Championship playoff race: Four talking points as 17 teams fight for Premier League promotion

As ever, the Championship playoff race is close and chaotic heading into the final stages of the season, with the majority of the division still dreaming of promotion to the Premier League at the end of May.

Whilst the likes of Coventry City, Ipswich and Middlesbrough are fighting for a top-two finish, there are a host of teams hoping to make it to the promised land via the lottery and drama of the second-tier playoffs.

Here, Sports Mole discusses some of the key players and talking points in the race for the top six with less than a third of the campaign remaining.

Millwall+ break top-four stereotype

Over recent seasons, there has been a tendency for the recently-relegated clubs and an in-form outsider to break away from the rest in the Championship, forming a four-club race for automatic promotion.

That script has been ripped up and thrown in the metaphorical bin this season, not only by Coventry and Middlesbrough, but also Alex Neil's Millwall, who have unlocked a new level in 2025-26.

The Lions have danced around the top-six scene for many seasons now but have seemingly cracked the playoff code by mixing genuine top-tier quality with a defence which has kept the most clean sheets in the division (13).

Millwall+ was on full display in their most recent match at The Den on Wednesday night, when a battle-hardened XI bullied playoff rivals Birmingham City in a 3-0 win, with eight-goal winger Femi Azeez sprinkling his magic over the South London occasion.

Wrexham's Hollywood story continues

Bringing in plenty of Championship experience during the summer window, Wrexham appeared prepared for a campaign of consolidation, with early results suggesting that another term of competing at the top of their division might be a stretch.

However, after losing just one of their last seven matches - winning two of their past three - the Red Dragons are sitting sixth in the second-tier standings, four points ahead of Southampton in seventh spot.

Phil Parkinson's side have become the Championship's great entertainers in recent weeks, beating Ipswich in an eight-goal thriller at the Racecourse Ground on February 21, directly damaging a fellow promotion chaser.

Whilst three consecutive promotions is a feat to be celebrated, Wrexham are in no mood to dwell on their accomplishments or in the second tier for any longer than required, with the Welsh powerhouses sensing the opportunity to complete their remarkable rise at Wembley in May.

Southampton remain the big dog within the chasing pack

Before a ball had been kicked in this Championship season, Southampton were expected to challenge at the very summit of the division under the recently-appointed Will Still, who had spent the past five years earning rave reviews on the continent.

A few months on and the ill-fated story of Still at St Mary's was discontinued, leaving the Saints in the bottom half of the standings and with a major mountain to climb in order to reach their pre-season projections.

Interim head coach Tonda Eckert landed the Southampton gig on a full-time basis after a positive start to his reign, and despite a serious dip in form over the festive period, the South Coast outfit remain a potent playoff contender.

Unbeaten in their last seven Championship matches (W5 D2), the Saints look like a top-two side when performing at their best, and stand out like a sore thumb from the list of clubs chasing down the top-six contingent with 12 games remaining.

Norwich capable of producing playoff miracle

With just eight points separating Southampton in seventh and Norwich City in 17th, it is safe to say that there are still plenty of players in the annual game of playoff chase with less than a third of the regular season to go.

Currently 12 points behind sixth-placed Wrexham, the Canaries would be out of the hunt by the standards of a typical bottom-half club, however the East Anglians have proven that they are in a false position over recent weeks.

Norwich have won nine of their last 12 matches in all competitions, a run which includes a standout 5-0 battering of West Bromwich Albion, as well as convincing Carrow Road triumphs over Coventry, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday.

Head coach Philippe Clement believes that his current crop of players are good enough to take the club back to the Premier League, but with the Canaries only able to reach a maximum of 78 points, they need to be all-but flawless in the midst of an injury crisis to make that happen this season.