Leeds United and Burnley have secured automatic promotion back to the Premier League after their victories over Stoke City and Sheffield United in the Championship on Monday.
Leeds, having triumphed over Stoke City with a commanding 6-0 scoreline earlier in the day, were aware that any result other than a Sheffield United win in their match against Burnley would guarantee their return to the top tier. A win for Burnley would also ensure that both teams achieved automatic promotion.
Burnley clinched a 2-1 victory thanks to two goals from Josh Brownhill, solidifying the promotion of both Leeds and Burnley to the Premier League for the 2025/26 season.
Leeds’ standout player was Joel Piroe, who played a pivotal role in ending the club’s two-season absence from the top flight. The Dutch forward netted four goals in the first half, helping Leeds to a 5-0 lead at halftime. This impressive performance places Piroe at the top of the Championship Golden Boot race with 19 goals, two ahead of his closest competitor, Borja Sainz from Norwich City.
With Leeds’ promotion, manager Daniel Farke is set to return to the Premier League, having previously guided Norwich City to the top flight on two occasions, in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons. Farke has managed a total of 49 Premier League matches with the Canaries.
This marks the third occasion that Burnley head coach Scott Parker has achieved promotion with a Championship team, having previously accomplished this feat with Fulham in the 2019/20 season and AFC Bournemouth in 2021/22.
How did Leeds and Burnley achieve automatic promotion?
With both Leeds and Burnley securing victories on Monday, they have ensured that third-placed Sheffield United, along with any other teams below them, cannot surpass their points total.
Both clubs currently sit at 94 points, with just two matches remaining, which equates to six points still available.
Therefore, even if Leeds and Burnley were to lose their last two games and Sheffield United won both of theirs, the highest the Blades could reach is 92 points.
Which other team will earn promotion?
An additional team from the Championship will gain promotion through a playoff format. The clubs that finish in third to sixth place in the Championship after 46 matches will vie for this prestigious position.
In the two-legged playoff semi-finals, the team in third place will compete against the sixth-placed team, while the fourth and fifth-placed clubs will also face off.
The victors of these semi-finals will meet in the playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 24, to decide which team will join the top two in advancing to the Premier League.
