Championship season provisionally set to resume June 20

Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

The Championship season will resume on June 20, the English Football League (EFL) announced on Sunday.

The provisional restart date is "subject to the strict proviso that all safety requirements and government guidance is met; and that clubs receive clearance from their local authorities in order to stage matches at their home grounds," the EFL said in a statement.

There are 108 matches remaining on the league calendar, not including the playoff fixtures. The EFL is aiming to stage the playoff final, which determines which team gets the last Premier League promotion spot, at the end of July.

"After discussing various approaches and the importance of completing the season in a similar timeline to that of the Premier League to avoid any potential issues with promoted and relegated clubs, the Sky Bet Championship season is set to conclude with the Championship playoff final on or around 30 July 2020," the statement continued.

English football has been on hiatus since March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Leeds United were one point up on second-place West Bromwich Albion when the Championship season was put on hold.

The EFL's return-to-play announcement comes after the Premier League confirmed earlier this week that its season will resume June 17.

"We must stress that at this stage the date is only provisional and will only be confirmed once we have met all the requirements, as the health, safety, and well-being of all participants, staff, and supporters remains our top priority," EFL chairman Rick Parry said.

Three rounds of COVID-19 testing have taken place so far in the Championship, with over 1,000 tests conducted each time. The latest series of checks revealed 10 positive cases, including one from Preston North End striker Jayden Stockley.

Players at Hull City, Fulham, and Blackburn tested positive in previous rounds.