Leeds and Burnley took the top two spots with 100 points each to seal automatic promotion, followed by the four remaining teams in the top six that will make up the play-offs.
Sheffield United comfortably finished third and will face sixth-placed Bristol City, while Sunderland - who secured fourth place nearly a month ago - travel to fifth-placed Coventry.
The play-off semi-finals take place over two legs with the winners going on to face each other at Wembley on Saturday, 24th May.
Flashscore have previewed the play-offs, taking a look at all four clubs and who the major players will be over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
Sheffield United the favourites
While it's naive to suggest anyone can be a favourite heading into the play-offs - a do-or-die time in the season notorious for just about everything going out the window - the Blades are objectively the best-performing team out of the four.
Chris Wilder's side finished the season in third on 90 points, with a two-point deduction for defaulting on payments to other teams the last time they were in the division.
That was 14 points ahead of Sunderland and 24 clear of seventh spot, with United also netting 63 goals and conceding only 36.
The Blades have the best defensive record of the play-off contenders thanks to impressive performances from goalkeeper Michael Cooper - but their individual brilliance further up the pitch is perhaps more impressive.
Gustavo Hamer was named the Championship's Player of the Season after registering nine goals and seven assists from a mixture of midfield and wide positions.
The Dutchman has play-off experience in the past as well, netting at Wembley in Coventry's losing effort against Luton in the 2022/23 campaign.
Several other stars can be difference-makers in key moments for Wilder's side, with top scorer Tyrese Campbell, Ben Brereton-Diaz, Tom Cannon and Kieffer Moore all capable of netting goals in the Championship, even if some haven't shown it over the last few months.
Campbell is without a goal in seven games and Brereton Diaz has just four since arriving in January - while Cannon's only goal for the Blades came in a losing effort against Burnley in April.
Moore hasn't scored in 2025 but, in fairness, only returned from injury in February and has had limited minutes since then.
The goals have been scattered throughout the team in recent weeks with no player netting more than once in the last month - which is unsustainable heading into the two biggest games of the season.
As a result, Wilder's side come into the play-offs in poor form with just two wins and a draw in their last seven games.
They face Bristol City, who similarly slowed down in the final week of the campaign and lumbered into a sixth-place finish following their final-day draw with Preston.
Sheffield United can be tentatively considered the favourites for a return to the Premier League but will need one of their misfiring forwards to step up across the two (potentially three) matches.
Sunderland's momentum stopped dead
Sunderland defied expectations this season with a fourth-placed finish under relatively unknown manager Regis Le Bris and even looked like challenging the top two earlier in the campaign.
A couple of rough patches in 2025 saw the Black Cats dragged away from the automatic promotion race but still comfortably finish with 76 points - 10 clear of seventh.
A season with so much promise has been dampened slightly in recent weeks after five consecutive defeats following a confirmation of their spot in fourth.
Some of that can be put down to resting players and heavy squad rotation over the last month to ensure the freshest legs possible for the play-offs, but have the Black Cats now turned too far in the wrong direction?
Sunderland are without a win since the start of April and have scored twice from open play since drawing with Preston at the start of March.
The lack of goals and wins is a cause for concern, with Le Bris' side needing to completely turn things around in their play-off semi-final with Coventry.
To make matters worse, Sunderland don't have history on their side, having not defeated the Sky Blues since 2007.
One positive for the Black Cats is that they have players capable of the individual brilliance that is often needed in high-pressure matches.
Wilson Isidor has been out of form for some time now but has already shown he can score a variety of goals - netting 12 this season, from tap-ins to stunning acrobatic efforts.
Youngster Eliezer Mayenda is largely similar but perhaps offers more on the ball and has a certain unpredictability about him that could be perfect for the play-offs.
Complimenting either of the strikers is Enzo Le Fee, who has often shown his qualities to be a cut above some of the opposition he has faced since arriving on loan in January, despite featuring out of position on the left wing.
Sunderland's play-off campaign could be won or lost based on the performance of their midfielders, though.
The Championship's Young Player of the Season, Jobe Bellingham, and Apprentice of the Season, Chris Rigg, have both flagged slightly over the last month but will be key players for the upcoming fixtures.
Likewise, captain Dan Neil's performances at the base of their three-man midfield are often the difference between a good and bad showing for the Black Cats.
Statistics and momentum aren't on Sunderland's side, but don't count them out of bouncing back in the final matches of the campaign.
Coventry riding high with Lampard
Coventry are - just about - the in-form team heading into the play-offs.
Frank Lampard's side have been on a tear since the turn of the year with 13 league wins, but have equally won just one of their last three games and have five losses in their last 10.
That win came in a high-pressure match on the final day against Middlesbrough to secure their spot in the top six.
What bodes well for the Sky Blues is that they showed they can perform when it's needed most, as evidenced by the win against play-off chasers Middlesbrough.
Couple that with the strong momentum they've built up since Lampard's arrival and Coventry look like good bets for a strong play-off campaign.
They face Sunderland - who are essentially in the complete opposite scenario - and as we've already mentioned, are without a win over the Sky Blues in almost 20 years.
A lot of that goes out the window when the semi-finals come around but it still adds an extra layer of mental pressure for both sides.
Coventry's star players are undoubtedly top scorer Haji Wright and mercurial midfield talent Jack Rudoni.
Wright has 12 league goals for the season despite missing half the campaign through injury and even netted a hat-trick against Sunderland when the two clubs last met.
However, his form since returning to the side has been slightly indifferent, with five goals in 12 games heavily boosted by his treble when facing the Black Cats.
Rudoni is the other standout with a whopping 21 goal contributions from midfield, bagging nine goals and 12 assists.
His form has drawn comparisons to manager Lampard, and the Englishman seems to have taken his game to another level since the former Chelsea manager's arrival - registering 16 of his goal contributions under the new coach.
Perhaps the one problem area for the Sky Blues has been their goalkeeper.
Oliver Dovin eventually established himself as number one before picking up an ACL injury and second choice Bradley Collins was dropped for the final day after some less-than-desirable performances.
Ben Wilson was therefore brought in from the cold and proved his worth against Middlesbrough with a match-winning display.
That uncertainty could be exploited by Sunderland, although there will likely be very few worries from the Coventry camp over Wilson's involvement in the play-offs following his final-day heroics - the veteran goalkeeper is also a boyhood Sunderland fan, which adds an extra layer of spice to the tie.
Bristol City with an outside chance
Poor form to end the season has been a bit of a theme for all the play-off hopefuls this year and Bristol City were no different after losing two and drawing one of their final three fixtures.
Before that, the Robins had lost just three Championship games in 2025 and that momentum helped to secure a spot in the top six.
Liam Manning's side face a tough test against Sheffield United, but will be backing themselves heading into the tie.
City have two main goal scorers in the form of Anis Mehmeti (12) and veteran striker Nahki Wells (10), both of whom could be key against the Blades.
Mehmeti has gone off the boil in the last couple of months and his minutes have taken a hit as a result, but the exciting forward can produce some magic on his day.
Meanwhile, Wells has been there and done it before for several years in the Championship and at 34, presents the sort of experience that could be vital for a play-off campaign.
The striker has won the play-offs before with Huddersfield and started at Wembley when the Terriers defeated Reading - netting his penalty in the shootout following a 0-0 draw.
Away from the goals, midfielder Jason Knight has quietly become one of the most underrated players in the entire division and could be a difference-maker against Sheffield United.
The Irishman is consistently one of Bristol City's best players and, as captain, has started every league game for the Robins this season while also making himself a staple of the Irish national team.
While statistically the 'least favourite' heading into the play-offs after a sixth-place finish, Manning's side are still capable of a major upset.
Their home record of 13 wins and seven draws is the fourth-best in the entire division (behind Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United), and the Robins can use that to their advantage with a strong performance in the first leg.
On the other hand, they haven't beaten the Blades in a Championship fixture since 2019 and were defeated at Ashton Gate earlier this season.
Manning's team are likely an outsider to gain promotion to the Premier League, but have proven themselves to be worthy contenders in the play-offs and will take some beating after their highest league finish since 2008.
Follow Bristol City v Sheffield United (Thursday, 8th May 20:00) here.