EFL Championship in the context of "Football club (association football)"

The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League (EFL). Seasons usually run from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches: two against each other team, one home and one away. Most games are played on weekend afternoons, with occasional weekday evening fixtures.

The competition was founded as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992, following the decision of clubs from the First Division (the top tier since 1888) to break away from the English Football League. Teams are still promoted and relegated to and from the EFL Championship each season. The Premier League is a corporation managed by a chief executive, with member clubs as shareholders. The Premier League takes advantage of a £5 billion domestic television rights deal, with Sky and BT Group broadcasting 128 and 32 games, respectively. This will rise to £6.7 billion from 2025 to 2029. In the 2022–2025 cycle, the Premier League earned a record £5.6 billion from international rights. As of 2023–24, Premier League clubs received central payments totalling £2.8 billion, with additional solidarity payments made to relegated EFL clubs.

The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League. The Football League was rebranded as the "English Football League" (EFL) starting with the 2016–17 season.

The EFL is divided into the Championship, League One and League Two, with 24 clubs in each division, 72 in total, with promotion and relegation between them; the top Championship division clubs change places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs of League Two with the top clubs of the National League. Currently four of the EFL clubs are from Wales – Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and Newport County – the other 68 are located in England.

The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was given to what had previously been called the Second Division. After the 2003–04 season, the division was renamed the Football League Championship (now EFL Championship, with the division below it called EFL League One).

The First Division contained between 12 and 24 clubs, playing each other home and away in a double round robin. The competition was based on two points for a win from 1888 until the increase to three points for a win in 1981.

The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and officially known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.

Organised by the English Football League (EFL), it is open to any club within the top four levels of the English football league system (92 clubs in total) comprising the top-level Premier League, and the three divisions of the English Football League's own league competition (Championship, League One and League Two).

The English Football League (EFL) play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by four association football teams finishing immediately below the automatic promotion places in the second, third and fourth tiers of the English football league system, namely the EFL Championship, EFL League One and EFL League Two.

As of 2022, the play-offs comprise two semi-finals, each conducted as a two-legged tie with games played at each side's home ground. The aggregate winners of the semi-finals progress to the final, which is contested at Wembley Stadium; the victorious side is promoted to the league above, and the runners-up remain in the same division. In the event of drawn ties or finals, extra time followed by a penalty shoot-out are employed as necessary.

Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.

Originally a cricket club, PNE has been based at Deepdale since 1875. The club first took up football in 1878 as a winter fitness activity, and decided to focus on it in May 1880, when the football club was officially founded. Deepdale is now football's oldest ground in terms of continuous use by a league club. Preston North End was a founder member of the Football League in 1888. In the 1888–89 season, the team won both the inaugural league championship and the FA Cup, the latter without conceding a goal. They were the first team to achieve the "Double" in English football and, as they were unbeaten in all matches, are remembered as "The Invincibles". Preston won the league championship again in 1889–90 but their only major success since then has been their 1938 FA Cup final victory over Huddersfield Town. The club's most famous players have been Sir Tom Finney, Alan Kelly Sr. and Bill Shankly, who are all commemorated at Deepdale by stands named after them.

Reading Football Club (/ˈrɛdɪŋ/ RED-ing) is a professional football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. They compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. They play their home matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Reading are nicknamed The Royals after the Royal County of Berkshire, and were previously known as The Biscuitmen, due to the town's association with biscuit maker Huntley & Palmers. Established in 1871, the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join The Football League until 1920, and first played in the top tier of English football league system in the 2006–07 season. The club competed in the 2012–13 Premier League season, having gained promotion at the end of the 2011–12 season after winning the Championship, but were relegated after just one season back in the top flight.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.

The club was founded as Christchurch Rangers in 1882 and took up their current name after merging with St Judes Institute four years later, near the Queen's Park and Kensal areas. Having won the West London League in 1898–99, QPR joined the Southern and Western leagues where they won titles in both. It was during this period that the club reached the final of the FA Charity Shield twice in 1908 and 1912. QPR were elected to the Football League in 1920. The club played in the Third Division South until winning promotion as champions in 1947–48. The club was relegated in 1952, but slowly rebuilt under the stewardship of Alec Stock which culminated in winning the Third Division title and also their only major trophy to date, the League Cup in the 1966–67 season. Promoted from the Second Division in 1967–68, they were relegated after one season in the First Division. QPR won promotion again in 1972–73 and then narrowly missed out winning the English league title in 1975–76, finishing only one point behind champions Liverpool. Relegated in 1979, they reached the FA Cup final as a second-tier club in 1982, losing to Tottenham Hotspur after a replay.