What time is it and what TV channel

VaselineMay 22, 2024

0 3 minutes read

The 38th Championship play-off final to decide which club joins Leicester City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League for the 2024–25 season and replaces Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town is the last match of the domestic season from England.

Who takes part?

Leeds United, who finished third in the 46-game Championship season, play Southampton, who finished one place behind them in fourth. Both teams were relegated from the Premier League in 2023, in 19th and 20th places respectively.

When is the championship play-off final?

The 2024 Championship play-off final will take place on Sunday 26 May at 3pm, kick-off 24 hours after the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at the same venue.

Where is it held?

London’s Wembley Stadium will host the match.

The play-off final moved to Wembley in 1990, the fourth year it had been held. Originally a two-legged home-and-away affair, it became a single game 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 and -announced the findings shortly afterwards and the Football League promoted Sunderland in their place.

What TV channel is the UK FA Cup final on?

Sly Sports has the rights to the Football League and will show the final on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.

Highlights will be shown on ITV4 at 10pm and again on ITV1 at 11.20pm

TalkSport has the exclusive national radio rights to the match and starts its coverage at 1.30pm.

What happened in the semi-finals?

Leeds United played sixth-placed Norwich City, drawing them 0-0 at Carrow Road in the first leg before beating them 4-0 at Elland Road in a return to form after faltering in the end of the season.

Southampton also drew the first leg away, holding West Brom to a 0-0 draw, and then beat Albion 3-1 at St Mary’s as Adam Armstrong continued his rich run of form with two goals.

What happened between the two at the beginning of the season?

Southampton triumphed in both matches, starting with a 3–1 home win that started a club-record 25-match unbeaten run. Saints also won at Elland Road on the final day of the regular season, going into the play-off semi-finals with a 2-1 win and making them favorites for the match, if not with the bookies.

What is their record 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?

Not. Although tickets only went on sale on Saturday, both clubs have sold more than 35,000 of their full allocations to season ticket holders and members, leaving none for general sale.

Latest injury updates

Leeds United are a major doubt 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 sidelined with a groin injury since the start of the year and Sam Byram missed the second leg against Norwich with a hip injury.

Southampton’s first-choice goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has been ruled out until 2025 after rupturing his Achilles tendon in April, while former Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong is recovering from a quad injury. The Scotland midfielder has been named in the provisional squad for Euro 2024 but will not be ready until next month.

Who is the referee?

John Brooks is the man with the Acme Thunderer, a Premier League official who refereed Manchetsre City’s win over West Ham that confirmed them as champions for a fourth consecutive season. Brooks’ only league game this season was Saints’ 3-1 win over Leeds last September.

What is the prize?

Various estimates have been made of the gross value of winning promotion through the play-offs from TV and sponsorship revenue, ranging from a conservative £135m to almost double that figure, according to Deloitte.