The stage is set for one of the most dramatic afternoons in the football calendar as Hull City and Southampton prepare for a monumental clash at Wembley Stadium. The prize? A coveted place in the Premier League and a financial windfall estimated at a minimum of £140 million.
This season's Championship play-off final, scheduled for Sunday, 26th May 2025, promises a spectacle of raw passion and high stakes. For one set of fans, it will be pure elation; for the other, heartbreak.
The Road to Wembley: How They Got Here
Southampton, finishing fourth in the league, demonstrated their resilience by overcoming West Bromwich Albion in a tense semi-final. Meanwhile, Hull City, who secured a fifth-place finish, pulled off a stunning victory against Leeds United to book their ticket to the capital.
This final represents a classic clash of ambitions: Southampton's quest for an immediate top-flight return versus Hull City's drive to end a prolonged Premier League absence.
How to Watch the Championship Final Live
For fans unable to secure a precious ticket to a sold-out Wembley, the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage is scheduled to begin at 2pm BST, building towards the all-important kick-off at 3pm.
Subscribers can stream the action seamlessly via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. For those without a Sky Sports subscription, a NOW TV Day Pass offers a flexible solution to catch every minute of the action without a long-term contract.
Team News and Predicted Line-Ups
Both managers face selection headaches ahead of the biggest game of their seasons. Southampton will be hoping key players have overcome minor knocks sustained during the gruelling semi-finals. Hull City's gaffer must decide whether to stick with the heroic eleven that defeated Leeds or tweak his system for the final challenge.
All eyes will be on the talismanic figures for each side, with their performances likely to be the difference between glory and defeat under the Wembley arch.
More Than Just a Game
While the focus is on the 90 minutes (or more) on the pitch, the implications of this result will reverberate for years. Promotion means prestige, parading against the world's best players, and transformative financial rewards that can secure a club's future. For the losers, the Championship awaits, and the hard grind begins all over again.
One thing is guaranteed: a full-blooded, nerve-shredding contest that encapsulates why the play-off final is known as the 'richest game in football'.
