The English Football League Championship (shortened as EFL Championship), or SkyBet Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest category in the English football league system behind the Premier League. This league is the wealthiest non-top-flight football division in the world and the seventh richest league in Europe.
The EFL Championship works under a promotion-relegation system. Each season, 24 teams battle to win one of three spots to play in the Premier League the following season.
The two top-ranked teams after each season earn a spot in the Premier League, while spots three to six battle for the final promotion spot in a playoff. On the other side of the table, the three lowest-ranked teams get relegated to the League One, or Third Division of the English Football League System.
The Premier League, England’s top=flight league, is the wealthiest domestic league in the world. As a result, promotion into it paves way for a fortune unmatched anywhere else in the sport. The Championship play-off final is widely regarded as the most valuable one-off match in the world, as it unlocks the door to Premier League television revenue and parachute payments.
In 2018, the Premier League guaranteed all shareholder clubs a minimum of £94.7m ($125.9m), rising to £149.4m ($198.7m) for the winner, Manchester City. The amount has multiplied even further in subsequent years with more lucrative television broadcast deals arriving.
Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert issued an apology on Tuesday for orchestrating the "Spygate" scandal, admitting he is responsible for "everything that has happened".
Despite relegation from the Premier League, former West Ham coach Nikola Jurcevic is backing them to bounce straight back from the Championship at the first time of asking.
Nuno Espirito Santo will remain as head coach of West Ham following the club's relegation from the Premier League, the London side announced on Wednesday.