
    2021–22 Wigan Athletic (92), Rotherham United (90), Sunderland (Play-off winners) (84)
    2022–23 Plymouth Argyle (101), Ipswich Town (98), Sheffield Wednesday (Play-off winners) (96)
    2023–24 Portsmouth (97), Derby County (92), Oxford United (Play-off winners) (77)

    Top scorers

    SeasonTop scorer(s)Club(s)Goals
    2004–05 Flag of England.svg Nathan Ellington Wigan Athletic 24
    2005–06 Flag of Jamaica.svg Marlon King Watford 21
    2006–07 Flag of England.svg Jamie Cureton Colchester United 23
    2007–08 Flag of England.svg Sylvan Ebanks-Blake Plymouth Argyle
    Wolverhampton Wanderers
    23
    2008–09 Flag of England.svg Sylvan Ebanks-Blake Wolverhampton Wanderers 25
    2009–10 Flag of England.svg Peter Whittingham Cardiff City 20
    Flag of England.svg Nicky Maynard Bristol City
    2010–11 Flag of England.svg Danny Graham Watford 24
    2011–12 Flag of England.svg Rickie Lambert Southampton 27
    2012–13 Flag of England.svg Glenn Murray Crystal Palace 30
    2013–14 Flag of Scotland.svg Ross McCormack Leeds United 28
    2014–15 Flag of Ireland.svg Daryl Murphy Ipswich Town 27
    2015–16 Flag of Jamaica.svg Andre Gray Brentford
    Burnley
    25
    2016–17 Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Wood Leeds United 27
    2017–18 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Matěj Vydra Derby County 21
    2018–19 Flag of Finland.svg Teemu Pukki Norwich City 29
    2019–20 Flag of Serbia.svg Aleksandar Mitrović Fulham 26
    2020–21 Flag of England.svg Ivan Toney Brentford 31
    2021–22 Flag of Serbia.svg Aleksandar Mitrović Fulham 43
    2022–23 Flag of England.svg Chuba Akpom Middlesbrough 28
    2023–24 Flag of Ireland.svg Sammie Szmodics Blackburn Rovers 27

    Attendances

    EFL Championship Average Attendances.png

    The EFL Championship is the second most-watched second-tier domestic sports league in the World, behind the German 2. Bundesliga (29,081), with an average of 23,048 spectators per game in the 2023–24 season. The Championship is the fifth most watched league in Europe. [28]

    The highest average league attendance was in 2023–24 season, when 12.7 million fans attended Championship matches, at an average of 23,048 per game. [29] The lowest average league attendance came in the 2013–14 season, when 9.1 million spectators watched at an average of 16,605 per game. [30] The highest seasonal average for a club was 51,106 for Newcastle United in the 2016–17 season. [31]

    SeasonLeague average attendanceHighest average
    ClubAttendance
    2004–05 17,417 Leeds United 29,207 [32]
    2005–06 17,607 Norwich City 24,952 [33]
    2006–07 18,179 Sunderland 31,887 [34]
    2007–08 17,027 Sheffield United 25,631 [35]
    2008–09 17,888 Derby County 29,440 [36]
    2009–10 17,949 Newcastle United 43,388 [37]
    2010–11 17,369Leeds United27,299 [38]
    2011–12 17,739 West Ham United 30,923 [39]
    2012–13 17,493 Brighton & Hove Albion 26,236 [40]
    2013–14 16,605Brighton & Hove Albion27,283 [30]
    2014–15 17,857Derby County29,232 [41]
    2015–16 17,583Derby County29,663 [42]
    2016–17 20,119Newcastle United51,106 [43]
    2017–18 20,489 Aston Villa 32,097 [44]
    2018–19 20,269Aston Villa36,029 [45]
    2019–20 18,585 [46] Leeds United27,643 [47]
    2020–21 No attendances due to COVID-19 pandemic
    2021–22 16,776Sheffield United27,611 [48]
    2022–23 18,787Sunderland38,653 [49]
    2023–24 23,048Sunderland41,158 [50]

    Historic performance

    Since the restructuring into the Championship in 2004, 57 teams have spent at least one season in the division, including 13 of the 20 teams in the 2024–25 Premier League. Cardiff City have spent the longest in the league with 19 seasons. The 15-season spell for Ipswich Town between 2004 and 2019 is the longest consecutive spell of any team in the division. The teams with the current longest tenure are Bristol City, Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers, who will each have their tenth consecutive season as a Championship team in the 2024–25 season. Norwich City has had six separate spells in the Championship; the most of any team. There have been 13 different winners of the EFL Championship, with seven teams (Burnley, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Reading, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers) having won it twice.

    Burnley and Norwich City have been promoted out of the Championship on four occasions, with five teams (Fulham, Hull City, Sheffield United, Watford, West Brom) having been promoted on three occasions. Rotherham United have been relegated from the Championship the most times on five occasions, with Wigan Athletic having been relegated the second-most times on four occasions and two teams (Barnsley and Charlton Athletic) having been relegated on three occasions. 14 teams have been both promoted out of and relegated from the Championship.

    Key

    ClubTotal SeasonsNumber of SpellsLongest Spell (Seasons)Highest PositionLowest PositionSeason
    2004–05
    2005–06
    2006–07
    2007–08
    2008–09
    2009–10
    2010–11
    2011–12
    2012–13
    2013–14
    2014–15
    2015–16
    2016–17
    2017–18
    2018–19
    2019–20
    2020–21
    2021–22
    2022–23
    2023–24
    2024–25
    AFC Bournemouth 42211010162
    Aston Villa 3134131345
    Barnsley 13385242018201817212123142221524
    Birmingham City 15313222224122110101919172018201722
    Blackburn Rovers 1227822178915221511158719
    Blackpool 9345241916651520241623
    Bolton Wanderers 62472471418242123
    Brentford 717311591091133
    Brighton & Hove Albion 826224202410462032
    Bristol City 162104244101015202418171181219171411
    Burnley 114511713171513581311211
    Burton Albion 21220232023
    Cardiff City 1939118161113127446111812258182112
    Charlton Athletic 7349241124918122222
    Colchester United 21210241024
    Coventry City 1328523198172117191823161259
    Crewe Alexandra 21221222122
    Crystal Palace 8185216125152120175
    Derby County 1831432342031814191210385966102123
    Doncaster Rovers 52412241412212422
    Fulham 63412017206341
    Gillingham 111222222
    Huddersfield Town 1025323191716195182031823
    Hull City 1454224182131182418132419157
    Ipswich Town 162152243151489151315149671612242
    Leeds United 153101241452471413151513713313
    Leicester City 1035122151619225109611
    Luton Town 7343231023191263
    Middlesbrough 152821711127161242571710748
    Millwall 153882310239162019228218119813
    Milton Keynes Dons 111232323
    Newcastle United 2211111
    Norwich City 136412291617222381411136
    Nottingham Forest 15214323231936198111416211797174
    Oxford United 111
    Peterborough United 422182424182222
    Plymouth Argyle 826102317141110212321
    Portsmouth 32216221622
    Preston North End 1721042254715617221111714913131210
    Queens Park Rangers 183101211121181411131412181619139112018
    Reading 1631012271495171917320201472122
    Rotherham United 85319242421212422231924
    Scunthorpe United 3222024232024
    Sheffield United 1154223829382310252
    Sheffield Wednesday 1639424199161222181613641512162420
    Southampton 634223126202324
    Southend United 111222222
    Stoke City 1127216121382161514141617
    Sunderland 6431241124616
    Swansea City 10273158731064151014
    Watford 1438218183613161411313221115
    West Bromwich Albion 944110412421095
    West Ham United 2213663
    Wigan Athletic 752224252323182324
    Wolverhampton Wanderers 10351239757123714151
    Wycombe Wanderers 111222222
    Yeovil Town 111242424

    See also

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    The English Football League play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by four association football teams finishing immediately below the automatic promotion places in the second, third and fourth tiers of the English football league system, namely the EFL Championship, EFL League One and EFL League Two. As of 2022, the play-offs comprise two semi-finals, each conducted as a two-legged tie with games played at each side's home ground. The aggregate winners of the semi-finals progress to the final, which is contested at Wembley Stadium; the victorious side is promoted to the league above, and the runners-up remain in the same division. In the event of drawn ties or finals, extra time followed by a penalty shoot-out are employed as necessary.

    Stephen Mark Davis is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He had three spells with Burnley, and has subsequently coached for them. He was the first team coach for EFL Championship side Bolton Wanderers but was sacked along with Owen Coyle on 9 October.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Wilder</span> English association football manager (born 1967)

    Christopher John Wilder is an English professional football manager who formerly played as a right-back. He is the manager of EFL Championship club Sheffield United.

    The EFL League One play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL League One table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. As of 2022, the play-offs comprise two semi-finals, where the team finishing third plays the team finishing sixth, and the team finishing fourth plays the team finishing fifth, each conducted as a two-legged tie. The winners of the semi-finals progress to the final which is contested at Wembley Stadium.

    The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual English Football League play-offs. As of 2022, the play-offs comprise two semi-finals, where the team finishing fourth plays the team finishing seventh, and the team finishing fifth plays the team finishing sixth, each conducted as a two-legged tie. The winners of the semi-finals progress to the final which is contested at Wembley Stadium.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">English Football League</span> Association football league

    The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League. The Football League was rebranded as the "English Football League" (EFL) starting with the 2016–17 season.

    Manuel Benson Hedilazio is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Burnley. Born in Belgium, he represented it on junior international levels, before choosing to play for the Angola national team on senior level.

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