Championship Play-Off Final: £170m prize at stake for Brentford and Swansea in football’s most lucrative match
Saturday’s Championship Play-Off Final is worth £170m to the winning team, making it football’s most lucrative match, according to Deloitte.
The Wembley fixture, to decide which team gets the remaining place in next season’s Premier League, is this year between Brentford and Swansea City.
“Promotion to the Premier League remains the most valuable prize in world football,” said Tim Bridge, a director in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
“Promoted clubs continue to benefit from a major financial windfall, which enables them to make critical strategic investments, both on-pitch and off it.”
The £170m figure is made up of a £95m increase in broadcast revenue and a guaranteed £75m in parachute payments, should the Play-Off Final winner be relegated straight away.
If Brentford or Swansea can survive their first season in the top division, they will be guaranteed a financial uplift from promotion of more than £280m.
That larger figure comprises £190m in additional broadcast income plus an additional year of parachute payments for avoiding instant relegation.
“Saturday’s winner-takes-all contest at Wembley will be another fantastic advert for the Championship, as Brentford and Swansea compete for a place in the Premier League – the most lucrative prize in world football,” Bridge added.
“This fixture is always an exciting moment in the calendar, but it takes on increased importance this season as football begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
A limited crowd of 12,000 spectators is expected at Wembley for the Play-Off Final on Saturday afternoon.
Brentford will be attempting to better last year’s defeat to Fulham in this fixture and reach the English top flight for the first time since 1947.