Championship play-offs expanded from four to six teams next season

EFL clubs have voted in favour of expanding the Championship play-offs from four to six teams.

The new system is similar to the format used in the National League and will be introduced for the 2026-27 season.

It means teams finishing from third to eighth will compete for promotion to the Premier League.

Clubs finishing third and fourth will progress directly to the semi-final, while a one-legged quarter final will be played with fifth at home to eighth and sixth hosting seventh.

Semi-finals will remain as two legs and the final will still take place at Wembley at the end of May.

There are currently no plans in place to expand the play-offs in League One or League Two.

The proposal has been under consideration for a number of seasons and was approved by the EFL board and Football Association.

The second tier play-offs have been contested by four teams since its introduction in the 1986-87 season.

Millwall finished eighth in the Championship last season on 66 points with Bristol City claiming the final play-off spot on 68 points.

Third-placed Sheffield United, who lost the play-off final to Sunderland, got 90 points.

EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said the play-offs have become a “highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special”.

The National League has been pushing for a third promotion place to be added as part of its 3UP campaign.

A general meeting is set to take place next week between all clubs to discuss the “alignment requirements”, according to the EFL, however no formal vote is planned.