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The Championship playoff final between Aston Villa and Fulham on Saturday could be worth at least £160 million to the winners. Villa and Fulham hope to join Wolves and Cardiff in the Premier League next season, and the prize on offer in the winner-takes-all clash at Wembley remains the biggest in world football. The figures, released by Deloitte, are the same as last season, with this year's showdown falling in the second year of the latest, record-breaking three-year television rights deal. The winners will benefit from future additional revenue of at least £160m across the next three seasons, which could rise to in excess of £280m if they survive their first campaign in the Premier League. The financial rewards for the winners of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Kiev later on Saturday pale in comparison, with the difference between winning and losing for Liverpool £4m in distributions from UEFA. Cardiff and Fulham both received their final parachute payments in the 2017-18 season, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2014. Champions Wolves are not currently in receipt of parachute payments, having been relegated to the Championship in 2012, but Villa received their second of three parachute payments in the 2017-18 season, having been relegated in 2016. As a result, Cardiff, Fulham and Wolves can expect a minimum revenue uplift of around £170m over three years if relegated from the Premier League after just one season, Deloitte said.
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