Don’t look now, but the EFL Championship is deep into the 2025-26 season and the race for Premier League promotion is red hot.
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Frank Lampard’s Coventry City are on the brink of returning to the top flight for the first time since they were relegated in 2001, and just a few more points from ending their 39-year major trophy drought (1987 FA Cup) to win the division. The Sky Blues endured years of financial turmoil and looked like they might never climb their way back up the ranks but Lampard had his men simply outscoring anyone and everyone this season, with USMNT striker Haji Wright more than doing his part in the campaign.
On the flip side, Wrexham are eyeing an astounding fourth promotion in four seasons and are in the thick of the playoff race with dwindling hopes of a late run to second. Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac’s (nee: McElhenney) club was playing non-league football as recently as 2023, and the Reds are on the march once again with former Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore and ex-Rangers midfielder Josh Windass both hitting double-digit goals.
Kieran McKenna has led an Ipswich Town surge into second place with two matches-in-hand on their nearest chasers, moving ahead of Millwall and Middlesbrough, while Southampton, who went down last season, have found their way back toward the playoff places. The Saints, also FA Cup semifinalists are dueling with the above teams as well as Hull City and Derby County for the sixth and final playoff spot.
It’s never too early to start tracking who will come up to the Premier League and we are entering the business end of the season in the second-tier...
Current promotion standings (automatic + playoff places)
- Coventry City — 85 points, +42 GD — Automatic
- Ipswich Town — 75 points, +31 GD — Automatic
- Millwall — 73 points, +9 GD — Playoffs
- Middlesbrough — 72 points, +20 GD — Playoffs
- Southampton — 69 points, +20 GD — Playoffs
- Hull City — 68 points, +4 GD — Playoffs
Teams in the playoff race
7. Wrexham— 64 points, +3 GD
8. Derby County — 63 points, +8 GD
9. Norwich City — 58 points, +5 GD
10. Bristol City — 58 points, +1 GD
11. Queens Park Rangers — 58 points, -5 GD
Key remaining fixtures in the promotion run-in
Coventry City bested Middlesbrough on Monday, February 16 in a huge game between the top two but there’s a lot more ahead on the docket.
Hull City lost Tuesday, March 3 in a pivotal game between teams chasing the top two, while Hull then hosted fellow surprise top-two hopefuls Millwall four days later. Middlesbrough entertain Millwall on April 3 in what’s looking like a monumental clash and just a few days later Coventry head to Hull.
Ipswich hosting Middlesbrough on April 18 has become a massive fixture as both have automatic promotion plans. Wrexham hosting Boro on the final day of the season on May 2 could well be a glorious day for both.
How many points are usually needed for promotion?
In the last four seasons the minimum amount of points to achieve automatic promotion have been the following:
2024-25: 100 points
2023-24: 96 points
2022-23: 91 points
2021-22: 88 points
So, as you can see, the number of points you need for automatic promotion just keeps on going up.
How many points do you usually need to reach the Championship playoffs?
Across the same four-year span the following number of points have been enough to secure sixth-place, the final playoff spot:
2024-25: 68 points
2023-24: 73 points
2022-23: 69 points
2021-22: 75 points
What happens in the EFL Championship promotion playoffs?
The teams who finish in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth compete in the playoffs. Third plays sixth home and away in one semifinal and fourth plays fifth home and away in the other semifinal.
The winners, on aggregate, of those two semifinals then meet in the one-off Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium. That game has to be decided on the day with extra time and penalty kicks if needed. The Championship playoff final is known as the richest game in sports.
Promotion predictions: Who will go up to the Premier League? — By Nick Mendola
Things change quickly in the Championship. Coventry City had been fading out of first place and Middlesbrough headed up with a rocket before Frank Lampard’s men beat Boro and used the win to ride right out of their slump. They would have to lose out and see a series of ridiculous results around the league to miss automatic promotion.
Millwall beat Boro to pass them on the table, but that’s further opened the door for Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys are buzzing and have a lead on third place in points with two matches-in-hand to boot. Right now, it looks like Kieran McKenna’s going to do it again.
Southampton have surged into the playoff discussion and are jockeying with Wrexham AFC and Hull City for the final playoff spot. At the moment, Saints are the form team and also an FA Cup semifinalist. Will those obligations prove draining?
Coventry City and Ipswich Town are our current projections for the automatic spots while we’ll tab Boro, Millwall, Saints, and Wrexham for the playoffs — even though Hull City are hanging tough about Wrexham and Derby County with four matches left each — with Boro cleaning up its mess to find a place back in the PL.
