EFL confirms 3pm kick-off time for Championship play-off final

The Championship play-off final between Sheffield United and Sunderland on May 24 has been confirmed as a 3pm kick-off by the EFL.

The match at Wembley is arguably the most valuable in world football, with the BBC estimating winning this year’s match and reaching the Premier League will be a worth a minimum of £220million in extra income.

A late-season slump saw Sheffield United miss out on automatic promotion but they came through comfortably to beat Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate to reach the play-off final.

Sunderland were seconds away from a penalty shoot-out in their semi-final against Coventry when Dan Ballard’s last-gasp goal sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory.

The EFL said the kick-off time had been confirmed following a meeting of the Safety Advisory Group on Thursday morning.

The league said the meeting included representatives from all relevant agencies and other stakeholders, including the Metropolitan Police and Wembley National Stadium.

The Blades sealed their place in the final on Monday and some of the club’s supporters have criticised the EFL for not confirming the kick-off time earlier to help with travel and accommodation arrangements.

Rail works scheduled for the Bank Holiday weekend will also cause disruption for fans travelling from Sheffield to London St Pancras.

Blades Fans Advisory Group said on X: “The lack of empathy, understanding, compassion, communication & care of fans needs addressing. This level of service would be totally unacceptable in any other industry!”

Black Cats supporters too had voiced displeasure over the uncertainty, prompting Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson to write to the EFL.

He said in a post on his X account on Thursday: “Football is for fans. I have written to @EFL to make clear my frustration that #SAFC & #SUFC fans cannot finalise Wembley play-off final plans because the KO time is still TBC.

“Fans need to sort travel – and in many cases they also need to sort work & caring responsibilities.”

After the kick-off time had been announced, he posted: “3pm KO now confirmed – it shouldn’t have taken this long.

“Now to sort travel. See you in Trafalgar Square & at Wembley.”