EFL clubs will next month vote on an expansion of the Championship playoffs to six teams after being given approval to pursue the radical change by the Football Association’s board.

The Guardian has learned that the 72 EFL clubs were on Tuesday invited to an extraordinary general meeting on 5 March, when the vote will take place on a new playoff format that would begin next season.

A simple majority of the 72 clubs and 24 in the Championship – 37 and 13 votes in favour respectively – is required to formalise a regulation change approved by the EFL board last week.

The FA is understood to have given its approval at a board meeting in December despite opposition from the Premier League, which is concerned about a potential drop in standards and reduced competitive balance if a team finishing eighth in the Championship are promoted to the top flight.

The EFL’s proposal would add an eliminator round to the Championship playoffs in a format similar to that used by the National League.

The fifth-placed team would play the eighth-placed team, and sixth would play seventh, at the higher-ranked club’s ground in a one-off tie to determine progression to the two-leg playoff semi-finals against the clubs that finished third and fourth.

The winners of those ties would then meet at Wembley as normal to play for promotion to the Premier League.

The EFL is understood to be confident that the change will be approved, having consulted widely with the clubs since the idea was proposed at a Championship divisional meeting in September.

The idea of expanding the playoffs has been discussed in EFL circles before without gaining sufficient traction.

The EFL is understood to have gained the backing of its rights holder Sky Sports, which has welcomed the prospect of two extra games given the drama and jeopardy of the playoffs, one of the highlights of the club season.

If successful the new format could be extended to League One and League Two in subsequent seasons.

The FA and EFL declined to comment.