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EFL board discussing Championship play-offs expansion to give seventh and eighth-placed finishers chance of promotion

The proposed change would see the play-offs include teams who finish seventh and eighth; it is understood there is widespread support to expand the play-offs among club bosses; there is no chance of the new format being introduced this season

By Rob Dorsett

Tuesday 23 September 2025 16:03, UK

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Rob Dorsett explains why the EFL board are considering a championship play-off expansion and what that means for those who finish seventh and eighth place

The EFL board is discussing the possibility of expanding the Championship play-offs to include those clubs who finish seventh and eighth in the division - and there is widespread support for the idea among club bosses, Sky Sports News has been told.

The proposal has been put forward by the Preston North End chief executive, Peter Ridsdale, former chairman of Leeds United, Burnley, Barnsley and Cardiff, who discussed the idea with other Championship executives earlier this month. Ridsdale is one of three Championship CEOs who represent the division on the EFL Board.

Sky Sports News has learned that the idea was formally communicated to the 24 Championship clubs by the EFL last week, and having had positive noises in response, the EFL Board is now considering the plan.

There is, however, no chance of the new format being introduced this season. The rules cannot be changed once a competition has started, and any final proposal would need to be approved by both the FA and the Premier League.

However, there is a breadth of opinion within England's second tier that parachute payments have distorted the competition and made it much harder for clubs without those extra payments to compete at the top end of the table.

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Including those teams who finish seventh and eighth in the play-offs, it is believed, would reduce the number of "dead rubbers" towards the end of the season and give more clubs (especially those without parachute payments) a better chance of competing for promotion.

There is still much to discuss with the idea - not least whether, if adopted by the Championship clubs, the new format should also be introduced in Leagues One and Two. It is thought there may be some reluctance from clubs lower down the football pyramid to follow the Championship's lead, because the National League has repeated its calls for a three-up/three-down system of promotion, which the EFL has so far resisted. Currently, only two clubs are promoted each season from outside the Football League.

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How would the new look play-off work?

The National League already adopts an expanded play-off format with eight teams involved. But unlike that model, where all the matches are one-offs, the idea for Championship teams would be for two "eliminator" matches to decide the final four play-off teams: those teams that finish third and fourth in the Championship would automatically qualify for the play-off semi-finals, which would follow the same format as is currently in operation - two-leg ties to decide the Wembley finalists.

Sunderland earned promotion to the Premier League by beating Sheffield United in May's Championship play-off final
Image: Sunderland earned promotion to the Premier League by beating Sheffield United in May's Championship play-off final

But those teams who finish fifth to eighth in the table would play each other in a one-off tie at the home of the higher-ranked club, to decide which two teams would go forward to the play-off semi-finals.

The idea is not new. It has been suggested on several occasions in the past, initially more than 20 years ago, and more recently by former Crystal Palace and Bristol City chief executive Phil Alexander, who is now interim CEO of the National League.

But the mood music seems different this time, with Sky Sports News being told there is widespread approval for the expansion within the boardrooms of most Championship clubs. Getting the idea past the FA and Premier League could still prove difficult, with some sources suggesting the change could dilute the quality of competition in England's top division, at a time when, for two consecutive years, the three promoted teams have been relegated from the Premier League at the end of their first season.

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