EFL's Six-Team Play-Off Overhaul Trumps FIFA and UEFA's Bloated Formats

While FIFA expanded the World Cup and UEFA tinkered with the Champions League into something altogether more convoluted, the EFL have quietly pulled off something genuinely clever: they've improved an already excellent product without breaking what wasn't broken.

From the 2026/27 season onwards, the Championship play-offs will expand from four teams to six, bringing 7th and 8th place finishers into the fold. The top two remain automatically promoted, but now the third and fourth-placed sides gain a significant advantage by advancing straight to the semi-finals, while 5th meets 8th and 6th faces 7th in one-off quarter-final ties.

It's a departure from a format that's remained largely unchanged since the late 1980s, when four sides below the automatic promotion places contested two-legged semi-finals before a final shoot-out for the third promotion spot. Understandably, plenty have grumbled at the prospect of an eighth-place team potentially reaching the Premier League, but the evidence suggests the stronger outfits still prevail.

The National League's expanded play-offs—which have run since 2017/18—offer a compelling case study. Grimsby Town remain the only non-top-five finisher to win the tournament since its expansion, suggesting the odds remain heavily stacked against lower-seeded entrants. Serie B's experience tells a similar story: just one side has won the play-offs from sixth place or lower since 2013/14.

The real benefit lies in sharpening the final weeks of the season. With more teams competing for a top-eight finish, the chasing pack suddenly has far more to play for down the stretch. The closing matches gain extra texture, and crucially, supporters get additional drama to savour once the play-offs begin.

The old complaint about the play-offs punishing sides who narrowly miss automatic promotion also loses its sting. Third and fourth-placed finishers now enjoy a genuine edge over their lower-ranked rivals, rewarding their superior league position without eliminating anyone from contention too early.

Rare praise for the EFL, but they've managed what FIFA and UEFA couldn't: expand without diluting.