QPR boss Stephan welcomes expanded Championship play-offs as boost for drama | OneFootball

QPR head coach Julien Stephan has welcomed the expansion of the Championship play-offs from 2026-27, arguing it will enhance the spectacle and sustain interest to the end.

The EFL confirmed the format on Thursday, with six teams involved rather than four. The top two go up automatically, third and fourth reach the semi-finals, and eliminators pit fifth against eighth and sixth against seventh, before two-legged semis and a Wembley final.

Stephan said interest would probably run to the last seconds of the season, and that a side in 10th before the final day could still climb to eighth and qualify. He called it a positive for entertainment and for maintaining focus until the very end.

Rangers were recently in the mix, but three defeats in four have left them 10 points shy of sixth-placed Wrexham. Under the proposed system they would still be within reach of eighth-placed Derby County.

He also pointed to possible effects for other clubs, naming Sheffield, Preston and Derby, and noted how tight the table is. At present only six points separate 17th-placed Norwich and Derby.

Critics question the fairness of offering eighth a promotion chance over a 46-game season and warn that such teams could struggle in the Premier League. Stephan rejects the idea there is a major gap between eighth and sixth.

With 11 matches left, a top-six push has all but faded. QPR need four points to guarantee safety, and the 15th-placed side host second-place Middlesbrough at Loftus Road on Sunday.

Source: Hounslow Herald