Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
With just five weeks left of the regular 2024/25 season, the Championship is reaching the business end of the campaign for each side involved.
While Burnley and Sunderland currently have a nice buffer to seventh-place and their places look all-but-secured, there hasn’t been much to separate any of the sides in the top half from fifth down to mid-table for some time now.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 39 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 56 | 37 | 19 | 72 |
| 5 |  CoventryCoventry | 39 | 17 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 51 | 5 | 59 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 39 | 13 | 18 | 8 | 48 | 35 | 13 | 57 |
| 7 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 39 | 16 | 9 | 14 | 59 | 49 | 10 | 57 |
| 8 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 39 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 49 | 42 | 7 | 57 |
| 9 |  WatfordWatford | 39 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 53 |
| 10 |  NorwichNorwich | 39 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 61 | 54 | 7 | 52 |
| 11 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 39 | 15 | 7 | 17 | 42 | 41 | 1 | 52 |
| 12 |  Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday | 39 | 14 | 10 | 15 | 54 | 60 | -6 | 52 |
| 13 |  MillwallMillwall | 39 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 37 | 40 | -3 | 51 |
Sheffield United and Leeds United have led the way for the majority of the season, and neither will want to drop into the play-offs. Leeds have a terrible play-off record, with Southampton defeating them 1-0 in last year’s final at Wembley.
Looking at the top of the Championship table, it’s clear that one play-off spot will be filled by whoever loses out in the automatic promotion race. They can still avoid finishing third, with both sides and Scott Parker’s team averaging points per game tallies that could place them among the highest totals in Championship history at present.
The likes of Coventry City, Bristol City, and West Brom lead the way for the places just below Sunderland currently, but Middlesbrough et al. will keep them honest until the final whistle on matchday 46.
The Championship play-offs dates for 2025
We have previously taken a look at the best play-off finals ever recently but the fixture is notoriously a cagey affair, given just how much is at stake for the winner financially.
The financial chasm between the Premier League and the Championship is extraordinary and that prize is what each and every side in the mix is after. Finishing sixth, but with momentum, can be enough to go all the way to the final and to win it — which is what many are eyeing in these final five weeks.
The excitement stems from the unpredictable nature of the competition, where momentum and form can rapidly shift a team’s fortunes. That has been particularly true of this season as well, with the race wide open for those involved heading into matchday 39 and everything to play for in a race as tight as ever.
There are numerous sides in the play-off mix as we approach the run-in for the top six. Fans of each team as far down as the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall, or Norwich City will potentially be keen to book the key dates off for work and travel purposes.
The regular season will end on May 3rd, but the two-legged semi-finals and the final will make the agonising wait for Premier League football endure. Here, we take a look at the key dates you need to know for each play-off fixture in the Championship.
| Dates | Leg | Kick-off time | Fixture |
| Thursday 8th May | First | 20:00 | Championship A (sixth vs third) |
| Friday 9th May | First | 20:00 | Championship B (fifth vs fourth) |
The EFL play-offs are perhaps the greatest invention in football and ought to be protected at all costs, but they can also be incredibly frustrating for those involved in them. The first games will see the top two play-off sides travel away to fifth and sixth just days after the regular league season ends.
| Dates | Leg | Kick-off time | Fixture |
| Monday 12th May | Second | 20:00 | Championship A (third vs sixth) |
| Tuesday 13th May | Second | 20:00 | Championship B (fourth vs fifth) |
The unpredictable nature of the competition means a team with 20 points fewer than another can knock them out or go all the way and win it themselves, after sneaking into sixth spot on the final day of the campaign. And, just 10 days after that game, each side will know if they made it to Wembley or not.
| Dates | Leg | Kick-off time | Fixture |
| Saturday 24th May | Final | TBC | Wembley Stadium (winner of A vs B) |
Navigate two huge games and they then have a chance at winning the so-called ‘richest game in football’, with millions expected to tune in for the EFL’s main event of the year.
It is famously worth nearly £200 million to the side that claims victory, and the EFL play-off race never fails to deliver the drama and entertainment befitting what is on the line.
League One and League Two play-off dates revealed
With the Championship kicking off the EFL play-off action on Thursday 8th May, the leagues below the second tier soon follow suit that same week.
League One play-off fixtures commence on Saturday 10th May at 12:30 and 19:45, with the first ties in League Two set for Sunday 11th May at 15:30 and 18:30.
The second legs for the third tier will be played Wednesday 14th May and Thursday 15th May at 20:00. Meanwhile, League Two’s clashes will be on Friday 16th May at 20:00 and Saturday 17th May at 12:30.
All of the Sky Bet EFL play-off final fixtures will take place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, with the Championship on Saturday 24th May, League One on Sunday 25th May, and League Two on Monday 26th May.