Championship promotion and playoff permutations: What Ipswich, Millwall, Middlesbrough, Wrexham, Hull and Derby need on final day

After different brutal and competitory play of Championship football, the contention for 2nd spot and the last playoff spot volition beryllium decided connected the last time of the 2025-26 campaign.

Coventry City person secured the league title, but it is inactive unclear who volition articulation Frank Lampard's broadside successful celebrating automatic promotion.

Ipswich Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough volition each caput into the play with hopes of clinching 2nd place. 

The apical 2 are retired of scope for Wrexham, Hull City and Derby County, but their Premier League dreams are inactive alive, with the trio acceptable to conflict it retired for sixth presumption successful the Championship table.

Here, Sports Mole covers each of the permutations up of a nerve-wracking last circular of Championship fixtures, which volition each get underway connected Saturday, May 2. 

Championship promotion permutations

Ipswich missed the accidental to each but seal automatic promotion successful Tuesday's 2-2 draw against Southampton.

That said, Jack Clarke's precocious equaliser salvaged a utile constituent for Ipswich and knocked Southampton retired of the contention for automatic promotion.

Kieran McKenna's charges volition caput into the last time of the Championship play successful the driving spot for 2nd spot, boasting a grounds of 81 points, +30 extremity difference, 77 goals scored, and 47 goals conceded.

Millwall are successful 2nd presumption with 80 points and a extremity quality of +13 aft scoring 70 goals and conceding 49 during the people of the campaign.

Third-placed Middlesbrough person 79 points to their name, portion 70 goals scored and 45 conceded person near them with a extremity quality of +25 up of the last circular of fixtures. 

Final time fixtures:

Ipswich Town vs. Queens Park Rangers

Millwall vs. Oxford United

Wrexham vs. Middlesbrough 

What bash Ipswich request to unafraid 2nd place?

Ipswich cognize that a triumph connected the last time of the play would warrant an contiguous instrumentality to the Premier League.

If Ipswich draw, they volition clinch 2nd spot if Millwall and Middlesbrough neglect to win. That said, they could inactive spell up with a gully and a Middlesbrough triumph arsenic agelong arsenic Kim Hellberg's broadside fails to overturn the five-goal shortage successful extremity difference.

If the lawsuit of a decision to QPR, Ipswich would lone spell up if their 2 promotion rivals neglect to prime up maximum points.  

What bash Millwall request to unafraid 2nd place?

Millwall volition spell up if they bushed relegated Oxford and Ipswich neglect to bushed QPR astatine Portman Road.

A gully and an Ipswich decision would permission the 2 sides level connected points, but the Lions would miss retired owed to their inferior extremity difference. 

What bash Middlesbrough request to unafraid 2nd place?

Middlesbrough volition leapfrog their chap promotion contenders if they win, Ipswich suffer and Millwall bash not bushed Oxford. 

If Ipswich gully and Millwall driblet points, Boro would request to triumph and overturn a five-goal shortage successful extremity quality to snatch 2nd spot. 

Championship top-six permutations

Wrexham and Hull caput into the last crippled of the play level connected 70 points. The Red Dragons inhabit sixth spot with a extremity quality of +4 aft scoring 67 goals and conceding 63 crossed their 46 league games.

The Tigers, meanwhile, participate matchday 46 with a +3 extremity difference, having netted 68 times and conceded 65 goals successful the Championship this term.

Derby, meanwhile, are sitting a constituent down successful eighth presumption with a extremity quality of +9 aft scoring 66 goals and conceding 57. 

Final time fixtures:

Wrexham vs. Middlesbrough

Hull City vs. Norwich City

Derby County vs. Sheffield United

What bash Wrexham request to unafraid sixth spot?

Wrexham request to amended Hull's effect and astatine slightest lucifer Derby's effect if they are to support clasp of sixth place.

Goal quality volition travel into play if Wrexham lucifer Hull's result. If the 2 sides are level connected extremity difference, the fig of goals scored volition beryllium utilized arsenic the adjacent tiebreaker.

What bash Hull request to unafraid sixth spot?

Hull volition drawback the last playoff berth if they amended Wrexham's effect and astatine slightest lucifer the result of Derby's location clash with Sheffield United.

If Hull and Wrexham win, Sergej Jakirovic's broadside would request to overturn a one-goal shortage connected extremity quality to unafraid a top-six finish.

What bash Derby request to unafraid sixth spot?

Derby request to bash their occupation and anticipation for favours elsewhere if they are to snatch sixth place.

The Rams volition execute their nonsubjective if they bushed Sheffield United and their 2 top-six rivals neglect to win.

If they gully astatine Pride Park, John Eustace's charges would request Wrexham and Hull some to suffer to ascent into the playoffs. 

What happens if Wrexham and Hull decorativeness level connected points, extremity quality and goals scored?

In the improbable script that Wrexham and Hull decorativeness level connected points, extremity quality and goals scored, past the head-to-head grounds betwixt the 2 clubs volition travel into play successful what would beryllium a melodramatic crook of events. 

Hull would travel retired connected apical successful that script aft completing a league treble implicit Phil Parkinson's side, claiming a 2-0 location triumph successful December and a 2-1 occurrence successful March's travel to the Racecourse Ground.