League Two play-offs 2023: Fixtures, dates & teams in contention
The regular League Two season has finished, with the champions, promoted teams, play-off qualifiers and relegated outfits all now decided.
A spot in England's third tier awaits the four teams fortunate enough to grind their way out of League Two. The top three are guaranteed a spot but the final berth is the reward for one of the quartet that brawls it out in the painful and pressure-ridden play-off system.
League Two ploughed through the World Cup without skipping a beat. With the play-offs fast approaching, here's everything you need to know.
League Two play-offs 2023
How does promotion and relegation work in League Two?
Compared to the Championship or League One, League Two is more forgiving for teams at both ends of the table.
After every club has played the other 23 teams in the league home and away, the division's top three sides automatically move into League One. The teams that occupy fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh at the end of the season enter the play-offs.
The play-off semi-finals are held over two legs, one at each side's home venue. The team that finished fourth goes up against the seventh best club while fifth and sixth duke it out in the other tie. The winners of each semi-final face off in the play-off final which is held at Wembley Stadium.
At the other end of the table, only the bottom two clubs are relegated to the Nation League.
When are the 2023 League Two play-offs?
The final set of League Two fixtures were played on Monday 8 May 2023. The first legs of the semi-finals will take place over the weekend of 13/14 May before the return games on Saturday 20 May.
When is the 2023 League Two play-off final?
League Two's play-off final will take place on 28 May at Wembley and is due to kick off at 13:30 BST.
Read more on the play-off hunt across the EFL
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Which teams have qualified for the 2023 League Two play-offs?
Promoted
- Leyton Orient (C)
- Stevenage
- Northampton
- Carlisle
Play-offs
- Stockport
- Bradford
- Salford
Leyton Orient have already secured the title and the automatic promotion than comes with it. They will be joined in League One next season by Stevenage and Northampton, who finished second and third respectively.
Stockport's fourth place finish earns them a play-off tie with Salford City, while Carlisle will battle Bradford as the fifth and sixth placed sides in League Two.
Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Leyton Orient | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 27 | 91 |
2. | Stevenage | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 85 |
3. | Northampton Town | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 20 | 83 |
4. | Stockport County | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 28 | 79 |
5. | Carlisle | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 23 | 76 |
6. | Bradford City | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 76 |
7. | Salford City | 45 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 75 |
8. | Mansfield Town | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 75 |
9. | Barrow | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | -6 | 62 |
10. | Swindon Town | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 61 |
As of Monday 8 May
How to watch the 2023 League Two play-offs
Date / Kick-off Time | Fixture | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|---|
13/05/23 - 19:45 | Salford City 1-0 Stockport County | Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Football/Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
14/05/23 - 19:00 | Bradford City 1-0 Carlisle United | Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Football/Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
20/05/23 - 12:30 | Stockport County 2-1 Salford City (3-1p) | Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Football/Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
20/05/23 - 15:00 | Carlisle United 3-1 Bradford City | Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Football/Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
28/05/23 - 13:30 | Carlisle United 1-1 Stockport County (5-4p) | Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Football/Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
UK viewers can turn to Sky Sports to watch all five matches the 2023 League Two play-offs have to offer.
For those in the USA, the streaming service ESPN+ will show the games. A monthly subscription costs $9.99 or $99.99 a year, with purchases available on ESPN.com or their app.
Who has the best record in League Two play-offs?
In one guise or another, teams in the fourth tier of English football have contested a play-off to climb the football pyramid since 1987.
Blackpool have triumphed an unrivalled three times in their history, defeating Scunthorpe United (1991), Leyton Orient (2001) and Exeter City (2017).
The Tangerines' most recent victory against Exeter was hardly unique. The Grecians lost three League Two play-off finals in the space of four seasons between 2017 and 2020. Alongside their Devon rivals Torquay United, Exeter hold the record for most defeats in the final.
How much is winning the League Two play-off final worth?
Nailing an exact figure to the value of winning the play-off final can be difficult. When combining the payments dished out by the EFL - which are the same for every club in the division - and "core club solidarity payments" which the Premier League injects into sides outside the top flight, League Two clubs are believed to earn in the region of £900,000 per season.
A League One team is thought to rake in more than £1.3m each campaign, putting the amount earned by promotion at £400,000. It might not be quite the same bounty as the Championship's so-called 'Richest Game in Football', but it represents a hefty bonus for a side climbing out of England's lowest professional tier.
