In early March, EFL clubs voted for the ‘play-offs’ to be expanded from four to six teams. The new system will be akin to what is used in the National League.
How It Works…
The top two will remain unchanged; they will still get their ticket straight to the big league.
The third and fourth-placed teams will automatically secure a place in the semi-finals, as a reward for their efforts throughout the chaotic and relentless Championship season.
The fifth-place finisher will host eighth-place in a ‘one-off’ quarter-final tie, with the other tie being contested between sixth and seventh.
And then it’s back to business as usual.
The winners of the two ‘eliminator ties’ will then face the third and fourth-placed teams in the traditional two-legged ‘play-off’ games.
The semi-final victors will still meet in the showpiece final at Wembley – that remains dubbed as the “richest game in football.”
Pretty straightforward.
Jeopardy and Excitement…
The Championship has long been lauded as one of the most entertaining and competitive leagues in world football.
The regular mid-week matchups add to the intensity of the fixture scheduling, and it really is a league where anything can happen.
Case in point, this season being the two meetings of leaders Coventry and QPR. The Sky Blues triumphed 7-1 in August, only to lose 2-1 to the same team in late January.
Then there’s the ‘play-offs’ themselves as they already are. Teams jostling until the final day to be amongst the four who extend their seasons.
The ‘play-off’ final at Wembley has seen it all – with the knife-edge of unrivalled jubilation versus utter despair.
Who could forget the absolute classic of Charlton 4-4 Sunderland in 1998, settled by Michael Gray’s missed penalty at 7-6 in the shoot-out.
I, myself, witnessed a rollercoaster of a match in 2000 with Ipswich Town coming from behind to defeat Barnsley 4-2 in the final. This, after years of agonising failures in the semi-finals for the Tractor-boys.
So, does the league really need an extra level of jeopardy and excitement? It depends on who you are.
Is It Fair?
In the 2024-25 season, this new play-off structure was already in place in the National League.
Here, only the Champions go up automatically. York City finished second on 96 points but lost their semi-final to a side who finished 23 points behind them. That is tough to take – but isn’t that just football?
The side that beat them, Oldham Athletic, would go on to secure promotion back to the Football League themselves. For York, they were probably wondering, ‘what’s the point’ of amassing so many extra points.
Oldham Athletic fans will remember the semi-final win – and the following victory over Southend at Wembley – for eternity.
The Facts…
The team that finished eighth in the Championship last season was Millwall, on 66 points. Bristol City were sixth on 68 points. In this instance, it’s not a huge difference but keeps the season alive for even more teams.
That cannot be argued with.
He continued: “Following several months of discussions with clubs and other stakeholders, we are confident this change will further strengthen the Championship as a competition and give more clubs and their supporters a genuine opportunity of achieving promotion.”
Also, last season, third-placed Sheffield United finished on 90 points, and they lost in the ‘play-off’ final to Sunderland, who were fourth on 76 points.
Therefore, the points differences can still range massively even in the current format.
Everyone knows the rules before the season starts.
My Verdict…
Personally, I’m very much a believer in the mantra of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ So, I wouldn’t meddle with the EFL Championship play-offs at all.
Financially, it is two more high-profile matches on TV at the end of the season, so this must be acknowledged as one of the motives for some.
In terms of intrigue, potentially half of the league could be in the mix for a play-off spot at the business end of the season. That’s great for supporters – unless you’re third.
And if you do finish third, you’ll feel unlucky to miss out on automatic promotion – but then surely the side must back itself to see off any remaining competition.
The winners of the quarter-final matches could even gain a slight advantage despite their lower positions. They will be ‘on a high’ and could steam into their semis with real momentum. In a game of fine margins, could this be crucial?
But at the end of the day, it’s still three teams being promoted – and as I stated above, the rules will be in place before the season commences.
Whilst I’d keep it as it is, there is one thing that is for sure: the ‘play-offs’ certainly won’t lose any of its drama by going from four teams to six.