Championship playoffs 2026 preview: Who will join Coventry City, Ipswich Town in the Premier League?

After Saturday's drama-filled circular of fixtures, the regular play of the 2025-26 Championship is over, with Coventry City and Ipswich Town securing automatic promotion to the Premier League courtesy of top-two finishes.

Whilst the bulk of second-tier players alert disconnected determination sunny connected their well-earned breaks, 4 clubs stay successful the vigor of the promotion chase, battling implicit the adjacent fewer weeks for 1 remaining spot successful the apical flight.

Here, Sports Mole previews the Championship playoffs, successful which Millwall, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Hull City volition beryllium warring it retired for the honour of joining the Sky Blues and the Tractor Boys successful the Premier League.

MILLWALL - LIONS HUNTING PL DEBUT

Last competing successful the apical formation of English shot during the 1989-90 season, Millwall person ne'er graced the pitches of the Premier League, however, Alex Neil's broadside are highly well-placed to execute that feat successful the coming months.

With Queens Park Rangers rolling implicit for Ipswich connected the last time of the regular play astatine Portman Road, the Lions were forced to settee for a third-placed decorativeness contempt comfortably beating Oxford United past clip out.

That regular triumph astatine the disbursal of the League One-bound U's extended Millwall's unbeaten tally to 5 Championship matches (W3 D2), making them an in-form broadside heading into the playoffs.

Buoyed by affirmative momentum, the Lions person a batch of the characteristics which lend greatly towards playoff success, with the London nine an highly pugnacious seed to crack, whilst besides having top-flight quality astatine the apical extremity of the transportation successful the signifier of Femi Azeez.

SOUTHAMPTON - THE BIG DOGS ARE BACK

On November 1, Southampton were languishing down successful 21st spot successful the Championship standings with a specified 12 points, earning triumph from conscionable 2 of their opening 13 league contests nether the reign of Will Still.

Despite their unspeakable start, the Saints ever possessed the prime to participate the promotion speech erstwhile Tonda Eckert took charge, with the South Coast nine losing conscionable 1 of their past 23 competitory fixtures.

Unlike their playoff rivals, Southampton person acquisition of rubbing shoulders with Premier League teams successful caller times, beating rubric favourites Arsenal astatine St Mary's Stadium successful the FA Cup past period earlier losing to Manchester City successful the semi-finals astatine Wembley.

The Saints request to flooded Middlesbrough successful the last 4 of the playoffs to marque a 2nd 2025-26 quality astatine the nationalist stadium, with an contiguous instrumentality to the apical formation becoming progressively probable.

MIDDLESBROUGH - HELLBERG'S SINKING SHIP

Ahead of the last time of the regular season, Middlesbrough (217) had spent much days successful the apical 2 of the Championship than runaway leaders Coventry (216), highlighting the severity of the last-season illness connected Teesside.

Winning conscionable 2 of their past 10 second-tier matches, Boro request to interruption each of the playoff stereotypes surrounding momentum to scope the Premier League for the archetypal clip since the 2016-17 campaign.

A root of cautious optimism for Middlesbrough, past season's playoff winners Sunderland mislaid 5 consecutive matches astatine the decision of the 46-match word earlier going connected to daze Coventry and yet Sheffield United.

Picking up the Championship's Player of the Season award, Boro's prima antheral Hayden Hackney is rushing backmost from injury, with the England Under-21 planetary missing the past 8 matches owed to a troublesome calf problem.

HULL CITY - THE STATISTICAL OUTLIERS

In a disturbing alternate beingness wherever the Championship array is determined connected expected goals (xG), Hull City are successful the process of packing their bags for a travel to League One alongside Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday.

Luckily for the Tigers, shot is played successful the existent satellite opposed to connected information sheets and successful machine models, with the Humberside outfit defying pre-season expectations to compression into the apical six connected the last time up of Wrexham and Derby County.

Avoiding relegation connected extremity quality past season, Hull are the astonishment sanction successful the four-team playoff cohort, particularly considering that they person been nether a transfer-fee embargo during the past 2 windows.

Sergej Jakirovic's broadside person relied connected astute indebtedness and escaped transportation arrivals to vie astatine the precocious extremity of the Championship standings, with second-tier experts Oli McBurnie and Ryan Giles shining astatine the MKM Stadium.