Stephan backs expanded Championship play-offs as EFL details new format | OneFootball

Julien Stephan has welcomed the planned expansion of the Championship play-offs, calling it good for the league's entertainment. The EFL confirmed on Thursday that from 2026-27 the second-tier play-offs will involve clubs finishing third to eighth.

The top two will still go up automatically, with third and fourth advancing straight to the semi-finals. Fifth plays eighth and sixth faces seventh in one-off eliminators, before two-legged semi-finals. The final remains at Wembley.

In his first season in English football and the Championship after managing in Ligue 1, Stephan said the change should keep interest alive until the last moments. He noted a side as low as 10th before the final day could still finish eighth and make the play-offs.

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

Stephan also pointed to the impact on others, citing Sheffield, Preston and Derby, and the congestion in mid-table. At present, six points separate 17th-placed Norwich and Derby.

With 11 games to go, a top-six push has largely ebbed away. He said four more points would guarantee safety, which is the immediate target, and QPR host second-placed Middlesbrough on Sunday at Loftus Road.

Source: Hounslow Herald