What is Promotion? Promotion Explained in 2 minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
19/04/2026
What is Promotion (Football)?
Promotion refers to the teams that, due to where they finish their league season, are accepted into the division above them. Depending on the rules of the league it can be one, two, three or even more teams that get promoted. Most of the high profile leagues have promotion and relegation as this what gives the clubs incentive to succeed during the season.
How is Promotion (Football) used in Sports Betting?
Betting on who will be promoted is very popular when it comes to football betting. Using the EFL Championship as an example, there are two clubs that are automatically promoted to the Premier League each season (those finishing first and second) and one more from the next four sides who compete in the playoffs for the chance.
Selecting who will be promoted is slightly easier than attempting to predict the winner of the Championship but as the division is so big – and so hard to call – this is in no way an easy bet. There may be a clear favourite for the league title some seasons but even that is no guarantee.
Promotion bets can be grouped into accumulators taking in other clubs from the division or even selecting teams to be promoted from other divisions.
Did You Know...
The EFL Championship play off final is sometimes called ‘the biggest prize in football’ as the financial reward for winning promotion to the Premier League is currently estimated to be worth about £190 million – and turns the club involved into one of the top 30 richest in the world overnight. That is why so many Championship clubs spend vast amounts of money on players – betting on themselves to gain promotion and immediately bring in enough money to cover the expense.
