Clubs vote for six-team Championship play-off

EFL clubs have voted in favour of expanding the Championship play-offs from four teams to six.

The new system will now be the same as the format used in the National League and will be first introduced in the 2026/27 season

It means teams that finish from third to eighth instead of third to sixth will compete for promotion to the Premier League.

Clubs finishing third and fourth will progress directly to the semi-final, while a one-legged quarter final will be played with fifth at home to eighth and sixth hosting seventh.

Semi-finals will remain as two legs and the final will still take place at Wembley at the end of May.

The proposal was approved by the EFL board and Football Association after being considered for a number of seasons prior to this one.

“The decision is intended to increase the number of competitive fixtures during the closing stages of the campaign, while also giving two additional clubs the opportunity to reach the play-off final at Wembley Stadium and progress to the Premier League,” the EFL said.

The 2026/27 season will be the first time that four teams do not play in the play-offs since its first season in 1986-87.

EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said the play-offs have become a “highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special”.

“Following several months of discussion with clubs and other stakeholders, we are confident this change will further strengthen the Championship as a competition and give more clubs and their supporters a genuine opportunity of achieving promotion.”