National League play-offs 2024: Fixtures, dates and teams in contention
- National League play-off final will take place at Wembley in early May
- Chesterfield secured the league title
- How the play-offs in England's fifth tier work and the teams in contention
The 2023/24 National League regular season has drawn to a close, with one team steamrolling away from the competition.
Last year saw Wrexham duke it out with Notts County in a thrillingly close title race, but Chesterfield had no interest in entertaining a battle. They ended the season on 98 points, a dozen clear of their nearest rivals.
Six teams have secured their place in the play-offs, seeing off the challengs of Aldershot Town, Southend, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale among others.
National League play-offs 2024
Which teams are in the 2023/24 National League play-offs?
Barnet and Bromley secured their places in the play-offs pretty early on, but were never able to mount a serious challenge to Chesterfield.
Altrincham, Solihull Moors and Gateshead (who were later chucked out of the play-offs and not replaced as they failed) to meet the entry criteria for membership of the English Football League) finished inside the top six, and they've been joined by Halifax Town.
The latter four will face off in the one-game play-off eliminators, with the winners going on to face Barnet and Bromley just a few days later.
2023/24 National League table
Pos | Team | Played | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Chesterfield | 46 | +41 | 98 |
2. | Barnet | 46 | +31 | 86 |
3. | Bromley | 46 | +24 | 81 |
4. | Altrincham | 46 | +25 | 77 |
5. | Solihull Moors | 46 | +9 | 76 |
6. | Gateshead | 46 | +24 | 75 |
7. | Halifax Town | 46 | +8 | 71 |
How does promotion and relegation work in the National League?
There is less wiggle room in the National League when it comes to automatic promotion. Only the champions are guaranteed a place in League Two at the end of the season, with the teams placed from second to seventh taking part in play-offs for a second spot in the fourth tier.
Two eliminators take place in the National League play-offs as fourth hosts seventh and fifth welcome sixth. The two winners then face the second and third-placed teams with a spot in the final at Wembley Stadium on the line.
Each game is essentially a knockout tie with no second legs throughout the play-offs. Extra time and penalty shootouts will be required if winners aren't found in normal time.
When are the 2023/24 National League play-offs?
The regular 2023/24 National League season ends on Saturday 20 April 2024, with the first eliminators confirmed to take place shortly afterwards.
The fifth-placed side will host sixth on Tuesday 23 April before the second game a day later. The semi-finals are squeezed in just before the end of the month before the final at Wembley on Saturday 4 May.
2023/24 National League play-offs fixtures & results
Date | Fixture/Result | Play-off stage |
|---|---|---|
23/04/24 | Altrincham P-P Gateshead (Altrincham advanced after Gateshead thrown out of play-offs) | Eliminator |
24/04/24 | Solihull Moors 4-2 Halifax Town | Eliminator |
27/04/24 | Barnet 0-4 Solihull Moors | Semi-final |
28/04/24 | Bromley 3-1 Altrincham | Semi-final |
05/05/24 / 15:00 | Bromley 2-2 (4-3p) Solihull Moors | Final |
How much do teams earn for winning the National League play-off final?
Entering the Football League can be a lucrative business for successful National League clubs. The fifth-tier is a notoriously difficult league to escape but the financial rewards for doing so are significant.
Play-off winners receive a basic prize payment from the EFL and a solidarity fee from the Premier League, which combined add up to just under £1m.
READ MORE ON THE 2023/24 PLAY-OFF HUNT THROUGHOUT THE EFL
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