Everything you need to know about how the EFL Championship playoff games work and how clubs get promoted to the Premier League along with the 2023 playoffs format
The EFL Championship, also known as the Sky Bet Championship, is England’s second-tier football competition and is regarded as the best in the country after the Premier League. The competition involves 24 clubs and 46 games over the course of a single season. Each season, the three best Championship clubs are promoted to the Premier League.
The top two teams in the league receive automatic qualification to the Premier League. While the final team is selected by the Championship playoff game. With that in mind, this article will explain how the Championship payoff game works in the EFL and how clubs get promoted to the Premier League.
How do the EFL Championship playoffs work and 2023 playoff format explained
The best three clubs from the EFL Championship get promoted to the Premier League at the end of each season. Teams who finish first and second in the regular season are promoted directly, while the remaining team participate in Championship playoff games. The EFL Championship playoff games consist of two semi-finals in which the team finishing third plays the team finishing sixth and the team finishing fourth plays the team finishing fifth in a two-legged tie.
Teams finishing higher in the table have an advantage in hosting the second leg at their home venue. If the game finishes in a tie after 90 minutes Plus 30 minutes of additional time, the winner is determined by a penalty shootout. The semi-finalists advance to the final, and the winner is promoted to the Premier League. The Championship playoff final is also regarded as one of the costliest second-tier football finals.
Away goals do not count double in the EFL play-offs as Football League did use the rule but chose to abolish it in 1999. This decision was made after an initiative by Ipswich Town chairman David Sheepshanks.
List of previous EFL Championship playoff winners since the 2000s
| Year | Winners | Position |
| 2000 | Ipswich Town | 3rd |
| 2001 | Bolton Wanderers | 3rd |
| 2002 | Birmingham City | 5th |
| 2003 | Wolverhampton Wanders | 5th |
| 2004 | Crystal Palace | 6th |
| 2005 | West Ham United | 6th |
| 2006 | Watford | 3rd |
| 2007 | Derby County | 3rd |
| 2008 | Hull City | 3rd |
| 2009 | Burnley | 5th |
| 2010 | Blackpool | 6th |
| 2011 | Swansea City | 3rd |
| 2012 | West Ham United | 3rd |
| 2013 | Crystal Palace | 5th |
| 2014 | QPR | 4th |
| 2015 | Norwich City | 3rd |
| 2016 | Hull City | 4th |
| 2017 | Huddersfield Town | 5th |
| 2018 | Fulham | 3rd |
| 2019 | Aston Villa | 5th |
| 2020 | Fulham | 4th |
| 2021 | Brentford | 3rd |
| 2022 | Nottingham Forest | 4th |
ALSO READ: EFL Championship Play-Off final 2023 date and playoffs format