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Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 639
Vote going ahead next month to have 6 playoff places in the championship then in future years in L1 and L2
For me I’m massively against this. Im a fan of the playoffs as a whole but expanding it will just dilute the quality. Playoffs should be hard to get, if L2
clubs vote for this you’ll have playoff spots down to 9th place which is insane.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11688/13506165/championship-play-offs-efl-likely-to-opt-for-six-team-expanded-format-in-2026-27-ahead-of-general-meeting#:~:text=German%20Bundesliga-
Edited by bcb1994 at 13:15:08 on 11th February 2026
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 288
Awful idea regardless of what format it takes. Will be voted in though because who’s going to vote against something that will give them more of a chance of getting promoted.
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 535
I tend to agree. Nothing wrong with the current system. Whilst it might benefit us at some point, as you say you could be wholly mediocre in 8th or 9th place and end up going up ahead of 3rd or 4th place. The conference playoffs are worse. Often the 2nd side is 20 points head of the last playoff place.
Yes it's down to that side to win the playoffs but in one off games anything can happen. A league is a test across the season and the better sides finish higher, whereas the best side won't always win a cup.
Plus it's more games to play (which is presumably why they are doing it to get more revenue) in an already overloaded fixture schedule.
Edited by Sev at 13:54:07 on 11th February 2026
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 491
It wouldn't be more matches either as they would just replace the two-legged semi-finals with a one-legged match at the higher-placed side, which should also (in theory at least) further benefit the side finishing higher in the league.
Numbers presuming the higher side wins each match:
Now:
6v3, 3v6
5v4, 4v5
----------
3v4
Then:
5v8
6v7
-----
3v6
4v5
-----
3v4
Both playoff formats involve five matches total, with each side playing a maximum of three, but in the new format the sides finishing higher actually play a game less and don't play an away match, so should stand a greater chance of being promoted.
Edited by Chuds at 14:47:00 on 11th February 2026
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 513
More playoff games = more £££. That's the bottom line.
I do think L1/L2 would need to revert to 3 up 3 down with this format (which it should be already).
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 479
It wouldn't be more matches, see my post above.
Granted I haven't actually read anything about this, but would be amazed if the format isn't what I suggested above, which benefits the sides finishing highest, and doesn't involved any more matches, either per club or in total (and would be fewer for the top two sides).
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 454
I'm still not convinced that playoffs are a good thing from a fairness perspective but they're here and they're entertaining so....
Moving to 6 places will probably get voted through though as most clubs, purely on the maths, obviiusly don't finish in the top 6, and it's an extra TV game so ££.
The next logical step is relegation playoffs. Bottom 2 go down, next 2 have a one off relegation decider. Happens in other leagues and no more unfair than a promotion playoff.
You could even have a 4 team relegation playoffs. Winners of each semi final leg stay up, two losers face off in the final.
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 417
there was relegation play offs back in the day, not sure if it was just to trim down in prep for the prem league, I was at one Chelsea/ Middlesboro as a neutral, it kicked off big time. i think Chelsea went on to play Charlton which also kicked off big time
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 379
Chelsea was 1988. Completely forgot that the match even took place.let alone descended into a full on riot.
From a policing perspective, relegation playoffs would be a bloody disaster to manage.
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 417
Read somewhere few weeks back EFL have agreed to reconsider 3 up/down from Conference and this may be part of this , so yes could be the third place is a play off thing perhaps.
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 459
Semi-finals would still be two-legged from what I've seen:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9dnll5gp1go
Edited by BrummieBoro at 15:08:57 on 11th February 2026
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Re: Expanding to 6 playoff places
Views: 408
If that's the case, then fuck it.
If it would be one leg in the format I suggested above, I wouldn't be against it being introduced and it'd make it easier for us to bounce back to L1 too.
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