Wrexham fans stand united as they voice their concerns over the new Championship playoff format, which allows six teams to compete for a single promotion spot at Wembley.
The last few days have been a whirlwind for Wrexham and the entire Championship. While the onset of March typically brings Cup knockouts and promotion races, this month of 2026 will go down as a turning point in EFL history.
Notably, talks have long been ongoing in recent months to restructure the Championship playoffs. While the current system sees the 3rd to 6th sides face off in two-legged ties to decide a playoff winner, discussions have focused on expanding that to include the 3rd to 8th placed sides.
So far, the proposal garnered divided responses. Though the idea of allowing more sides to compete in the playoffs interested the clubs and officials, the move was seen as unnecessary by the fans.
Ultimately, the collective voice of the EFL clubs prevailed as they voted in the majority to extend the Championship playoff seats to six teams instead of four. In an official announcement, EFL stated that the six-club playoff format will commence from the 2026/27 season.
Fans react with frustration to new Championship playoff format
According to EFL’s statement, the change aims to increase the number of games during the final phases of the season. While that ought to serve more entertainment for Championship fans, the move hasn’t sat well with the majority of supporters.
Among the major concerns, fans mention how this change leads to increasing mediocrity in the Championship promotion race. One fan recounted Sunderland’s 2024/25 case to support the argument, saying: “Sunderland had nothing to play for in the last 15 odd games last season. Knew they weren’t going up and knew they’d be in the playoff. More like that with 6 in the p/o’s Their games meant very little.”
Notably, Sunderland had a comfortable final stretch in the Championship last season. With automatic promotion out of reach but their playoff spot long secured, the club focused all its energy on the playoffs.
According to this fan, the decision to expand the playoff spots promotes more cases like Sunderland. Following this change, many more clubs will relax in the later stages of the league, given the realisation that they can bag a promotion like those contending for the Championship title.
Overall, it reduces the promotion race intensity, which has been a hallmark of the Championship for decades.
Does the new format lessen the Premier League quality?
Another concern regarding the new format is that it can lower the Premier League’s quality. With the new format giving one-third of the Championship sides a shot at promotion, one fan mentioned: “May as well expand it to the whole league at this rate.”
Ever since the EFL changed the promotion rules for the Championship in the 1988-89 season, the four-team playoff system has been in place for nearly four decades. Given that the latest revision expands the playoff pool to six teams, the EFL may relax the rules even further down the line.
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Not only does this harm the Championship’s reputation, but it also lowers the competitiveness of the Premier League. With a team ranked 8th having an equal shot at promotion as a side barely missing the top-4 spot, more and more mediocre clubs could end up in the Premier division.
Foreseeing this possibility, another fan didn’t hesitate in holding the new Championship format in the same regard as the National League system, saying: “So same format as national league”
Notably, the 5th tier of English football has followed a similar pattern for quite a long time now. While the League winners automatically secure promotion to League Two, the runner-up to the 7th-ranked side contests in playoffs to decide the second promotion winner.
Apart from the fact that the Championship features two automatic promotions and two-legged playoffs, the new system mirrors the National League. As the structural gap between the two leagues narrows significantly, fans now fear a similar decline in the quality gap.
Will Wrexham be affected by new Championship format?
Given that the new Championship format commences from next term, the playoff sides this season won’t be affected. If Wrexham manage to make it to the PL this season, the Reds can go unbothered by the new rule.
A Wrexham fan showed high confidence in this possibility, stating: “doesn’t matter, we already up after this season lol”.
While a promotion charge is much more complicated to materialise than vouching for it, Wrexham stands a significant chance of making this a reality.
So far, the Reds have put up some gritty performances against even the best Championship sides. Factor in the relentless display against Premier League playing Nottingham Forest, and Wrexham can actually survive a PL season even with their current squad.
If Wrexham conclude this in-form Championship run with a promotion and supplement it with major summer upgrades, they can bolster their chances of establishing their identity in the Top Flight. Should that happen, the Reds may never need to look back at the Championship or their playoff rules in a long time.
For now, it’s a possibility that will require a terrific effort from Wrexham. First, let’s see how the club fares in their next Premier League test when they line up against Chelsea, to gauge their preparations ahead of a potential PL campaign.
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