Sheffield United couldn't have had an easier time in the semifinals of the promotion playoffs as Chris Wilder's side beat Bristol City 3-0 in both legs. Sunderland, on the other hand, needed every single second of the 210 minutes of regular and extra time to see off Frank Lampard and Haji Wright's Coventry City.

Sunderland are celebrating clinching the most dramatic promotion back to the Premier League. The Black Cats trailed Sheffield United for much of Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley, with Chris Wilder’s Blades looking firmly on course to secure an instant return to the top-flight to join champions Leeds and runners-up Burnley.

Sheffield United take on Sunderland on Saturday, May 24, at Wembley Stadium in north London, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. BST local time. That makes it a 10 a.m. ET or 7 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 12 a.m. AEST kickoff in Australia.

Cue pandemonium at one end, an outpouring of grief and frustration at the other. United rarely killed teams off completely during the regular league season, until bucking the trend in both legs of their semi-final rout of Bristol City, and that came back to haunt them on the grandest stage of all.

Sheffield United take on Sunderland in the 2025 Championship playoff final. Preview includes team news, how to watch on TV and more.

Sunderland are back into the Premier League after a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Championship Play-Off Final. Tommy Watson was the hero for the Black Cats as he scored in his last game for

Such a temperament could be vital on the grandest stage of all, when Cooper makes his first appearance on the Wembley turf. He has been part of a day out there before, as an injured part of the Plymouth squad for their 4-0 Football League Trophy defeat to Bolton Wanderers in front of almost 80,000 in 2023.

The build-up to Sunderland ’s Championship play-off final clash against Sheffield United at Wembley continues to heat up, and it made its way to The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast this week, where a panel of high-profile pundits and ex-pros gave their take on the match.