Leeds and Southampton go head-to-head for Premier League return

LONDON — Leeds and Southampton will find a lucrative place in the Premier League when they meet in football’s richest game at Wembley on Sunday.

Promotion to the English top flight is worth around £140m ($178m) to the winner of the Championship play-off final.

No other game can offer such wealth, given the huge increases in matchday, broadcast and commercial revenue available to clubs that reach the Premier League.

Financial experts Deloitte say the team promoted this weekend could ultimately pocket £305m if they avoid relegation next season.

While the prize money is a huge bonus, the prestige of competing with Manchester City and Arsenal, rather than the likes of Plymouth and Oxford in the second tier, will fuel two sides desperate to regain their Premier League status after a year of exile.

Relegation from the top flight can be ruinous, but Leeds and Southampton handled their relegation smartly enough to move within a win of a return to the promised land.

There were regrets for Leeds, who finished third in the Championship, three points behind fourth-placed Southampton, after losing their grip on an automatic promotion place which went to Ipswich instead.

Leeds recovered to show their potential in a 4-0 demolition of Norwich in the second leg of their play-off semi-final.

Southampton, who beat Leeds twice in the regular season, also impressed with a place in the final on the line, beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 in the second leg.