Saturday’s Championship Playoff final matchup pits Hull City and Middlesbrough for the highly coveted final Premier League slot in what is dubbed the “World’s Richest Game.” The winning club stands to receive a revenue bump of at least £205 million ($275 million based on current exchange rates), according to Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
The uptick jumps to $490 million from matchday, broadcast and commercial revenues if the club can beat the odds and stay up in the Premier League for a second season.
Broadcast revenue is the biggest line item, with next season’s 20th-place Premier League club in line for a $165 million payout from the league, according to Sportico estimates. Avoiding the relegation zone and finishing No. 17 would mean about $190 million, plus another year of EPL payouts, followed by $100-plus million from parachute payments, which are intended to soften the financial blow of being relegated.
Staying up in the EPL is harder than ever after a recent influx of well-funded ownership groups. The three promoted teams in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons were immediately relegated. Compare that to the six straight years at least two promoted clubs stayed up starting in 2008-09, and the 2017-18 season, when all three stayed up.
