NFL team owners vote to extend play-offs from 2020 season

NFL team owners have voted to add two extra teams to the play-offs, starting from the 2020 season.

Both the AFC and NFC will add a seventh team for the post-season, but only the top seed in each conference will get a first-round bye instead of the top two.

The new format had needed approval from three-quarters of the 32 NFL owners during a conference call.

It means there will be six matches across wildcard weekend in January 2021 instead of four in the previous format.

The second seed will host the seventh seed, the third seed will host the sixth seed and the fourth seed will host the fifth seed.

It is understood a collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players' union allowed for the play-off expansion to be put to a vote.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions, after beating the San Fransisco 49ers 31-20 in Miami in February.