ENGLISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE bosses are in talks to expand the number of teams in the Championship play-offs to SIX.
Currently the top two teams in England’s second tier are promoted automatically.
Sunderland celebrated their Championship play-off final win last seasonShutterstock Editorial
The next four sides enter the semi-finals, with third vs sixth and fourth vs fifth – before the final, which is often dubbed the richest game in club football.
The proposed new structure would see the fifth-placed team play the team in eighth and the teams in sixth and seventh face each other in one-off ties at the higher-ranked team’s home stadium.
The winners of the two eliminators would proceed to two-leg ties against the teams that finished third and fourth.
The winners of those semis would meet at Wembley to play for a place in the Premier League.
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The Athletic reports that the plan, similar to the format the National League employs, was presented to clubs by Preston North End chief executive Peter Ridsdale and that early feedback from Championship clubs has been positive.
At this stage, only Championship clubs have been consulted about the plan to revamp the season finale.
But there is interest from the EFL to eventually introduce the proposal across League One and League Two.
Football Association rules dictate that changes to competition formats require the approval of the FA board and the Premier League.
Last season’s Championship play-final saw Sunderland beat Sheffied United 2-1.
The promotion to the top flight was said to be worth £200million to the Black Cats.
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