Bristol City and the rest of the clubs in the EFL will vote on a proposal to expand the Championship play-offs early next month
15:30, 12 Feb 2026
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Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber ahead of the Robins' win over Hull City(Image: EFL)
Gerhard Struber "would be happy" to see the Championship play-offs expanded, with Bristol City and their fellow EFL clubs set to vote next month on a proposal that would see six teams compete for promotion to the Premier League.
Currently, the two teams that finish top of England's second tier win automatic promotion to the top flight, while the sides that finish between third and sixth enter the end-of-season play-offs - where the Robins were beaten by Sheffield United across two legs last term.
However, at an extraordinary meeting on March 5, EFL clubs will vote on a proposal that would see the sides that finish seventh and eighth in the Championship also qualify for the play-offs. Such a plan has already received backing from the Football Association's board and could be implemented as early as next term.
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In the proposed format, the team that finishes fifth in England's second tier would take on the eighth-placed side, whilst the sixth-placed club would face off against the team that finished seventh. The winners of each one-off game would then progress to the existing two-legged semi-finals against the sides that finished third and fourth.
To be implemented, the regulation change must receive majority backing from all 72 EFL clubs and specifically the 24 sides currently competing in the Championship. From Struber's perspective, such a proposal makes sense in order to add to the overall excitement of a league campaign.
"Why not?" the City boss replied when asked for his stance on the prospective changes on Wednesday. "I think in the end, this is a bigger chance, and I would say the tension would be maybe longer inside when more clubs have the chance to jump in the play-offs.
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"First of all, I think it's a really interesting one, and I would be happy with that. Maybe also the fans have a little bit more tension until the end of the season when the one or other club has the chance to jump in the play-off mode.
"I think this is a really interesting idea, and from my side, I would like that."
Speculation surrounding a potential expansion to the Championship play-offs first emerged in the autumn of last year, a matter of months after the Robins competed in that stage of the league season for the first time in nearly two decades.
The expectation remains that clubs are likely to support the plans that will be put forward at next month's vote. Such a proposal will increase more sides' ability to win promotion to the Premier League whilst also reducing the amount of dead-rubber games played at the end of a campaign - sentiments echoed by the City hierarchy in the past.
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Speaking about a potential expansion at last November's fans forum, Reds CEO Tom Rawcliffe said, "If there's an opportunity to increase the chance of getting promoted to the Premier League, and that means finishing eighth, and you're in with a chance, then why wouldn't that be a good thing for us?
"The accountant in me goes, right, an extra chance of an extra game and some revenue, so I won't take that out of me either. Where do I stand on a personal viewpoint? It probably makes the season a little bit more interesting. If I'm in the Premier League, you might worry that you'll dilute the quality of it if you get someone from eighth who's had a good run, but I guess it's the same with sixth.
"40 years ago, we didn't have the play-offs and the top two, or top three, went up there and then. [We're] Open to it."
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