Championship Playoff Final 2025: Sheffield United vs Sunderland Live Stream

The Championship playoff final, the “richest game in sports,” pitted Sheffield United against Sunderland, with both teams still fighting for the 20th and final spots in the Premier League next season.

Next Saturday, May 24 (10 am ET), Wembley Stadium will be a sea of red and white stripes. Chris Wilder’s team defeated Bristol City 3-0 in both legs, giving Sheffield United an extremely easy time in the promotion playoff semifinals. In contrast, Sunderland required every second of the 210 minutes of regular and extra time to defeat Coventry City, led by Haji Wright and Frank Lampard.

Regis Le Bris’s team was 15 minutes away from progressing with a 0-0 draw at home after the first leg ended in a 2-1 loss to Sunderland. However, the Sky Blues equalized in the 76th minute to prolong the match by another 30 minutes. The game’s final significant touch came when Dan Ballard headed a corner kick into the penalty area after Enzo Le Fee had delivered it there with 121:52 remaining.

This time last year, Sheffield United finished last and was relegated for the second time in four seasons. Now, they are making their first attempt to return to the Premier League. The last time the Blades were defeated, it was after two seasons. Since leaving the Premier League in 2017 after ten seasons in the top division, Sunderland has had to wait a bit longer. After three seasons in the Championship, the Black Cats are now only one game away from returning to the big time after suffering back-to-back relegations (and last-place finishes) and struggling in League One for four seasons.

Head-to-head record between Sunderland and Sheffield United

The current season

During the 2024–25 Championship season, the home team won every encounter. For example, Sunderland won 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day, and Sheffield United won 1-0 at Bramall Lane in November (both teams played at least 45 minutes with 10 men).

All time