EFL officials eye big change to League One that's already impacted the Championship | OneFootball

League One officials want to expand the play-offs to six teams

League One officials are keen to expand the play-offs to six teams, following the Championship's lead, which implemented it this season.

The top six race in the third tier last term went down to the wire. In the end, only four points separated third from eighth, and there was a three-way battle for sixth on the final day between Stevenage, Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle.

It provided massive drama, with Argyle leapfrogging both their rivals heading into the 90th minute, before late goals from Alex Revell's side against Wigan Athletic and the Hatters against Bolton Wanderers saw the race end the way it began before a ball was kicked.

Given Plymouth's blistering form in the second half of the season, though, picking up the second most points in 2026, and Luton's brilliance in the final couple of months, both felt they deserved a place in the post-season.

League One play-offs may be in line for expansion

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And in the not-so-distant future, those who just miss out on the top six could be in line for a play-off place as, according to the Daily Mail, League One representatives have put forward a proposal to the EFL to expand the postseason to feature six teams.

Championship for the ongoing campaign, as the EFL looked to increase end-of-season interest and create more opportunities for promotion.

The new format sees clubs who finish third and fourth receive an immediate bye through to the semi-finals, with a one-legged eliminator between the four sides below determining who will face them.

There's no set path for the semi-finals, meaning whoever is the lowest-ranked winner from the eliminators will take on the side who finished third, with the team in fourth taking on the other. Therefore, if eighth beats fifth and sixth beats seventh, the side in third takes on eighth.

Expanding the play-offs will create more intrigue in the latter stages of the League One campaign

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The third tier is often described as one of the most even divisions in England, with it often being the case that sides are separated by the odd point near the top of the table.

Last year's top six race was indicative of that, but the season before, sixth and seventh were level on points heading into the final day, with eighth through to 10th separated by just three. In 2023/24, six points separated play-off winners Oxford United in fifth from Stevenage in ninth.

So, recent history does state that expanding the play-offs would be beneficial in League One, with more meaning given to games towards the end of the campaign.

Additionally, with third and fourth getting a bye through, it'll create more drama involving the sides already in the play-offs.

Last season, Bolton began the final day in third, but ended it finishing fifth following their defeat against Luton. Under the new expansion rules, they'd then take on eighth in the eliminator, rather than receiving a bye.

The play-off expansion is already having benefits in the Championship

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Throughout the summer, we saw plenty of perennial mid-table sides splash the cash a little more in the transfer window.

While the new SCR rules have changed the way clubs can spend, the route to the Premier League being a little more wide open now due to the play-off expansion is a good incentive for owners to pump a little more money into their squad.

And while it's only been five games, the likes of Swansea City, QPR and Bristol City are occupying places in the top eight after fast starts, and they'll be looking to remain there for the following 41 matches.

Raising the level of the more average sides in the division creates jeopardy down at the bottom as well, as clubs face falling behind and into League One if they don't maintain the level of ambition that other owners are putting in.

The third tier this season is highly regarded as one of the more even ones in recent memory. Around 15 clubs could have gone into this season with the play-offs as their goal. Expanding that to six sides from next year could make clubs push on to try and achieve that.