Wembley hosts Sheffield United vs Sunderland on Saturday, with the Championship play-off final providing the last route to Premier League promotion. Here, we outline all the key data ahead of this massive occasion.
In the 2024–25 play-off final, Sheffield United and Sunderland will square off at Wembley this weekend for the final promotion slot from the Championship to the Premier League.
The victors will join Leeds United and Burnley in the English Premier League next season after Sheff United and Sunderland defeated Bristol City and Coventry City in their respective semi-final matches.
We examine the important details surrounding the match and provide you with background information on both sides before Saturday’s match.
In the regular Championship season standings, Sheffield United finished 14 points clear of Sunderland, the largest point differential between two English Football League play-off finalists in the current structure (since 1988-89).
After Leeds United last season and Sunderland in 1997–98, the Blades became just the third team in the history of the second division to win 90 points and not automatically advance.
Despite finishing the regular Championship campaign 10 points behind Leeds and Burnley, the Blades’ 90-point total indicated that the struggle was more closer throughout 2024–25 than the final table indicated.
Sheffield United (143), who were in the automatic promotion spots for 55 more days than Burnley, were only surpassed by Leeds (156). Sunderland (100) actually had more days in the top two this season than Scott Parker’s eventual winning team (88).
With the Black Cats spending 266 days in the top six, the most of any team in the division, Sunderland’s place in the play-offs appeared secure for the most of the season.
No team in EFL history has entered the play-offs (in any tier) with such a long run of losses, but Régis Le Bris’ team had an incredible season overall, but their performance at the end of 2024–25 was concerning. Granted, they knew they had already qualified for the playoffs going into the final five games of the season, but they lost all five of them and only managed one goal.
However, Sunderland’s superb two-leg victory over Coventry in the semi-final allayed any concerns supporters may have had about their team losing focus. They defeated the Sky Blues 3-2 overall because to a last-minute header from Dan Ballard in extra time. This was fortunate because Sunderland has a terrible penalty record, missing four of the five they took during the regular season.
Fast and Furious?
Both Sunderland and Sheffield United prefer to move the ball forward more quickly and with fewer passes than the two automatically promoted teams, even though they are not the most direct teams in the Championship.
Both Sheffield United and Sunderland were in the top four for touches in the opposition’s box, remarkably having the exact same number (1,160) over their 46 regular-season games. Sheffield United was ranked ninth in the league for average possession (51.3%), while Sunderland was even lower in 12th place (49.1%).
In light of this, it seems unlikely that Saturday’s final will be a slow game with a lot of patient build-up, as was the case in Leeds and Southampton’s dreary final from the previous season.
Sunderland (70) trailed only Middlesbrough (82) in the Championship regular season on the metric of direct attacks, which Opta defines as the number of open-play sequences that begin just inside the team’s own half and have at least 50% movement towards the opposition’s goal, ending in either a shot or a touch in the opposition’s box. Sheff United came in sixth place (66).
There could be a lot of fouls due to the final’s possibly hectic pace. In the Championship this season, Sunderland is one of just six teams with more than 100 cards (107 yellow, 4 red), and Sheffield United is two games away from matching them with 98 cards (96 yellow, 2 red).
No player in the Championship has received more warnings than Gustavo Hamer of United (13), while Anel Ahmedhodzic, a teammate, has received 11, matching Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham and Trai Hume in that total.
Promoting Youth
Two of the Championship’s youngest teams will face off in this final.
With an average starting XI age of 23 years, 324 days, Sunderland had the youngest starting XI age for the third consecutive season. Sheffield United, the fourth-youngest team in the division (25 years, 86 days), was not far behind in the rankings.
Chris Rigg, one of the Black Cats’ most promising young players outside of the top level, has the potential to be promoted to the Premier League before he even turns 18.
Including the playoffs, Rigg has played in 44 of Sunderland’s 48 Championship games this season. Since Ryan Sessegnon for Fulham in 2017–18, this is the most appearances and minutes (3,120) that a teenager has played in a Championship season.
Jude’s brother, Jobe Bellingham, who is still only 19 years old, has joined him in midfield. As a teenager, Bellingham has played 3,717 minutes of Championship football this season, which is just a little more than his 2023–24 total of 3,642. No other player has played 3,500+ minutes as a teenager in multiple Championship campaigns since 2014–15.
Eliezer Mayenda, who only turned 20 two weeks ago, enters into the final in terrific form for Sunderland. In his 13 games in all competitions in 2025, he has contributed to nine goals (7 goals, 2 assists), including a goal and an assist in the Black Cats’ 2-1 victory over Sheffield United on New Year’s Day.
The fact that Chris Wilder’s team has only used three players who are 30 years of age or older this season is largely responsible for their youthful average. One of the Championship’s most promising young players, who will not play in this game, suffered an ACL injury in mid-November, but if they are promoted to the Premier League, it will be thrilling to see 21-year-old captain Ollie Arblaster return. In his place, Wilder has given 20-year-old Sydie Peck more opportunities in midfield this season, as Peck has played in 44 of their 48 league games in 2024–25.
Wembley Woes
Sheffield United has lost all seven of their previous games at Wembley Stadium (D1 L6) going into this final; their last victory there occurred in the 1925 FA Cup final against Cardiff City, 100 years ago.
In the past, the playoffs have also not brought any joy. In all, United has lost all four of their prior play-off finals—three of which were in the second division—and has not been promoted. No team—including Leeds and Reading—has played in more games without ever receiving a promotion.
This is Sunderland’s third second-tier play-off final; they lost to Swindon Town 1-0 in 1989–1990 (but were still promoted since Swindon was demoted) and to Charlton Athletic on penalties following a 4–4 draw in 1997–1998.
If they prevail in this game, Sunderland will have advanced to the Premier League five times since the league’s founding in 1992. That would put them on par with Burnley, West Brom, Leicester, and Norwich.
Three previous occasions, including during their final Championship season in 2022–2023 when they earned automatic promotion, Sheffield United has advanced to the Premier League. Only Leicester (13), Birmingham (12), Manchester City (11) and West Brom (10) had more promotions to the top tier than they have (9), in the history of the English league.
The good news for Wilder’s club is that since the Championship rebranding in 2004–05, the team that finishes third in the regular season has advanced to the final 16 times and gained promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs 9 times.
Read more related news on: https://www.sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply