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Birmingham City locks League One title after crucial Wrexham, Wigan draw

Published: 13 Apr. 2025, 13:57

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Birmingham City players celebrate promotion after a League One match against Peterborough United at the Weston Homes Stadium in Peterborough, England, on April 8. [AP/YONHAP]

Birmingham City locked in the League One title on Saturday after a 0-0 draw between second-place Wrexham and Wigan Athletic made Birmingham go 13 points clear at the top with six matches left to go.

Wrexham cannot snatch the top spot, even if the club wins four remaining fixtures and Birmingham drop 18 points in their last six games.

Birmingham had already earned promotion to the second division as the club was guaranteed a runner-up finish after its 2-1 win over Peterborough on April 8. League winners and runners-up all earn direct promotion to the Championship in League One.

Promotion marks Birmingham’s return to the second tier only one season after slipping down to League One.

The 2025-26 Championship season would be Paik Seung-ho’s second campaign in the second division. The Birmingham City midfielder joined the club midway through the 2023-24 season, after which it was relegated to the third tier.

Birmingham City midfielder Paik Seung-ho looks on during a League One match against Barnsley at St. Andrew's in England in a photo shared on Birmingham's X account on April 5. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Paik, 28, opted not to move to a higher-tier club, despite Birmingham's chaotic year, and has played as a regular pick this season, having picked up one goal and three assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.

Paik would join fellow countrymen Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho and Swansea City forward Eom Ji-sung, if both teams stay in the Championship next season.

Stoke City are only five points clear of the relegation zone, while Swansea are 12 points above 22nd-place Cardiff City on the 24-team table. All three had four matches remaining as of press time Sunday.

The bottom three teams of the Championship will face relegation.

Fellow Korean midfielder Yang Min-hyeok of QPR has also competed in the Championship this season, but he is due to return to Tottenham Hotspur after his loan spell ends in May.

Birmingham still has remaining action to catch this season at the Football League Trophy — a tournament in which League One, League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier League and Championship compete — with the club facing Peterborough in the final on Sunday as of press time.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]