The EFL Championship season concluded on May 24 with the playoff final at Wembley Stadium.
Sheffield United and Sunderland faced off in England's capital for the right to earn promotion to the Premier League for 2025/26.
These two finished third and fourth in the regular-season standings before navigating playoff semifinals against Bristol City and Coventry City respectively.
What followed was an engrossing game of more than 100 minutes as the so-called "richest game in football" was decided late on.
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Who won the EFL Championship playoff final 2025?
Sunderland won the 2025 EFL Championship playoff final, and in dramatic fashion, their 2-1 victory secured in the dying moments of the second half.
They went 1-0 down to Sheffield United at Wembley in the first half thanks to an excellent goal from Tyrese Campbell, and the Blades seemed to be in control of the contest until the final quarter of an hour.
Eliezer Mayenda struck a terrific equaliser, and just as it seemed like the game would go to extra time, Tom Watson placed a precise low shot into the corner of the net after Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore played a loose pass.
It proved to be a remarkable way for the 18-year-old Watson to sign off at Sunderland. Last month, Brighton agreed a £10million deal to bring him to the Amex Stadium this summer. Now, Watson's heroics mean his boyhood club will be joining him in the Premier League.
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When did Sunderland last play in the Premier League?
Sunderland's previous season in the Premier League was 2016/17. They were relegated after finishing bottom of the table.
They only spent one year in the Championship before suffering relegation again, after which they played four seasons in League One until they were promoted at the end of 2021/22.
They got to the playoffs in 2022/23 but were beaten in the semifinals by eventual winners Luton Town, who will themselves begin 2025/26 in League One after back-to-back relegations.
Last season, the Black Cats finished 16th in the standings, meaning promotion back to the Premier League felt a long way off.
Now, they can prepare for the 2025/26 season spent in the top flight.
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