Ipswich Town have bounced straight back up to the Premier League, as they sealed automatic promotion from the second-tier on the final day of the Championship season.
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Kieran McKenna’s side needed to beat QPR at home on the final day of the grueling 46-game season to confirm they would finish in second place and clinch automatic promotion. If they didn’t beat QPR they could have slipped into the intense lottery that is the Championship playoffs.
But Ipswich were 2-0 up early thanks to goals from George Hirst and Jaden Philogene and despite a nervous start to the second half the victory was never really in doubt as Kasey McAteer sealed the 3-0 win late on.
The Suffolk side finished above both Millwall and Middlesbrough who could have clinched automatic promotion on the final if Ipswich had slipped up, as they finished above third-place Millwall by a single point.
It marks the second time in three seasons that McKenna has led Ipswich to the Premier League, but they were relegated and finished in 19th place in the top-flight last season.
After 22 years away from the Premier League, Ipswich are now getting ready for their second season in the Premier League in the last three years and the experience of last season will hold this group in very good stead as the majority of that squad has stuck together. Plus there will some key new additions this summer.
Stability and resilience has been key for McKenna’s side and despite a slow start in the Championship this season, they got better and better as the season wore on and always looked the most likely to finish second behind champions Coventry City.
Ipswich’s celebrity fan and minority owner, Ed Sheeran, will be delighted and you can guarantee he will be shown early and often on TV screens throughout the 2026-27 Premier League season.