(CelebrityAccess) — The team owners of the National Football League voted to expand the postseason by two teams beginning with the 2020 season.
The vote, conducted via a conference call, will increase the number of teams in playoff contention from 12 to 14.
Two additional Wild Card teams – one each in the American and National Football Conferences – will qualify for the playoffs. The No. 1 seed in each conference will receive a bye in the Wild Card round. The remaining division champions in each conference with the best records will be seeded 2, 3, and 4, followed by the next three teams per conference with the best records seeded 5, 6, and 7.
AFC and NFC Wild Card games will feature the 2 seed hosting the 7 seed, the 3 seed hosting the 6 seed and the 4 seed hosting the 5 seed.
Wild Card Weekend for the 2020 season will consist of three games on Saturday, January 9, and three games on Sunday, January 10, 2021.
CBS will broadcast one of the added Wild Card games via its traditional broadcast platform, as well as its digital streaming service, while NBC will carry the second additional game, including on its new streaming service Peacock, as well as the Spanish-language Telemundo.
The NFL last expanded the playoffs for the 1990 season, increasing from 10 to 12 the number of teams to qualify for the postseason. Since 1990, at least four new teams have qualified for the playoffs that missed the postseason the year before – a streak of 30 consecutive seasons.
