Championship (England)

The Championship (EFL Championship, in its current format since 2004 but as the second tier dating back to 1892) is the second level of professional club football in the league system of England and Wales, below the Premier League. Tournament regulations: 24 clubs take part, playing a double round-robin schedule from August to May, with each team playing 46 matches, home and away against every other side. Teams receive 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. The table is ordered by points, then goal difference, then goals scored and then by head-to-head record for the season, including away goals in those head-to-head matches. If clubs remain level on all these criteria, alphabetical order is used for ordinary positions, but if promotion, relegation or a play-off place is at stake an additional play-off match at a neutral venue is arranged. At the end of the season the top two clubs are promoted automatically to the Premier League, the teams finishing 3rd to 6th contest the promotion play-offs with two-legged semi-finals and a single final at Wembley Stadium for the third promotion place and the bottom three clubs are relegated to League One (EFL League One).