As the season draws to a close, the stakes in the EFL become increasingly high. So we ranked eight of the most passionate Championship matchups in history.

Every year, fans experience sheer happiness and pain as they follow their beloved club around the country. It’s all part of the game, sticking with your team through thick and thin and enjoying the good moments when they come.

However, the emotional nature of promotion and relegation frequently results in tearjerking situations. There are plenty of these moments in the Championship alone, which have resulted in some very great matches over the years.

With that in mind, Football League World decided to compile a list of eight Championship games that would almost certainly have left everyone in attendance in tears.

Sheffield United beat Sunderland 1-2.
24 May 2025

Starting with one of the more recent submissions, last season’s play-off final between Sheffield United and Sunderland would have undoubtedly resulted in some tears from both sets of supporters.

Tyreese Campbell gave the Blades the lead in the 25th minute, but VAR ruled out Harrison Burrows’ potentially decisive second goal.

This allowed Sunderland to get back into the game, and after Eliezer Mayenda equalised 15 minutes later, Black Cats academy graduate Tommy Watson scored a remarkable 95th-minute winner in his final appearance for the club.

The nature of the late goal was upsetting for Blades fans, but it was classic Mackem crazy at Wembley, with a homegrown hero propelling them back to the Premier League after an eight-year absence.

Undoubtedly, there would have been tears at both ends of Wembley Stadium that day, with Blades fans taking a last-minute stomach punch and the Sunderland contingent finally getting to vent their frustrations and anguish after eight years.

Watford 3–1 Leicester City (3-2 aggregate).
12th May 2013.

Watford’s last-gasp winner in the 2013 play-off semi-final second leg remains one of the most legendary moments in the EFL, as the Hornets grabbed a place at Wembley Stadium from loss.

Leicester City had the opportunity to win the match in stoppage time and advance to the play-off final from the penalty spot, but Anthony Knockaert’s penalty and follow-up were denied by a spectacular double save from Watford goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

The Bedfordshire side then surged away at the other end, with Jonathan Hogg setting up Troy Deeney for a sensational last-gasp winner that sent Vicarage Road wild and resulted in one of the most famous pieces of commentary in television history.

Tears of delight would have flowed in the home end, as Watford had just accomplished one of the greatest play-off victories in history, but Leicester were in abject anguish, as they were one kick away from Wembley.

Crystal Palace 3-2 Peterborough United, May 4, 2013.

This was one of the cruelest relegations possible, when Peterborough United were relegated to League One on a last-minute goal, despite having the most points of any relegated side in second-tier history.

The Posh led twice at Selhurst Park, knowing that a victory would keep them in the second tier, but the Eagles rallied both times. However, Barnsley’s 2-2 draw with Huddersfield Town ensured that Darren Ferguson’s team would be able to stay afloat.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on Peterborough’s side. Palace would win in the 89th minute with a Mile Jedinak header, condemning the Posh to relegation with 54 points, a record that still holds today.

From the joy of leading twice to the anguish of conceding in the final minute to seal your fate, you can imagine there were many tears shed in the Selhurst Park away end that day.

Bristol City beat Sheffield 2-0. Wednesday, January 24th, 2026

The most recent addition to our list came this year, when Sheffield Wednesday great Barry Bannan’s 10-year spell at the Yorkshire club came to an end, breaking the hearts of many Wednesdayites who were either present at the ground or watched from home.

While the game itself was fairly uncomplicated, the renowned midfielder had been rumored to be departing the Owls following the encounter against Bristol City, and was given a standing ovation by the travelling fans when he was substituted and after the final whistle.

Days later, Bannan joined Millwall, therefore ending one of the most memorable pairings in recent EFL history.

Throughout the difficult periods Wednesday fans had faced under Dejphon Chansiri’s leadership, their captain had always been a steady source of happiness and optimism in an otherwise dark time for the football club.

This was a terrible moment for all Sheffield Wednesday fans, highlighting the sorrow and pain they’ve experienced in recent years. There would not have been a dry eye in the away end at Ashton Gate.

Leeds United 2-4 Derby County (3-4 aggregate)
15 May 2019

Tensions between Derby County and Leeds United were already high in 2019 following the infamous ‘Spygate’ affair, so it felt like the stars had aligned when the two clubs faced off in the play-off semi-finals that year.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites won the first leg 1-0 at Pride Park, and with a sell-out Elland Road crowd, many anticipated Frank Lampard’s inexperienced Rams to succumb in the second leg.

What happened was one of the greatest playoff comebacks in history. Leeds extended their lead before super-sub Jack Marriott got his team back into the game. Derby then flipped the tie on its head, with goals from Harry Wilson and Mason Mount.

Stuart Dallas leveled the tie on aggregate for United, but a red card for defender Gaetano Berardi threw a wrench in Leeds’ plans, and Marriott came up with the winner for the Derbyshire club.

Rams fans were in astonishment after their young team defeated Leeds at home. The hosts had to suffer their 16th consecutive year outside the Premier League, which would have been a heartbreaking prospect for fans.

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (1-3 aggregate) on May 16, 2016.

Sheffield Wednesday made its second appearance on our list, but this time they were on the right side of history. This match brought tears to the eyes of Brighton fans, who had recently missed out on automatic promotion due to goal difference.

Middlesbrough finished second, two goals ahead of the Seagulls. Both teams finished with an exceptional 89 points, but Chris Hughton’s side was forced to compete in the play-offs.

Unfortunately for them, their remarkable season came crashing down in the semi-finals, when they were thrashed 2-0 at Hillsborough on Wednesday and then held to a 1-1 draw at the AMEX Stadium, putting a fantastic season to a disappointing conclusion.

Brighton fans were devastated by their defeat to the Owls. Earning 89 points, which is enough for automatic promotion, missing out on goal difference, and then losing in the play-off semi-finals was a truly tragic end to an incredible season.

When the final whistle blew in the second leg, some fans would undoubtedly have shed tears.

Derby County 0–1 Queens Park Rangers
24 May 2014

Derby County has been engaged in a lot of play-off drama over the years, but unlike the Leeds game in 2019, the 2014 Championship play-off final against Queens Park Rangers will not be remembered fondly.

The Rams took the lead after Gary O’Neil was sent off for Harry Redknapp’s R’s shortly after the hour mark. QPR goalkeeper Rob Green had to make many impressive saves to keep his team in the game.

The game appeared to be heading for extra time as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, but a late error by Derby defender Richard Keogh allowed R’s star Bobby Zamora to score a stoppage time winner, sending the London club back to the Premier League.

Derby supporters had to swallow an agonising defeat as they failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage and lost their position in the top division due to a costly error at the death.

Stoke City drew 0-0 at Leicester City on May 4, 2008.

The final inclusion on our list elicited opposing emotions from both sets of fans, as one group saw their team earn promotion to the Premier League after a 23-year wait, while the other saw their club drop into League One for the first time in history.

The match was between Stoke City and Leicester on the final day of the 2007/08 Championship season. The Foxes had to beat their promotion-chasing opponents and hope that other outcomes went their way.

Unfortunately, neither of these things occurred. A scoreless draw at the Bet365 Stadium, combined with a win for Southampton, saw Leicester drop to the third tier for the first and only time in their history.

It was a disheveling day for the travelling Foxes fans, who were irate and upset after the final whistle. As for Stoke, the end of their 23-year wait to return to England’s top flight would have surely moved several Potters fans to tears.