The Championship is on the verge of a major structural change, with EFL clubs preparing to vote on expanding the play-offs to six teams. If approved, the new format could be introduced as early as next season, reshaping the promotion race overnight.
League One and League Two are expected to follow in the coming years as part of a wider overhaul.
Reports say the FA is open to the idea, but nothing can progress until EFL clubs give their approval. This vote will determine whether the league embraces a more inclusive, high‑stakes end to the season.
The EFL’s plan is basically a lifted-and-sharpened version of the National League model, and it’s built for drama.
Fifth place would host eighth, and sixth would host seventh, both in one‑off knockout ties played at the home ground of the higher‑finishing club. No second chances, no safety net, just 90 minutes to keep your season alive.
The winners then move into a two‑legged semi‑final against the sides who finished third and fourth. Those ties decide who reaches Wembley, where the last promotion place gets settled under the arch.
It’s a structure designed to drag more teams into the fight and crank up the tension across the league.
There’s a sporting argument, sure but there’s also the unspoken truth: more games mean more eyes, more tickets, more broadcast value.
The EFL has been searching for ways to strengthen its hand financially, and this is a lever they can actually pull. At the same time, it keeps the season alive for far more clubs, right up to the final weeks.
For teams who usually fade into mid‑table by March, this could be a lifeline. Suddenly, eighth place isn’t a dead end, it’s a ticket to a knockout tie under the lights.
But not everyone is buying it. Plenty of fans feel the current system already punishes third place harshly enough. Finishing 10 or 15 points clear of the pack only to be thrown into a lottery is bad enough; now imagine losing to eighth.
There’s also the Premier League’s quiet discomfort. They’ve long worried about weaker sides coming up, and this proposal only sharpens that fear. Whether that matters to the EFL is another question entirely.
EFL clubs will vote on whether to expand the Championship play-offs to six clubs at a general meeting on Thursday, 5th March. That’s the moment everything either blows open or gets kicked back into the long grass again.
If the vote lands in favour, the league changes overnight, and the whole promotion picture gets a lot messier in the best and worst ways.
If it doesn’t pass, the idea won’t die. It’ll just sit there, gathering noise and frustration, waiting for the next round of arguments. Because once the EFL starts circling a change like this, it rarely disappears for good.
The early noise around the proposal sparked a proper split across the game. Some managers shrugged and said the Championship is chaotic enough already, while others felt the change could keep seasons alive for clubs who usually fade by spring. Fans were even more divided. Plenty loved the idea of more jeopardy, more late‑season drama, more teams with something to fight for.
But just as many saw it as another gimmick, another way to drag out the calendar and punish teams who’ve grafted all year. Pundits weren’t shy either, calling it everything from “a natural evolution” to “a solution looking for a problem.” It was clear from the start: this wasn’t going to be a quiet tweak.
