The Championship is entering a new era this season with the introduction of an expanded play-off system that will see six clubs, rather than four, competing for the final promotion spot to the Premier League.
Under the revamped format, teams finishing third and fourth in the table will continue to progress straight to the semi-finals, just as before. However, a new one-legged quarter-final round has been added, pitting the side finishing fifth against eighth, and sixth against seventh. The winners of those ties will advance to the two-legged semi-finals, with the final still set to be staged at Wembley at the end of May.
The English Football League confirmed the change back in March, explaining that the goal was to boost the number of meaningful fixtures late in the season. Historically, plenty of drama has already unfolded around the traditional top six, but the EFL clearly wants to stretch that excitement further down the table.
Looking back at recent seasons offers a sense of how significant this shift could be. Last term, Wrexham and Derby County ended up seventh and eighth respectively, meaning both would now be handed a play-off lifeline they didn't have under the old rules. The 2024-25 campaign, by contrast, would have seen little change, as only ninth-placed Middlesbrough were within touching distance of the new qualification zone. Similarly, in 2023-24, only Coventry City in ninth would have had any real chance of gatecrashing the expanded top eight.
Whether sides finishing so far down the table can genuinely go all the way remains up for debate. Since the play-offs were narrowed to four teams back in 1989, sixth-placed finishers have won promotion only seven times — with Hull City's success last season snapping a 16-year drought for teams in that position. Extending the net to seventh and eighth introduces even greater uncertainty, especially considering Derby and Wrexham combined for just three wins in 16 matches against last season's actual play-off qualifiers.
Reaction from within the game has been mixed. Former play-off winner Lyle Taylor argued the change undermines the competitive integrity of the division. "Are you therefore deserving of being in the same post-season competition as that team? No, this is a meritocracy isn't it?" he said, referencing the gap in results between a third-placed team and one finishing eighth.
Tommy Smith, another former play-off winner, echoed some of that unease, pointing to Sheffield United's 2025 play-off final defeat to Sunderland despite finishing 14 points ahead of them in the table the previous year. "I don't know how that sits with me, a team finishing eighth could be in the Premier League over a team finishing third," he said.
Not everyone shares that scepticism. Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough voiced concerns about fairness but acknowledged the format would keep more clubs invested in the campaign. Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray was more enthusiastic, insisting the change gives hope to teams even outside the traditional promotion picture. "You could be sitting 10th, 12th or 14th but still be three points off the top eight and two wins back-to-back and you can catapult yourselves in," he said, adding that fans and clubs alike benefit from having something to dream about.
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho struck a more cautious tone, suggesting the real test will come if a team finishing well off the pace actually completes the journey to the Premier League. "The acid test will be if a side does finish seventh or eighth and is maybe a long way off the top four but does get promoted," he said, noting the size of the gap between the Championship and the top flight compared to other divisions.
With the 2026-27 season kicking off on Friday, clubs across the division will now have fresh incentive to chase a top-eight finish, potentially reshaping recruitment strategies and managerial expectations throughout the campaign.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.