How many teams will qualify for the Championship play-offs this season with new format?

EFL football is back and there is already focus on the promotion race.

The English second-tier is considered as one of the toughest leagues in the sport and boasts the reward of Premier League riches for three clubs.

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Whilst there are heated races for champion and runners-up status, the play-offs deliver drama and excitement in abundance.

Finishing third to sixth has offered teams the opportunity to battle for promotion to the top flight.

However, the 2026/27 season will bring an expanded play-off format, adding further unpredictability to the Championship.

The English Football League (EFL) announced the new Championship-specific plans in March, and you can read how it will all work below.

How many teams qualify for the play-offs?

The number of qualified teams for this season’s play-offs and beyond will increase from four to SIX.

First and second will remain as the only two automatic spots for the Championship teams.

Normally, the teams that finish from third to sixth are automatically into the play-off semi-finals.

However, from this season onwards, this is only the case for third and fourth.

Teams that finish fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth will compete in the new eliminator matches.

Fifth will face eighth whilst sixth meet seventh in one-off fixtures to decide who competes in the semi-finals with third and fourth.

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The semi-final ties are played over two legs so, when adding the final, there will be a total of seven play-off matches.

And of course, whoever wins the showpiece at Wembley Stadium will join first and second in the 2027/28 Premier League campaign.

Championship on talkSPORT

talkSPORT will bring you unmatched live and exclusive coverage of the Championship’s opening weekend.

Just look at what we’ve got in store!

FRIDAY 14th AUGUST

• Wolves v Blackburn – 8pm (talkSPORT)

SATURDAY 15th AUGUST

• Bolton v Preston – 12.30pm (talkSPORT)
• Around the Grounds with Adrian Durham – 2.30pm (talkSPORT)
• Middlesbrough v Lincoln – 3pm (talkSPORT 2)
• Sheffield United v Birmingham – 5.30pm (talkSPORT 2)

SUNDAY 16th AUGUST

• Watford v Southampton – 1.30pm (talkSPORT 2)
• Burnley v West Ham – 4pm (talkSPORT 2)

MONDAY 17th AUGUST

• Cardiff v Wrexham – 8pm (talkSPORT 2)

Who is in the running for promotion?

West Ham United, Burnley and Wolves will all be favourites to earn an instant return to the Premier League as the three relegated sides.

Middlesbrough will also be hopeful of earning promotion to avenge their play-off final defeat to Hull City in May.

Boro actually lost their semi-final against Southampton, but reached the final after the Saints were kicked out for spying on opponents.

Southampton will have their own wrongs to right as they look to seal a Premier League return.

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Thanks to their American owners, Birmingham City and Wrexham are other clubs who will look to reach the play-offs at the very least.

That would leave one final spot, with Norwich City, Sheffield United and Millwall among the sides set to be right in the mix.

How would the new format have looked last season?

Coventry City were crowned as Championship winners whilst Ipswich Town finished as runners-up, meaning automatic promotion.

Millwall and Southampton were the respective third and fourth-placed teams, so they would be in the play-off semi-finals.

Middlesbrough and Hull would have been joined by Wrexham and Derby in the eliminators.

Middlesbrough v Derby and Hull v Wrexham would have been the two fixtures.