Prize Money for Premier League Promotion (2024/2025)

Despite not being the highest division of the English football pyramid, the Championship is often regarded as one of the most enjoyable leagues to watch in the world. This is due in no small part to the competitiveness that, regardless of the teams in the second tier, that is always present in a Championship campaign.

Be it fighting to survive in the division, looking to find consolidation as a mid-table side or pushing for promotion, there is always something to play for in the Championship and as such, there are always eyes on the division, particularly those that are involved in a promotion race.

A division infamous for its tightly-contested seasons, more often than not at least six or seven teams end up in a race for two or three places in the top six, which in itself is a group that only tends to be confirmed within the dying embers of any season, rather than there being six teams that run away with the positions.

The Premier League is the ultimate goal for any English club not currently within it, but the road to the top flight is certainly not an easy one. Just how much money, then, do teams stand to make for being promoted to the division often cited as one of the best in the entire world?

Related

11 Top Scorers in Championship History (Ranked)

Since 2004, a number of talented strikers have scored in the Championship. Here is a list of some of the most prolific.

Finishing in the top two is the easiest path to the Premier League

To fans of clubs involved in the race every season, the Championship title can almost become secondary, with many simply praying that their side at least acquires automatic promotion to the Premier League. To ascend automatically is to avoid any potential heartbreak in the play-offs.

Despite the fact that the top two sides in each Championship season are given entry to the Premier League, they do not receive a fee as high as may be expected. As per EFL Analysis, a combination of central income from the English Football League and money trickled down from the Premier League means that Championship sides earn around £11 million per season.

The only financial difference, then, between finishing in the top two or mid-table is through facility fees, which are paid to a club every time that a home match of theirs is televised. Particularly in comparison to the funds earned by teams that compete in the play-offs, it may come as a surprise to learn that the sides that are promoted by finishing in the top two do not earn an amount close to that of the play-off teams.

How Much Do Teams Earn Through The Play-Offs?

Four teams battle each year for one ticket to the top

There are often more than just two teams battling it out for the two automatic promotion spots in each Championship season. For the side, or sides, that fall short of that top two, though, they must settle for a spot in the play-offs, something that many other clubs, especially within the top 10, often fight for in each campaign.

The Championship play-offs in particular are notorious for their intensity and tension, with most fans of any club involved in a promotion race desperately hoping to avoid it if possible. While the play-offs do no favours for stress, however, they offer a particular amount of reinforcement to the coffers of any side involved.

The 2020 edition of the Championship play-offs was, according to Deloitte, worth around £130 million in additional revenue if the winning team would be successful in avoiding relegation the following season. Since then, as per 90Min, that number has only increased.

In discussing the latest iteration of the Championship play-off final, between Leeds United and Southampton, 90Min detailed that the winner of that match, which proved to be the Saints, stood to win somewhere between £140 and £300 million. The play-off final has often been called the most lucrative game in football and it is easy to see why with such figures.

Related

Top 5 Playoff Final goals ever ranked

The Play-Offs are home to some of the best moments in English football an with great moments comes some unforgettable goals. Here’s the top 5 play-off goals.

How Much Do Teams Earn For Premier League Survival?

It is getting harder for promoted sides to remain in the division

To be promoted is incredible, a feeling of release and success for the fans of the sides that ascend to the Premier League each season. That, however, is the easiest part. Especially in modern football, promoted teams establishing themselves in the English top flight is only becoming a harder task.

Be it due to other teams having had time to become cemented mid-table sides or the general increase of money in the Premier League, clubs that are promoted struggle more now than ever before to break the surface. In the 2023/24 season, the three promoted teams of Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town all suffered an immediate relegation, which looks likely to happen again in the 2024/25 campaign.

Nothing is confirmed at the time of writing, but it seems like only a miracle would prevent any of Southampton, Leicester City or Ipswich Town avoiding an immediate relegation to the second tier. Of course, these clubs will receive parachute payments should they be relegated, but remaining in the Premier League only boosts financial security.

According to Deloitte, the 2023/24 play-off final meant that Southampton guaranteed themselves at least £140 million in revenue across the next three seasons. Had they been better reinforced to remain in the top flight, however, this figure could have risen to more than £305 million, representing the stark financial benefits of being a Premier League side and why it is so crucial to so many sides.

Related

9 Best Championship Wonderkids in EA Sports FC 25 Career Mode (Ranked)

Including Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham and Leeds sensation Wilfried Gnonto, the best Championship wonderkids in EA Sports FC 25 have been revealed.