Leeds and Southampton battle it out in Wembley spectacle dubbed ‘football’s richest game’

The Championship play-off final is often called ‘the richest game in football’ and will take center stage this Sunday.

At the end of a grueling 49-game season, promotion to the Premier League will be the prize for one team, but there is more on the line than top-flight action.

Leeds United will face Southampton at Wembley in this year’s key match with the aim of going straight back.

Reaching the promised land brings each club a huge cash injection as well as the chance to play against some of the best in the world.

But how profitable is it to get to England’s top flight via the Wembley route? talkSPORT.com takes a look…

The final prize money for the championship play-off

Winning the championship play-off final is worth an incredible amount.

It is not the money received directly from coming out on top in the game, but the future benefits that the successful club will receive that make it “the richest game in football”.

Ahead of the 2020 clash between future Premier League rivals Fulham and Brentford, financial analysts Deloitte have crunched the numbers.

They revealed that promotion would mean a revenue boost of at least £135m over the next three seasons for the triumphant club.

This could rise to £265m over five years if the club avoid relegation in their first season in the Premier League.

That remains the case in 2024, with Leeds facing Southampton knowing a win would mean a gigantic financial boost for either club.

Much of that money will come from TV and commercial payments to play in the English top flight.

Each club receives an equal payment from domestic broadcasting deals, bringing in £31m just for being in the league.

The successful team is likely to earn around £60m from international deals as well as £1.2m for every game broadcast live on TV.

Southampton and Leeds were relegated from the Premier League last season and still received more than £100m each.

So both teams already know the benefits of top-flight football and an instant turnaround will give them their money back.

Leeds vs Southampton: talkSPORT coverage

This year’s play-off final will be played on Sunday, May 26, with kick-off at Wembley scheduled for 3pm.

talkSPORT will have live coverage from North London, with Adrian Durham as your presenter.

Commentary will come from Sam Matterface, former West Ham striker Dean Ashton and Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill.

To connect to talkSPORT via the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.