'We're not' - Finn Azaz admits Southampton don't want a playoffs race

Southampton finally made their way to the Championship top 6 after the 1-0 Norwich City win. However, Finn Azaz admits Southampton don’t want a playoffs race.

Southampton’s 2025/26 season has been a rollercoaster so far. In August, Will Still took control of the Saints squad and the common narrative among fans was to push for a direct Premier League promotion.

Although Southampton got the job done through the playoffs route 2 years ago, it was evident the Saints needed to send a Premier League statement after an awful 12 point season in the top-flight. Just 13 games into the Championship season, and those direct promotion beliefs vanished from St. Mary’s.

Will Still left the building with Southampton stranded at 21th position. Since then, Tonda Eckert has performed a miracle by dragging the Saints back into the top 6.

Playoffs never appealed to the St. Mary’s faithful earlier. However, they do hold importance now after the kind of strange up-and-down campaign Southampton have had until now.

Finn Azaz admits Southampton don’t want a playoffs race

The Saints squad in general should also be quite happy with the team’s collective efforts. Except, they aren’t satisfied. Finn Azaz has spread the word out loud that Southampton aren’t content with just sneaking into the playoffs.

In his own words, the Daily Echo quoted Finn Azaz saying: “We’re looking at fifth-place now. We’re not thinking that we need to stay in sixth. We’re looking at fifth, and looking at fourth.”

Finn Azaz is ambitious. Every Saints fan can see it. And it’s self-explanatory why the 24-year-old wishes for more than just making it to the playoffs. In August, Finn Azaz left a Middlesbrough team to join Southampton who had raced to 3 wins out of 3 under Rob Edwards.

Boro had a great 2025/26 Championship run lying ahead of them, still, Azaz preferred to taste Premier League promotion at St. Mary’s. Middlesbrough are fairly on their way to a direct promotion and it wouldn’t be a fitting end if Azaz can’t reach the top-flight with the Saints.

How many points Southampton need to qualify for playoffs?

Touching upon the big question, how many points Southampton need to qualify for the playoffs? Finn Azaz and co are trying their best to finish as higher up in the table as they can but when can Saints fans stay assured of playoffs knockouts?

To answer that, it’s always wise to look at the top 6 points trends over recent years. Last season, 68 points was enough for the playoffs and 73 points was the benchmark two seasons ago. Southampton already have 60 points to their name with eight games to go, hence 15-16 points might fit the bill perfectly.

That brings the required playoffs total to 75 points. For Tonda Eckert’s men, that comes out to nearly 2 points per game which is a significant ask in Championship football. But it’s Southampton we’re talking about at the end of the day.

Throughout the last 11 Championship games, Southampton have stayed unbeaten with 8 wins and 3 draws. Meaning 27 points from 11 games, and that’s above 2 points per game. Rest, let’s see how soon Southampton can begin to prepare for the playoffs in May.