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The Championship playoff schedule and bracket is set as four teams square off for the final promotion spot and a place in the 2026-27 Premier League.
Bring. It. On.
After Coventry City and Ipswich Town were promoted to the Premier League after finishing first and second respectively, the trio of Millwall, Middlesbrough and Southampton knew they had at least a spot in the playoffs heading into the final week of the season.
Ipswich's win on the final day meant that Millwall and Boro missed out on second spot and automatic promotion, as they both go into the playoffs along with in-form Southampton (19 games unbeaten in the league) and surprise-package Hull City. Millwall have never been in the Premier League and were last in the top-flight in 1990. Boro and Hull City were both last in the Premier League in 2017, while Southampton are looking to bounce straight back to the Premier League and win the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Hull dramatically sealed sixth place in the Championship and the final playoff spot on the last day of the season, as they came from behind to beat Norwich City at home and both Wrexham and Derby County stumbled in the final 90 minutes of the season. Hull City reaching the playoffs is a huge achievement as the Yorkshire club were supposed to struggle against relegation this season, but manager Sergej Jakirovic has turned them into an incredibly tough team to play against and they are ruthless on the counter.
Below is the full schedule for the Championship playoffs with the fixtures, dates, times and the bracket for the semifinals ahead of the final at Wembley, which is dubbed the "richest game in sports."
Championship playoffs schedule, fixtures, dates, times
Semifinal schedule
Friday, May 8
Hull City vs Millwall – 3pm ET
Saturday, May 9
Middlesbrough vs Southampton – 7:30am ET
Monday, May 11
Millwall vs Hull City – 3pm ET
Tuesday, May 12
Southampton vs Middlesbrough – 3pm ET
Final
Saturday, May 23
Semifinal winner vs Semifinal winner – Kick off time, TBD
When is the Championship playoff final?
The Championship playoff final will be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
How to watch the Championship playoffs live
In the USA you can watch the Championship playoffs on Paramount+, while in the UK you can watch on Sky Sports.
