With their penalty shootout win over Reading at Wembley on 29 May, 2017, Huddersfield Town became the first Championship side to earn promotion to the Premier League after finishing their league campaign with a negative goal difference. Brighton in the 1990-91 season had qualified for the Second Division playoffs with a negative goal difference, but lost to Notts County in the final.
Town finished 5th in the Championship in 2016/17 with a goal difference of minus 2 (56 goals scored; 58 conceded). They then drew all three of their playoff games- both semifinal fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday ended in draws before penalties took David Wagner’s team to Wembley, where another shootout victory in the final gain promotion at the expense of Reading.
They joined Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion in the top flight (Premier League) in 2017/18.
Here is the Championship table at the end of the 2016-17 season (after playoffs)