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Championship play-off expansion confirmed but Middlesbrough will hope to avoid it

On Thursday, the English Football League approved expanding the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs from four to six teams, involving those finishing third to eighth starting in the 2026/27 season.
As proposed by Preston North End director Peter Ridsdale in September 2024, clubs and stakeholders followed several months of discussion to boost late-season competition and give two more clubs promotion chances.
Format details show that EFL chief executive Trevor Birch noted the new playoff format adds an extra round, with fifth to eighth-placed teams playing one-leg eliminators and semi-finals over two legs, before the final at Wembley.
Middlesbrough, currently second, will hope to avoid the expanded play-offs as top two teams remain automatically promoted while teams finishing third to eighth enter the six-team play-offs.
Critics have noted that Shaun Harvey and John Mousinho question the merit of seventh- and eighth-placed teams gaining promotion and warn of increased fixture congestion.

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