Promoting to Premier League is one of the biggest accomplishments any English football team can dream of, and from the next season, more teams will be able to compete for a chance in the top flight, as the English Football League has confirmed that the EFL Championship play-offs will increase from four to six teams starting in 2026/27.
The play-off final is regarded as the most lucrative single game in world football, according to Sky Sports, and now more teams will compete to reach it, "strengthening the Championship as a competition and give more clubs and their supporters a genuine opportunity of achieving promotion", said EFL chief executive Trevir Birch.
With the current system, in place since 1989/90 teams that finish first and second in Championship automatically promote to Premier League, and teams between third and sixth play two semifinals and then a final. Starting next season, and while the format has not been revealed, Sky expects that the third and fourth will qualify for semifinals; the fifth and eighth and sixth and seventh will play quarter-finals. The final will continue to take place at Wembley Stadium.