EFL Championship

The English Football League (EFL) Championship, typically just known as the Championship or as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the 2nd tier of English football and the top tier of the English Football League. Known for being robust, frenetic, and fiercely competitive, the Championship is the 5th-most well-attended league in Europe; it is behind only the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A, putting it ahead of the likes of Ligue 1 and the Primeira Liga.

📜 EFL Championship History

The Championship was founded in 1892, 4 years after the creation of the EFL, which merged with the rival Football Alliance league to form 2 divisions.

At the time, it was known as the Second Division; in 1992 it took on the First Division name following the old First Division’s breakaway to form the Premier League, although it remained English football’s 2nd tier underneath the top flight.

In 2004, it was rebranded as the Championship; initially known as the Football League Championship until it became the EFL Championship in 2016.

💯 Championship Format & Scoring

Seasons typically run from August to May. There are 24 teams in the Championship and every season they play each other home and away for a total of 46 matches apiece, with 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a defeat. Teams are ranked on points, then goal difference, and then goals scored.

The top 2 teams are automatically promoted to the Premier League. The teams that finish between 3rd and 6th qualify for the play-offs; they are separated into a bracket by league position (3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th) and play each other in 2-legged semifinals before the 2 remaining teams face off in the Play-off Final. Due to the lucrative rewards that come with promotion to the Premier League, the game is known as the “richest game in football.” The bottom 4 teams are relegated to League One.