How much cash Coventry City, Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town could get if promoted | OneFootball

FLW detail the amount Coventry City, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough can expect to receive if they are promoted to the Premier League...

Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town have led the way in the Championship for most of 2025/26, with promotion to the Premier League a distinct possibility for each of them - be that automatically or via the play-offs.

Frank Lampard's Coventry City had to recently reclaim top spot in the division, having been the pace-setters for most of the campaign so far, with Middlesbrough briefly overtaking them at the top. In terms of PPG, Ipswich Town are the other side most firmly in the race, even if Hull City and Millwall have been lurking close by.

Of course, it is not a foregone conclusion that two of the three finish inside the top two. But it also means that three of the other teams in receipt of parachute payments are currently well out of the picture. Leicester City, Southampton, and Sheffield United have been off the pace for the vast majority of the campaign.

In each of the last six seasons, since 2018/19, at least two of the teams to gain promotion were in receipt of parachute payments. However, 2025/26 looks like it could buck the trend for the first time since Norwich City gained promotion alongside Sheffield United and Aston Villa.

Should two from three of Ipswich, Coventry, and Middlesbrough gain automatic promotion, they would then join a group of teams who benefit from the riches of the Premier League. They would also have a significant advantage via parachute payments, should they not make top flight football stick in 2027.

Championship promotion prize money for Ipswich, Middlesbrough and Coventry

The question is just how much Coventry, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich can expect to receive? The financial chasm between the Premier League and the Championship is extraordinary and is something they will be desperate to become a part of.

The reason the average wages-to-turnover ratio in the second tier is over 100 percent is because owners are willing to roll the dice to make it to the promised land. Ipswich have parachute payments but both Coventry and Middlesbrough have got themselves into this position via a number of calculated risks.

As for the money they can receive, broadly speaking, there are three interwoven answers: prize money from the EFL, increased revenue in the Premier League, and commercial gains.

The domestic TV deal is worth £6.7 billion over the next three seasons, per the BBC. That is shared between the clubs in the top flight based on appearances, although we don’t have the details for the facility fees under the terms of the new TV deal.

They will also receive centralised commercial fees on top of the facility fees, as well as merit payments. That is all while being entitled to possible parachute payments of two seasons, should they be relegated immediately back to the Championship.

All 20 teams in the division reportedly receive an equal share of around £95 million for domestic and international broadcasting. Across all of those areas, it means they will receive an extra £200 million of income — as an absolute minimum.

The play-off money available to Championship clubs

Coventry and Boro will be desperate to avoid slipping into the play-offs, but Ipswich, Millwall, and Hull are all within reach of them and hunting the duo down. Each of the five teams looks set for a play-off campaign at least, though.

The Championship play-off final is often referred to as 'the richest game in football', with the lucrative money that victory at Wembley offers being nothing short of game-changing based off historical evidence. There are a number of clubs with a realistic chance of getting into the top six during the run-in, too.

Whilst some might think that the league winners would receive the most money for promotion, that isn't the case. Ahead of the play-offs last season, Deloitte indicates that the victorious side could see an increase in their revenue.

That is of at least £170 million in the next three seasons. This could also rise as high as £290 million if they survive their first season in the Premier League. However, irrespective of promotion automatically or via the play-offs, the cash would be transformational for any of the aforementioned clubs.