EFL to vote on extending the Championship playoffs

[Saint Mikey]

This has been in the National League for a few years. How has it unfolded? Any teams finishing 7th or 8th getting to final or promoted?

[josebaiw]

26 minutes ago, Saint Mikey said:

This has been in the National League for a few years. How has it unfolded? Any teams finishing 7th or 8th getting to final or promoted?

Not 7th or 8th, but Grimsby went up from 6th in 2021/22 (with added context that 2nd doesn't get automatic promotion in the National) 

[EssEffCee]

47 minutes ago, Saint Mikey said:

This has been in the National League for a few years. How has it unfolded? Any teams finishing 7th or 8th getting to final or promoted?

National league is slightly different I think with all ties being one leg with higher placed team at home.

[EssEffCee]

1 hour ago, Sheaf Saint said:

I guess the thinking is that one of the teams in 3rd and 4th is guaranteed to be in the final. Whereas currently it is possible for the two teams in 5th and 6th to get through.

They should do away with the two legs though, and just give the home advantage to the team that finished higher. 

No 3rd and 4th still play in a two legged semi as normal. The other 4 just have to play a one off game to decide who they play.

[trousers]

On 11/02/2026 at 23:08, trousers said:

Here's a radical idea... How about the best 3 teams over 46 matches get promoted...?

#callmeoldfashioned

Still this ^

[die Mannyschaft]

Good idea, some will never get to Wembley so now have a chance unlike FA cup where always one of so called big 6. A lot of the top 6 teams have dead rubbers easy 3 points last month or so, that means more games are competitive 

[RedArmy]

2 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Oh I've misunderstood then. I thought 3rd and 4th would play each other and the winner go straight through, but admit I've not fully read the proposal.

That would seem fairer to me.

How would that possibly be fairer? 

 

[swedish dave]

the short term gain of promotion will become a long term financial disaster for the weaker sides.

Sunderland seem to be surviving in the Prem. after finishing 6th last season, but of the top two; 

from last season ... Leeds will be glad if they survive ...whilst Wolves are already down again. 

 

The quality gap between the two leagues is beyond comparison, (as seen last season) when

all 3 promoted sides came back down in their first season up. The cost of promotion starts

with around  100 million to try and get some experience into the squad, then trying to fill

the inevitable gaps in the January window puts clubs in debt and the impending relegation cuts in

income when back down in the Championship, and the better player will want away.  

 

The later threat of points deductions may take the team into another relegation struggle , and

Leicester are the prime example of a side who won the Premier League title in recent history.

No sorry, it may sound exciting for clubs to dream of a season in the Prem, but that may be the

beginning and the end of the glory.

 

[Sarnia Cherie]

I have never agreed with play offs. I know it generates money but I have always felt that after a 46 match season the top 3 deserve their promotion. 

[BARCELONASAINT]

watch us finish 8th next season and everyone being very excited about our chances of a Wembley final and possible promotion.

[Colinjb]

Remembering how amazing promotion via the playoffs felt, not against the expansion. But, let's face it, they've done this to make more money. 

If it was this season, it would leave us feeling far happier right now.

[Sheaf Saint]

1 hour ago, RedArmy said:

How would that possibly be fairer? 

 

My thinking was that the two teams with the most points/best GD have a greater chance of reaching the final. With the system that's being proposed you could end up with the teams that finished 7th and 8th facing each other at Wembley. There should be greater jeopardy for the lower placed teams IMO. 

But on reflection, I guess that also means that one of the two teams in 3rd and 4th is also guaranteed not to be in the final. So I get that it's not a perfect solution.

Edited yesterday at 17:39 by Sheaf Saint

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

It's shit.

They should make the semi-finals one leg and at the Millennium Stadium. Just for fun.

[Saint Pete]

On 11/02/2026 at 23:08, trousers said:

Here's a radical idea... How about the best 3 teams over 46 matches get promoted...?

#callmeoldfashioned

This is the purist view of course. But you surely have to acknowledge that in a 24 team league the play offs do add a lot in terms of keeping the the last 10-15 games of every season interesting for a lot more clubs and their fans? Would we be giving a flying f*ck about the rest of the season now and monitoring the league table each game if it weren't for the play-offs? 

[EssEffCee]

1 hour ago, swedish dave said:

the short term gain of promotion will become a long term financial disaster for the weaker sides.

Sunderland seem to be surviving in the Prem. after finishing 6th last season, but of the top two; 

from last season ... Leeds will be glad if they survive ...whilst Wolves are already down again. 

 

The quality gap between the two leagues is beyond comparison, (as seen last season) when

all 3 promoted sides came back down in their first season up. The cost of promotion starts

with around  100 million to try and get some experience into the squad, then trying to fill

the inevitable gaps in the January window puts clubs in debt and the impending relegation cuts in

income when back down in the Championship, and the better player will want away.  

 

The later threat of points deductions may take the team into another relegation struggle , and

Leicester are the prime example of a side who won the Premier League title in recent history.

No sorry, it may sound exciting for clubs to dream of a season in the Prem, but that may be the

beginning and the end of the glory.

 

 

Sunderland finished 4th last season not 6th. It's been years since a 6th placed team won them, Blackpool maybe?

[Saint Pete]

1 hour ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

I have never agreed with play offs. I know it generates money but I have always felt that after a 46 match season the top 3 deserve their promotion. 

For the clubs it may be about money, but don't discount the impact of the play offs on a huge amount of fans. It keeps our interest to the latter end of the season, our current position in the table is a great example of that. Yes, it would be fairer if the top 3 teams went up, but personally I prefer a play off system to consigning the vast majority of games in the last quarter of the season to be meaningless. 

[trousers]

58 minutes ago, Saint Pete said:

This is the purist view of course. But you surely have to acknowledge that in a 24 team league the play offs do add a lot in terms of keeping the the last 10-15 games of every season interesting for a lot more clubs and their fans? Would we be giving a flying f*ck about the rest of the season now and monitoring the league table each game if it weren't for the play-offs? 

Yes, I can see the pros of the play offs but, regardless, I'm still in favour of the best 3 teams over the course of the season being promoted. 

[BarberSaint]

58 minutes ago, Saint Pete said:

For the clubs it may be about money, but don't discount the impact of the play offs on a huge amount of fans. It keeps our interest to the latter end of the season, our current position in the table is a great example of that. Yes, it would be fairer if the top 3 teams went up, but personally I prefer a play off system to consigning the vast majority of games in the last quarter of the season to be meaningless. 

They shouldn't be meaningless. You play to win and (perhaps) to entertain. To do as well as you can. 

The idea of a play-off was always a nonsense and always about money. Money which stupid fans pay.

[Stud mark of doom]

4 hours ago, trousers said:

Still this ^

Does it help to remember that 3rd place was only an automatic promotion for just over 10 years. Was just the top two before that. 
 

Play-off coming up for their 40th birthday. No way they are being dropped. Fantastic end to the season! 

[Badger]

12 minutes ago, Stud mark of doom said:

Does it help to remember that 3rd place was only an automatic promotion for just over 10 years. Was just the top two before that. 
 

Play-off coming up for their 40th birthday. No way they are being dropped. Fantastic end to the season! 

I haven’t fully recovered from the bottom three going down rather than just the two. 1974, a very bitter awakening to the new rule. 

[Dr Who?]

7 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

I guess the thinking is that one of the teams in 3rd and 4th is guaranteed to be in the final. Whereas currently it is possible for the two teams in 5th and 6th to get through.

They should do away with the two legs though, and just give the home advantage to the team that finished higher. 

Same as the national league format. Except only 1 automatically go up! 

[RedArmy]

 

3 hours ago, EssEffCee said:

 

Sunderland finished 4th last season not 6th. It's been years since a 6th placed team won them, Blackpool maybe?

There seems to be a myth on here that Sunderland snuck into the playoffs won them and are now doing great in the Premier League, and that we will do the same. 
 

They were top of the league for 3 months ffs. 

[sandwichsaint]

4 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

It's shit.

They should make the semi-finals one leg and at the Millennium Stadium. Just for fun.

Semi-finals should always be played at Stamford Bridge, ideally in front of a mock up of the old Shed End and on a heavily sanded pitch.

[Badger]

4 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

It's shit.

They should make the semi-finals one leg and at the Millennium Stadium. Just for fun.

Should be used for one the FA Cup semi finals in my view. 

[Whitey Grandad]

57 minutes ago, Badger said:

Should be used for one the FA Cup semi finals in my view. 

Wembley cost so much that the FA need the revenue to help pay for it.

[SW5 SAINT]

21 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

8th in the Champ - hard enough for automatic teams to compete.

Not sure it makes any difference where you finish in the championship, you just have to throw enough money at it to have any chance of surviving…..! However the money must be spent intelligently….

Edited 8 hours ago by SW5 SAINT
Edit

[Turkish]

12 hours ago, sandwichsaint said:

Semi-finals should always be played at Stamford Bridge, ideally in front of a mock up of the old Shed End and on a heavily sanded pitch.

Stick the electric fence up while you’re there 

[Turkish]

13 hours ago, RedArmy said:

 

There seems to be a myth on here that Sunderland snuck into the playoffs won them and are now doing great in the Premier League, and that we will do the same. 
 

They were top of the league for 3 months ffs. 

We won’t do the same even if we did as like last time we’d sign a load of players for the following season when we get relegated again 

[saint michael]

Not sure what the purpose of league is if you can be not good enough for most of the season then get promoted. Thought the idea of league is best teams over course of season go up. Play off of four teams give opportunity enough for close runner to be in contention 

[die Mannyschaft]

It may stop teams wasting wheel barrows full of cash buying players a inflated prices and huge wages when a much cheaper and competent player can be bought.  More chances for clubs not loaded to compete.

We have £150m squard and struggling to make 6th v a Wrexham team with even more money 💰 

[trousers]

16 hours ago, Stud mark of doom said:

Does it help to remember that 3rd place was only an automatic promotion for just over 10 years. Was just the top two before that. 

Not really.... The same logic applies regardless of the number of teams designated for promotion, I would still do it on merit over the course of the season....

[trousers]

1 hour ago, saint michael said:

Not sure what the purpose of league is if you can be not good enough for most of the season then get promoted. Thought the idea of league is best teams over course of season go up.

Indeed. It's really not very complicated, is it?

[Chez]

In the old first division, there used to be so many 'nothing' games towards the back end of the season. The only good thing was it allowed clubs to blood some youngsters. The play offs have kept us interested and kept teams honest. There tends to be hardly any nothing games these days. I don't see any need to extend the play offs though. If you can't make sixth, then you really shouldn't be in the mix for promotion.

This is why you need an independent body running a league. Give turkeys the chance to vote for for an end to Christmas and they will probably take that opportunity. 

[Chez]

13 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Wembley cost so much that the FA need the revenue to help pay for it.

Wasn't the new Wembley debt paid off in 2024?

Time to scrap Wembley semi finals. The downside is less fans can go, obviously, but 35k for each team at old Trafford and 30k each side at Tottenham seems reasonable. 

Could have a few England games in the different regions too.

[RedArmy]

2 hours ago, Turkish said:

We won’t do the same even if we did as like last time we’d sign a load of players for the following season when we get relegated again 

To be fair we were fucked a bit by having to spend 40 odd million or whatever it was to sign two of our loanees. That’s a big chunk of the budget spent just to stand still. Everything after that was just wasted money signing shit players on the cheap. 

 

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

The play offs have kept us interested and kept teams honest. There tends to be hardly any nothing games these days.

This is exactly right. How many teams would be playing for nothing this season if there were no play offs. From Hull down to Charlton, a dozen maybe,  and we’re only just out of Feb. Add to that Sheffield Weds and it’ll be a pretty boring league. 
 

I guess because of my age I look at it as 2 up (like the old days) with an extra opportunity for the next 4 top teams who weren’t good enough to go up automatically. 

Edited 4 hours ago by Lord Duckhunter

[BARCELONASAINT]

It's amusing reading some of the thoughts of fans on here to next seasons ruling. If you think the idea of a team finishing 8th possibly being promoted then how do you think you would cope with following a team in the states? The MLS has no relegation and no teams from the division below can be promoted to the MLS. The team finishing first at the end of the season is NOT automatically the league Champion, there is then a playoff involving the top 6 or 8 teams to determine who is the seasons Champion. It's all very bizzare.

In 2 years time the 3 divisions below the MLS will have promotion and relegation introduced but there will still be no promotion to the MLS from the division below. There has been talk to introduce relegation and promotion from the MLS but it is still some way off as owners want to protect their investment.

[franniesTache]

I can't believe there are people against this, it's a massive improvement on SOCCERBALL and keeps the excitement going for the end of the series.

The London Hornets vs Derbyshire Rams would be prime time viewing in match week 49!

Hopefully they schedule the game day for a late evening kick off so the world doesn't miss out