Championship qualifiers: English Premier League clubs vote in favor of holding a six-team playoff

English Football League clubs have voted to expand the Championship qualifiers from four to six teams.

The new system is similar to the format used in the National League and will be introduced for the 2026-2027 season.

This means that teams ranked third to eighth will compete for promotion to the Premier League.

The clubs finishing third and fourth will qualify directly to the semi-finals, while the quarter-finals will be played as a one-match match with fifth place at home versus eighth and sixth places hosting seventh.

The semi-finals will remain two matches, with the final taking place at Wembley at the end of May.

There are currently no plans in place to expand the playoffs into League One or League Two.

The proposal has been under consideration for a number of seasons and has been approved by the EFL Board and the Football Association.

The English Premier League said: “The decision aims to increase the number of competitive matches during the final stages of the season, while giving two additional teams the opportunity to reach the final at Wembley Stadium and advance to the English Premier League.”