At the 2026-27 EFL season launch in Manchester, players and managers weighed in on the expanded play-off format.
Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough predicted the system will eventually reach League One and League Two but argued it stretches fairness. He noted that if a third-placed team is far ahead of eighth yet ends up in the same post-season mix, it feels harsh. With League One so tight last year that teams could be flirting with relegation and chasing the play-offs at once, he said there still needs to be proper reward for 46 league games. Rewarding the top two works, he added, but taking it to a top eight is a step too far; finishing third over a full season should count for something.
Derby striker Rhian Brewster, whose side came eighth in the Championship last season, welcomed the change. He said it gives slow starters a chance to build momentum and sneak into seventh or eighth, even from low positions. The aim remains first or second, he added, but if you land in the play-offs, the task is simple: win them.
Burnley and former England defender Kyle Walker, who lost the 2009 Championship play-off final with third-placed Sheffield United, backed the new setup while warning about its volatility. Play-offs are a roulette, he said, so the best plan is to create clear daylight in the top two and let everyone else battle it out.
Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray, a scorer in Ipswich’s 2000 play-off final win over Barnsley, was strongly in favor. He said the format keeps fans’ hopes alive, with teams sitting 10th, 12th, or 14th often only a few points from eighth and two wins from surging into contention. People need a reason to believe, he argued, and if an eighth-placed side goes up, fair play. He pointed to Sunderland’s 2025 run: they scraped past Coventry with a late Dan Ballard header, edged Sheffield United at Wembley, then invested heavily and reached Europe—proof that this pathway can transform any club.