The 38th Championship play-off final, which will decide which club will join Leicester City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League for the 2024-2025 season, taking the place of Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town, is the final match of the national season in England.
Who participates?
Leeds United, who finished third in the 46-game Championship season, will play Southampton, who finished one place behind them in fourth. Both teams were relegated from the Premier League in 19th and 20th places respectively in 2023.
When is the championship play-off final?
The 2024 Championship play-off final will take place on Sunday, May 26 at 3:00 PM, starting 24 hours later. the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at the same venue.
Where is it held?
Wembley Stadium in London will host the match.
The play-off final moved to Wembley in 1990, the fourth year it was held. Originally a two-legged affair played home and away, it became a single match for Swindon Town's victory over Sunderland in 1990. Unfortunately for Swindon, the joy was short-lived; a long-running investigation into their financial behavior announced its findings shortly afterwards and the Football League promoted Sunderland in their stead.
Which TV channel will air the FA Cup final in Great Britain?
Sly Sports has the rights to the Football League and will show the final on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.
The highlights will be shown on ITV4 at 10pm and again on ITV1 at 11.20pm.
TalkSport has exclusive national radio rights to the match and kicks off at 1.30pm.
What happened in the semi-finals?
Leeds United played against sixth-placed club, Norwich City, draw 0-0 with them at Carrow Road in the first stage before seeing them defeated 4-0 at Elland Road in a return to form after their late-season wobble.
Southampton too took the first stage away from homeleaving West Bromwich with a 0-0 draw, and then defeated Albion 3-1 at St Mary's as Adam Armstrong continued his rich run of form with two goals.
What happened between the two earlier this season?
Southampton were victorious in both matches, starting emphatically with a 3-1 home win which started a club record unbeaten run of 25 matches. Saints also won at Elland Road on the final day of the season proper, enter the semi-finals of the play-offs with a 2-1 victory and make them favorites for the match, if not with the bookmakers.
What are their records in the play-off finals?
Leeds have lost three times at this stage of the season, beaten by Charlton in 1987, Watford in 2006 and Doncaster in 2008 in a League One final.
This is Southampton's first play-off final.
Can I still get tickets for the final?
No. Although tickets did not go on sale until Saturday, both clubs had completely sold out their 35,000-plus allocations to season ticket holders and members, leaving none for general sale.
Latest injury updates
Leeds United have major doubts over Patrick Bamford who has missed the last four games after injuring a patellar tendon in the win over Middlesbrough. Pascal Struijk, who captained the side before Christmas, has been out since the turn of the year with a groin injury and Sam Byram missed the second leg against Norwich with a hip injury.
Southampton's number one goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has been ruled out until 2025 after rupturing his Achilles tendon in April and former Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong is recovering from a quad injury. The Scottish midfielder has been included in the provisional squad for Euro 2024, but will not be ready until next month.
Who is the referee?
John Brooks is the man at the Acme Thunderer, a Premier League official who refereed Manchetsre City's victory over West Ham that made them champions for the fourth season in a row. Brooks' only other Championship game this season was Saints' 3-1 win over Leeds last September.
What's the price?
Various estimates have been made as to the gross value of winning promotion through the play-offs from TV revenue and sponsorship, ranging from the conservative £135 million to almost double that amount according to Deloitte.
What are the latest odds?
- Leeds United 13/10
- Southampton 11/5
The odds are correct as of May 22