The English Football League has officially announced that Championship play-offs will include six teams rather than four from the 2026-27 campaign onwards.
This significant restructuring of the promotion race comes after extensive consultation with member clubs and relevant stakeholders over recent months.
The expansion is designed to provide additional sides with realistic prospects of reaching the Premier League through the end-of-season knockout competition.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch expressed confidence that the revised format would enhance the second tier as a whole whilst offering more clubs and their fan bases a credible pathway to top-flight football.
Birch highlighted the enduring appeal of the play-off system since its inception nearly four decades ago.
“Since their introduction in 1986/87, the play-offs have become a highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special,” he said.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch expressed confidence that the revised format would enhance the second tier as a whole whilst offering more clubs and their fan bases a credible pathway to top-flight football
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The chief executive added that months of dialogue with clubs and other interested parties had informed the decision.
“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,” Birch stated.
Sunderland beat Sheffield United to win the Championship play-off final last summer
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Although the precise structure will not be finalised until the summer, the anticipated format would maintain automatic promotion for the top two finishers in the Championship table.
Clubs ending the season in third and fourth positions would secure direct entry to the semi-final stage.
The new eliminator round would see the team finishing fifth host the eighth-placed side, whilst sixth would face seventh in a single-match knockout tie.
These one-off encounters would take place at the ground of the higher-ranked club, with the victors advancing to meet the third and fourth-placed teams in the subsequent round.
Coventry currently sit top of the Championship table
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The semi-final ties would follow the existing two-legged format, with the second match hosted by whichever team finished higher in the league standings between third and fourth place.
This arrangement rewards superior league performance with home advantage in the decisive leg.
The culmination of the expanded play-offs remains unchanged, with both semi-final winners meeting at Wembley Stadium to contest the final place in the Premier League.
The showpiece match at the national stadium continues to represent one of the most valuable fixtures in world football, with promotion to the top flight worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the successful club.