TRADITIONAL promotion and relegation between English rugby’s top two divisions will be abolished from the 2026-27 season after the Rugby Football Union Council approved sweeping structural reforms by 51 votes to four.

The move ends automatic movement between the Premiership and the Championship and replaces it with a conditional, application-based system aimed at strengthening financial sustainability and attracting long-term investment.

Under the new framework, the Championship winners will no longer earn a play-off against the Premiership’s bottom club. Instead, aspiring teams must apply for entry to the top-flight and will be assessed across a range of criteria including playing standards, financial stability, infrastructure, ownership model, investment potential and geographical contribution to the league’s growth.

The Premiership, currently operating with 10 clubs, intends to expand to 12 by the 2029-30 season, with further growth described as a long-term ambition. Any club seeking admission must complete at least one full season in the Championship before being considered.

Relegation from the Premiership remains possible but will no longer be automatic. A club could be removed for sustained poor performance on the field or failure to meet engagement and commercial standards, but only if a stronger and financially viable replacement candidate is available.

Mike McTighe, chair of the Men’s Professional Rugby Board, said the previous system had failed to provide stability. “It’s long been clear the old model was not delivering the financial sustainability or long-term confidence the professional game needs,” he said, adding that the effectiveness of the changes would be measured by improved stability, renewed investor confidence and wider benefits across the sport.

The reforms follow a period of acute financial crisis in the Premiership. During the 2022-23 season, three clubs – Wasps, London Irish and Worcester Warriors – entered administration and ceased operations in the top-flight. Their collapse reduced the league to 10 teams and intensified scrutiny of the division’s business model.

League officials argue reducing the threat of automatic relegation will create a more stable environment for investment. Last year, energy drink company Red Bull purchased Newcastle Falcons, who have finished bottom of the Premiership for the past three seasons. The acquisition was widely regarded as a vote of confidence in the competition and accelerated discussions around structural reform.

Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor said the changes would help position the league as a leading global competition for players, supporters and investors.

In practice, automatic promotion and relegation had already been dormant. No club has been relegated since Saracens were demoted in 2020 following a significant points deduction for breaching salary cap regulations. Saracens returned to the Premiership at the first attempt in 2021 after relegation was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ealing Trailfinders, who have consistently topped the Championship in recent seasons, were unable to compete in a promotion play-off because their stadium failed to meet Premiership minimum capacity requirements.

Initial proposals to limit movement between the divisions were opposed by Championship clubs. However, the requirement for aspiring Premiership entrants to spend a full season in the second tier, along with the creation of a dedicated support unit to assist Championship clubs in meeting top-flight standards, helped secure broader backing.

Wasps and London Irish have announced intentions to return to professional competition, while Worcester joined the Championship this season. Reports have also linked the owners of Birmingham City with plans to establish a rugby club with ambitions of reaching the Premiership.

Championship clubs continue to face financial pressure, with central funding having fallen from approximately £600,000 per club annually before the pandemic to around £160,000. How the new system addresses that disparity is likely to shape the next phase of reform.