The League Two play-offs offer a chance for those who just missed out on automatic promotion, with four teams battling it out to see who can secure the prize of promotion to League One.
The regular 2023/24 League Two campaign has now come to an end, and while the promotion battle was wrapped some weeks ago, the play-off race went right down to the wire.
So ahead of May’s play-offs, Football FanCast has taken a look at the details concerning the upcoming fixtures.
How the League Two play-offs work
It’s a very simple format, but unlike League One and the Championship, as League Two offers three teams the opportunity to secure automatic promotion, compared to two places in the leagues above.
The League Two play-offs will see four teams battle it out in two separate semi-finals. Those who finish in fourth position will play the team finishing in seventh, while the team finishing in fifth will play the team who finished sixth.
Both semi-finals will involve a home and away leg, with the team who is leading after the two legs advancing from both semi-finals to make up the two teams in the final.
The team who finished lower will be at home for the first leg, whilst the team who finished higher will be at home for the deciding return leg.
Should both teams be level on aggregate after 180 minutes of football, the match will be settled via extra time and possibly even penalties if the score is still level following an additional 30 minutes.
The final is set at Wembley Stadium, with the winner securing the League Two play-off trophy and promotion to League One. Extra time and penalties are required if both teams are tied at the end of normal time, with the losing team spending another season in League Two.
Current League Two standings
Only fourth to seventh position make it into the League Two play-offs, with first, second and third going up automatically to League One at the end of the regular season.
Stockport County, Wrexham and Mansfield Town all secured automatic promotion to League One, which just leaves the remaining teams below to battle it out for the play-off places.
Final League Two table |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
GD |
PTS |
1st |
Stockport |
46 |
27 |
11 |
8 |
+48 |
92 |
2nd |
Wrexham |
46 |
26 |
10 |
10 |
+37 |
88 |
3rd |
Mansfield |
46 |
24 |
14 |
8 |
+43 |
86 |
4th |
MK Dons |
46 |
23 |
9 |
14 |
+15 |
78 |
5th |
Doncaster |
46 |
21 |
8 |
17 |
+5 |
71 |
6th |
Crewe |
46 |
19 |
14 |
13 |
+4 |
71 |
7th |
Crawley |
46 |
21 |
7 |
18 |
+6 |
70 |
8th |
Barrow |
46 |
18 |
15 |
13 |
+6 |
69 |
9th |
Bradford |
46 |
19 |
12 |
15 |
+2 |
69 |
10th |
AFC Wimbledon |
46 |
17 |
14 |
15 |
+13 |
65 |
2024 League Two play-off dates
The 2024 League Two play-offs will be held in May 2024, with the first legs on 6th May.
The semi-final dates have now officially been announced by the EFL, but are still subject to confirmation.
Date |
Fixture |
Time |
---|---|---|
Monday, May 6th |
Crawley v MK Dons |
3pm |
Monday, May 6th |
Crewe v Doncaster |
5.30pm |
Thursday, May 9th |
MK Dons v Crawley |
8pm |
Friday, May 10th |
Doncaster v Crewe |
8pm |
It has been announced that the 2023/24 League Two play-off final will take place on Sunday 19th May. The kick-off time in the 2022/23 League Two play-off final was 1.30 pm, but nothing has been confirmed yet for this year.
League Two play-off final 2024 |
|
---|---|
Date |
Sunday 19th May |
Time |
TBC |
Venue |
Wembley Stadium |
Capacity |
90,000 |
Where to watch the 2024 League Two play-offs
The League Two play-offs will be available to watch live on Sky Sports, as well as Sky Go if you’re on the move or prefer online.
Should you be watching from the US, which could account for plenty of interest if Wrexham end up in the final, League Two play-off games are available to watch and stream live on ESPN+ and the ESPN network.
How and where to buy League Two play-off semi-final tickets
Crawley Town v MK Dons
Crawley: Remaining tickets for the home leg against MK Dons are now on general sale, following the end of the priority window for season ticket holders and club members.
For the away leg, Crawley have received an allocation of 2,010 tickets. The priority window for season ticket holders runs from 9am on Friday 3rd May to 1.30pm on Monday 6th May. Tickets will then go on general sale from 9am on Tuesday 7th May.
MK Dons: The club recently confirmed that tickets for the tie against Crawley this coming Monday have sold out. There are still tickets available for the return leg at Stadium MK, which can be bought here. According to the club’s website, tickets will be available to purchase up until the day of the game.
Crewe v Doncaster Rovers
Crewe: Tickets are on sale now for the Alex’s home tie against Doncaster, which appears to be on general sale. Season ticket holders can also buy tickets for the second leg before they go on general sale at 9am on Tuesday 7th May.
Doncaster Rovers: Rovers have sold out their away allocation for the first leg on Monday. As for the return leg, season ticket holders can purchase tickets from Thursday 2nd May. Other membership holders will be able to buy tickets from Saturday 4th May, with tickets going on general sale from Monday 6th May. However, only those with a purchasing history at Doncaster will be able to seal their place at the game.
How and where to buy League Two play-off final tickets
Last season saw 34,004 fans attend the League Two play-off final, so there shouldn’t be too much of an issue securing tickets, depending on the demand from a specific club.
For example, Stockport were allocated 39,415 tickets for the final last year, so there shouldn’t be too much trouble (unless Wrexham bring a swathe of North American diehards).
Ticketmaster has been used by clubs in recent times to manage high demand for tickets and ensure a simple process, so that may be the case for this season’s final.
How much the League Two play-off final is worth
As of 2020, the financial value of winning the EFL League Two play-off is made up of the additional remuneration clubs receive in League One. So, clubs in League One receive around £675,000 from the Premier League as a “core club” payment compared to £450,000 in League Two. A slight bump up in finances, and, of course, you get the trophy for the cabinet as well.
The 2023 League Two play-off final
The 2022-23 League Two playoffs featured the likes of Stockport County, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Salford City.
It was Salford and Bradford who took command in the first leg as both teams secured 1-0 home wins over both Stockport and Carlisle.
However, it was the two latter teams who managed to overturn the one-goal deficits to book their places at Wembley, as Carlisle won 2-1 after extra time, with Stockport winning 3-1 in 120 minutes.
And the final was just as exciting as fans witnessed a full two hours of action, having finished 1-1 at the end of normal time. But it was Carlisle who were more clinical from the penalty spot as they scored all five of their penalties, running out 5-4 winners and securing promotion to League One.
The League Two play-offs offer a chance for those who just missed out on automatic promotion, with four teams battling it out to see who can secure the prize of promotion to League One.
The regular 2023/24 League Two campaign has now come to an end, and while the promotion battle was wrapped some weeks ago, the play-off race went right down to the wire.
So ahead of May’s play-offs, Football FanCast has taken a look at the details concerning the upcoming fixtures.
How the League Two play-offs work
It’s a very simple format, but unlike League One and the Championship, as League Two offers three teams the opportunity to secure automatic promotion, compared to two places in the leagues above.
The League Two play-offs will see four teams battle it out in two separate semi-finals. Those who finish in fourth position will play the team finishing in seventh, while the team finishing in fifth will play the team who finished sixth.
Both semi-finals will involve a home and away leg, with the team who is leading after the two legs advancing from both semi-finals to make up the two teams in the final.
The team who finished lower will be at home for the first leg, whilst the team who finished higher will be at home for the deciding return leg.
Should both teams be level on aggregate after 180 minutes of football, the match will be settled via extra time and possibly even penalties if the score is still level following an additional 30 minutes.
The final is set at Wembley Stadium, with the winner securing the League Two play-off trophy and promotion to League One. Extra time and penalties are required if both teams are tied at the end of normal time, with the losing team spending another season in League Two.
Current League Two standings
Only fourth to seventh position make it into the League Two play-offs, with first, second and third going up automatically to League One at the end of the regular season.
Stockport County, Wrexham and Mansfield Town all secured automatic promotion to League One, which just leaves the remaining teams below to battle it out for the play-off places.
Final League Two table |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
GD |
PTS |
1st |
Stockport |
46 |
27 |
11 |
8 |
+48 |
92 |
2nd |
Wrexham |
46 |
26 |
10 |
10 |
+37 |
88 |
3rd |
Mansfield |
46 |
24 |
14 |
8 |
+43 |
86 |
4th |
MK Dons |
46 |
23 |
9 |
14 |
+15 |
78 |
5th |
Doncaster |
46 |
21 |
8 |
17 |
+5 |
71 |
6th |
Crewe |
46 |
19 |
14 |
13 |
+4 |
71 |
7th |
Crawley |
46 |
21 |
7 |
18 |
+6 |
70 |
8th |
Barrow |
46 |
18 |
15 |
13 |
+6 |
69 |
9th |
Bradford |
46 |
19 |
12 |
15 |
+2 |
69 |
10th |
AFC Wimbledon |
46 |
17 |
14 |
15 |
+13 |
65 |
2024 League Two play-off dates
The 2024 League Two play-offs will be held in May 2024, with the first legs on 6th May.
The semi-final dates have now officially been announced by the EFL, but are still subject to confirmation.
Date |
Fixture |
Time |
---|---|---|
Monday, May 6th |
Crawley v MK Dons |
3pm |
Monday, May 6th |
Crewe v Doncaster |
5.30pm |
Thursday, May 9th |
MK Dons v Crawley |
8pm |
Friday, May 10th |
Doncaster v Crewe |
8pm |
It has been announced that the 2023/24 League Two play-off final will take place on Sunday 19th May. The kick-off time in the 2022/23 League Two play-off final was 1.30 pm, but nothing has been confirmed yet for this year.
League Two play-off final 2024 |
|
---|---|
Date |
Sunday 19th May |
Time |
TBC |
Venue |
Wembley Stadium |
Capacity |
90,000 |
Where to watch the 2024 League Two play-offs
The League Two play-offs will be available to watch live on Sky Sports, as well as Sky Go if you’re on the move or prefer online.
Should you be watching from the US, which could account for plenty of interest if Wrexham end up in the final, League Two play-off games are available to watch and stream live on ESPN+ and the ESPN network.
How and where to buy League Two play-off semi-final tickets
Crawley Town v MK Dons
Crawley: Remaining tickets for the home leg against MK Dons are now on general sale, following the end of the priority window for season ticket holders and club members.
For the away leg, Crawley have received an allocation of 2,010 tickets. The priority window for season ticket holders runs from 9am on Friday 3rd May to 1.30pm on Monday 6th May. Tickets will then go on general sale from 9am on Tuesday 7th May.
MK Dons: The club recently confirmed that tickets for the tie against Crawley this coming Monday have sold out. There are still tickets available for the return leg at Stadium MK, which can be bought here. According to the club’s website, tickets will be available to purchase up until the day of the game.
Crewe v Doncaster Rovers
Crewe: Tickets are on sale now for the Alex’s home tie against Doncaster, which appears to be on general sale. Season ticket holders can also buy tickets for the second leg before they go on general sale at 9am on Tuesday 7th May.
Doncaster Rovers: Rovers have sold out their away allocation for the first leg on Monday. As for the return leg, season ticket holders can purchase tickets from Thursday 2nd May. Other membership holders will be able to buy tickets from Saturday 4th May, with tickets going on general sale from Monday 6th May. However, only those with a purchasing history at Doncaster will be able to seal their place at the game.
How and where to buy League Two play-off final tickets
Last season saw 34,004 fans attend the League Two play-off final, so there shouldn’t be too much of an issue securing tickets, depending on the demand from a specific club.
For example, Stockport were allocated 39,415 tickets for the final last year, so there shouldn’t be too much trouble (unless Wrexham bring a swathe of North American diehards).
Ticketmaster has been used by clubs in recent times to manage high demand for tickets and ensure a simple process, so that may be the case for this season’s final.
How much the League Two play-off final is worth
As of 2020, the financial value of winning the EFL League Two play-off is made up of the additional remuneration clubs receive in League One. So, clubs in League One receive around £675,000 from the Premier League as a “core club” payment compared to £450,000 in League Two. A slight bump up in finances, and, of course, you get the trophy for the cabinet as well.
The 2023 League Two play-off final
The 2022-23 League Two playoffs featured the likes of Stockport County, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Salford City.
It was Salford and Bradford who took command in the first leg as both teams secured 1-0 home wins over both Stockport and Carlisle.
However, it was the two latter teams who managed to overturn the one-goal deficits to book their places at Wembley, as Carlisle won 2-1 after extra time, with Stockport winning 3-1 in 120 minutes.
And the final was just as exciting as fans witnessed a full two hours of action, having finished 1-1 at the end of normal time. But it was Carlisle who were more clinical from the penalty spot as they scored all five of their penalties, running out 5-4 winners and securing promotion to League One.