The EFL wants to add National League-style eliminators.
The plan could be expanded to Leagues One and Two.
The English Football League is discussing adding an elimination round to the Championship playoffs and raising the number of players from four to six.
The proposal follows a similar format to that utilized by the National League. In the Championship, the fifth-placed team would face the eighth-placed club, and the sixth-placed team would face the seventh in one-off games at the higher-ranked team’s home stadium.
Unlike the non-league playoffs, the winners of the eliminators would face the teams that placed third and fourth in two-legged matches, with the winners meeting at Wembley Stadium to compete for promotion to the Premier League.
Preston North finish chief executive Peter Ridsdale proposed the concept to clubs at a meeting last week, putting the season’s finish in peril, and early feedback from Championship clubs has been positive.
The Athletic originally reported on the concept, which is still in its early stages. The EFL wants to implement the concept across League One and League Two, although only Championship clubs have been consulted so far. According to Football Association statutes, modifications to competition formats must be approved by both the FA board and the Premier League.
Former Crystal Palace, Wycombe, and Bristol City chief executive Phil Alexander, the National League’s interim chief executive, had previously presented the notion unsuccessfully on several occasions.
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