Championship play-offs: More clubs to get shot at football’s richest game
English clubs have been given an extra chance to win the richest game in football after teams in the EFL approved a change to the format of the Championship play-offs.
From next season, the play-offs will expand from four teams to six – meaning clubs will only have to finish in the top eight of the Championship to have a shot at the lucrative final.
The Wembley showdown is considered the richest one-off game in football as the winners achieve promotion to the Premier League, which is worth more than £200m in extra revenue.
The play-off format change received majority backing from both teams in the second tier and all 72 EFL clubs, which also includes League One and League Two.
“Since their introduction in 1986/87, the Play-Offs have become a highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special,” said EFL chiefe executive Trevor Birch.
“Following several months of discussion 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.”
How six-team Championship play-offs work
The new format will see clubs finishing fifth to eighth in the division face off in single-leg eliminator ties for the right to meet the third and fourth placed teams in the semi-finals.
The play-offs will then follow the same system currently in place, with two-legged semis followed by a Wembley final for promotion to football’s richest domestic league.
As well as giving more teams hope of reaching that game, it is hoped that the new format will increase the number of meaningful matches towards the end of the regular Championship season as a greater number of clubs will have something to play for.
The minimum £200m uplift in revenue from promotion to the Premier League is realised over multiple seasons as it includes guaranteed parachute payments for those relegated again.
Annual central distributions to teams are at least £100m in the Premier League, compared with an average of around £11m in the Championship.
Clubs can also expect significant increases in their commercial revenue as a result of growth in the number and value of their sponsorship deals.
Parachute payments – given to teams who are relegated from the Premier League to help them manage the financial drop-off – are estimated to be worth £95m to £110m over three years.
Promoted teams who manage to survive their first season in the top flight benefit to the tune of £300m, thanks to a second year of vastly increased central distributions.