The EFL Championship 2024/25 season is drawing to a close of what has been an incredibly close campaign. This year has seen competition across the table with last-minute title pushes, relegation battles, and enthralling fights for the last few playoff spots. With all the excitement and nail-biting action across the league table, how does it compare to other leagues in the EFL and to the Premier League with the same title race every year?
The exposure for Championship football has risen in recent years and become a league even those who support Premier League clubs enjoy watching and even integrating into value betting strategies. Let’s take a deeper look into the EFL Championship and why it is one of the most exciting football leagues right now.
History
The EFL Championship has only had this name for the last nine years; however, it was founded around 133 years ago as the Football League Second Division in 1892. The league has always been the stepping stone into the prestigious Premier League or First Division and has hosted some of the biggest teams in the country, such as Liverpool in the 60s, Manchester United in the 1974/1975 season, Chelsea in the 1980s, Manchester City in the 2000s and Arsenal in the 1910-1911 season.
While we don’t often see the massive Premier League clubs we have today drop into the second division, the championship’s history remains, hosting some of the biggest clubs and intense promotion battles.
League Format
The format of the EFL Championship is relatively straightforward and follows a very similar one to the other leagues in England. During a singular campaign, teams will play each other twice, once at home and once away, with 24 teams in the league, resulting in each team playing 46 matches. At the end of the season, the top two teams gain automatic promotion, while teams in places three-six qualify for the playoffs for promotion.
The ability to get promoted through a playoff sequence adds to the excitement of the league, as even clubs who may not be battling at the top of the table get the opportunity to compete to get something out of the season, whether it be a trip to Wembley or promotion to the Premier League. The bottom three teams face the opposite fortune and face relegation to the EFL League One and become replaced by the three teams promoted from that division. With loads to play for throughout the season, there is plenty of competition, and it makes for a very exciting end-of-season display with teams fighting all across the table to be promoted and survive the drop.
The Playoffs
The playoffs are a huge part of the Championship’s entertainment factor, with four teams qualifying for the playoff stages to gain promotion. When the four teams are decided, the team in third will play the team in sixth, and the team in fourth will play the team in fifth, with two legs in each game, one at home and one away. Once the winner is decided over the two legs, the two winning teams will face each other in a playoff final at Wembley.
This is a huge event for some teams to get to visit the famous London ground, gain promotion, and even have an opportunity to lift a trophy. The playoffs are an extremely engaging culmination to a season that has seen some very competitive games over the years. The atmosphere in the final and the fans’ trip to Wembley make it an incredible watch for mutuals and something that fans of Championship clubs desire to have at the end of a campaign.
The 2024/25 Campaign
This current campaign is a perfect example of why the Championship is one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues to watch in English football. The teams featuring in the 2024/25 season include:
- Blackburn Rovers
- Bristol City
- Burnley
- Cardiff City
- Coventry City
- Derby County
- Hull City
- Leeds United
- Luton Town
- Middlesbrough
- Millwall
- Norwich City
- Oxford United
- Plymouth Argyle
- Portsmouth
- Preston North End
- Queens Park Rangers
- Sheffield United
- Sheffield Wednesday
- Stoke City
- Sunderland
- Swansea City
- Watford
- West Bromwich Albion
This campaign, in particular, features some big names in terms of former Premier League clubs, such as Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Leeds and many others who have had success in the top-flight division. But what makes this campaign special and sums up what the Championship has to offer is the dramatic close competition.
Now that we are towards the end of the season; it is clear to see a very tight title race between the top three clubs, Sheffield United, Leeds United and Burnley, with a matter of three points potentially separating first and third if the three were not to drop form. As for the playoffs, it appears Sunderland sits tight, holding fourth place, whilst the teams in fifth and sixth could change each week. With the end of the season lurking around the corner, five teams are battling for the final playoff positions: West Brom, Coventry, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday could all still fight to grab one of the spots.
With the tight competition, it very much could go down to the final day to see who is crowned champion and who makes up the playoff positions. The bottom of the table is no different, with seven teams battling to stay up. The competitive structure of the league means that it is very common to see crucial outcomes set in stone only on the final day of the season, making for a very intense and exciting day of conclusive fixtures.
Final Thoughts
The EFL Championship is a great league for all football fans, with intense rivalries, dramatic battles across the table and incredible fan bases. This league is truly one of the most exciting and underrated leagues in the world.