The English Football League is weighing up a plan to shake up the Championship playoffs by adding more clubs into the mix for promotion to the Premier League. The idea would expand the current system from four to six teams, giving seventh and eighth place a chance to chase that golden ticket. If it goes through, it won’t just tweak the format of the second tier, it could completely shift the ambitions of almost every club in what’s already the most unpredictable league in England.
More teams, more excitement… or just more chaos?
As reported by The Athletic, the proposal would pit fifth against eighth and sixth against seventh in single knockout ties, played at the higher seed’s ground. The winners would advance to the semifinals, which would stick to the two-legged format, before the all-or-nothing final at Wembley. It’s basically the same model the National League adopted back in 2017 when it stretched its playoffs with extra elimination rounds.
On paper, it sounds like a positive. More sides still in the hunt until the last weekend, fewer meaningless fixtures clogging up the calendar, and packed houses all the way through round 46. A team drifting around mid-table could put together a late run and suddenly be alive again. From the EFL’s point of view, the math is obvious: more high-stakes matches mean more tickets sold, bigger TV audiences, and extra revenue.
But there’s a flip side. Open the door too wide and you risk watering down the quality of the Premier League. Imagine an eighth-place club, never close to the top all season, stealing a £200 million promotion with a short playoff run. Meanwhile, the third or fourth-place finishers, who fought hard across nine long months, see their edge reduced to almost nothing. How fair is that?
Between tradition and spectacle
Playoffs have been part of English soccer since 1987 and over time have become a staple of the game’s culture. Wembley packed to the rafters, two clubs’ futures decided in 90 minutes it’s hard to beat that drama. Expanding the field could definitely deliver more stories and some unforgettable nights. At the same time, it risks turning what’s supposed to be a marathon of consistency into a coin toss.
The real challenge is striking the balance between tradition and modern spectacle. The EFL wants more engagement, higher revenues, and a genuine fight that lasts until the very end. But the concern is valid: by stretching the format, you risk cheapening the value of consistency. Try explaining to a third-place side, sitting just shy of automatic promotion, that their advantage over eighth place is barely worth anything. That’s the dilemma.