Championship play-offs to undergo major change from next season | OneFootball

Clubs have voted to expand the Championship play-offs from four to six teams from next season, the English Football League has confirmed.

Starting from the 2026-27 season, the Championship clubs who finish seventh and eighth in the table will be included, and will face the teams who finish fifth and sixth in a new one-off “eliminator” tie. The teams who finish seventh and eighth will be away from home in the eliminator.

Then, the winners will progress to the two-legged semi-finals, against the teams who finish third and fourth, for the chance to advance to Wembley and compete for a place in the Premier League.

“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,” EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said.

The change was announced following the EFL’s general meeting, with the decision to expand the play-offs requiring a majority vote among all clubs, as well as a majority from the 24 Championship clubs.

While the move was naturally popular with those Championship clubs, some concerns have been raised within the Premier League that it may dilute the quality of teams who achieve promotion.

It would be theoretically possible for the eighth-best Championship team to be playing in the Premier League the following season if they progress through their four play-off matches.

The new play-off format, involving a single-leg eliminator round, will replicate the system currently used in the National League, where the teams who finish between fourth and seventh first facing off for the right to play the sides who finish second and third.

The last time a Championship team was promoted to the Premier League after finishing outside of the top-four was in 2018-19, when fifth-placed Aston Villa defeated Derby County, who finished sixth, 2-1 at Wembley.

Blackpool, in 2009-10, were the last club to win the Championship play-off final after finishing the regular season in sixth.