History of EFL Championship in Timeline

The EFL Championship is the second-highest league in the English football league system, below the Premier League. It is a professional association football league comprising 24 clubs from England and Wales. The Championship is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL). It is also referred to as the Sky Bet Championship due to sponsorship reasons. The league operates on a promotion and relegation system with the Premier League and League One, offering teams the opportunity to ascend to the top tier of English football.

1958: Highest Crowds Since 1958-59 Season

In the 2016-17 season, the league had the highest crowds for the second to fourth tier in England since the 1958–59 season.

1976: Burnley in the Football League First Division

In 1976, Burnley were in the Football League First Division.

1978: Wigan Athletic Elected to the Football League

In 1978, Wigan Athletic was elected to the Football League.

1992: Premier League Launch

In 1992, the Premier League was launched which lead to the creation of the Football League Championship.

1994: Wigan Athletic in the Fourth Tier

In 1994, Wigan Athletic was playing in the fourth tier of English football.

1999: Sunderland set points record

In 1999, Sunderland set a points record of 105 in the Football League

2004: Past Winners before 2004

Before 2004, previous winners at this level are listed in 'List of winners of English Football League Championship and predecessors'.

2004: Coca-Cola Sponsorship Start

In 2004, Coca-Cola began their sponsorship deal with the Football League.

2004: Inaugural Championship Season

In 2004, Millwall competed in the inaugural Championship season and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

2004: Introduction of the Football League Championship

In 2004, the Football League Championship was introduced, rebranding the former Football League First Division.

2004: Restructuring into the Championship

Since the restructuring into the Championship in 2004, 57 teams have spent at least one season in the division.

2005: Sunderland and West Ham United wins Promotion

In 2005, Sunderland won the league, and West Ham United won the first Championship play-off final. The division announced a total attendance of 9.8 million.

2006: Sunderland wins Championship title

In 2006, Sunderland won their second Championship title.

May 2007: Leeds United enters administration

On 4 May 2007, Leeds United entered administration and were deducted 10 points, resulting in their relegation. On 28 May 2007, Derby County won the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

September 2009: Coca-Cola Ends Sponsorship

On 30 September 2009, Coca-Cola announced it would end its sponsorship deal with the Football League.

2009: Brentford in League Two

In 2009, Brentford were in League Two.

2009: Burnley Earns Promotion to the Premier League

In 2009, Burnley defeated Sheffield United to earn promotion to the Premier League.

March 2010: npower announced as new title sponsors

On 16 March 2010, npower was announced as the new title sponsor of the Football League. Crystal Palace also entered administration in 2010.

January 2011: Barnsley attains 1,000 wins

On 3 January 2011, Barnsley became the first club to attain 1,000 wins in second-tier English league football with a 2–1 home victory over Coventry City.

2011: Birmingham City in UEFA Europa League

In 2011, Birmingham City became the first Championship club to compete in the group stage of the UEFA Cup/Europa League after winning the League Cup final.

2012: Npower Championship end

In 2012, Npower Championship sponsorship was set to end in the upcoming 2012-2013 season.

March 2013: Barnsley plays 3,000 games

On 12 March 2013, Barnsley became the first club to play 3,000 games in second-level English league football following a 2–1 home victory against Brighton & Hove Albion.

July 2013: Sky Bet Becomes League Sponsor

On 18 July 2013, Sky Bet announced a five-year agreement to sponsor the league.

2013: Wigan Athletic in Europa League

In 2013, Wigan Athletic participated in the Europa League group stage after winning the FA Cup.

2013: Lowest Average League Attendance

In the 2013-14 season, the Championship had the lowest average league attendance with 9.1 million spectators and an average of 16,605 per game.

May 2014: Highest Crowd for Championship Fixture

On 24 May 2014, the Championship play-off final between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers had the highest crowd for any Championship fixture, with 87,348 attendees.

2014: Longest Tenure in the Division

In 2014, Bristol City, Preston North End, and Queens Park Rangers last had a season where they were absent in this division.

2016: Rebranding to English Football League

For the 2016 season, the Football League was rebranded as the English Football League.

2016: Highest Seasonal Average for a Club

In the 2016-17 season, Newcastle United had the highest seasonal average for a club with 51,106.

2019: Aston Villa Returns to Premier League

In 2019, Aston Villa returned to the Premier League after finishing 13th in the 2016-17 season.

2019: Longest Consecutive Spell

In 2019, the 15-season spell for Ipswich Town between 2004 and 2019 is the longest consecutive spell of any team in the division.

March 2020: Championship Play Halts Due to COVID-19

On 13 March 2020, Championship play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 2020: Leeds United Confirmed as Champions

On 17 July 2020, Leeds United were confirmed as champions and were promoted to the Premier League.

May 2021: Brentford promoted to Championship

In May 2021, Brentford, promoted to the Championship five years after being in League Two, were promoted following a play-off victory against Swansea City.

May 2022: Nottingham Forest Ends Top Flight Absence

On 29 May 2022, Nottingham Forest ended their 23-year absence from the top flight by beating Huddersfield Town in the play-off final.

December 2022: EFL Championship Break for FIFA World Cup

In December 2022, the EFL Championship took a four-week break for players to join their national teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

2022: High Match Attendance

In 2022, the average match attendance for the Championship was 18,787, making it the 12th best-attended division in world football.

2022: World Cup Break

In 2022, the year of the World Cup break in November and December, the league started in July.

2023: Highest Average League Attendance

In the 2023-24 season, the Championship had the highest average league attendance with 12.7 million fans and an average of 23,048 per game.

2023: Second most-watched sports league

In the 2023-24 season, the EFL Championship is the second most-watched second-tier domestic sports league in the World, with an average of 23,048 spectators per game.