Fixtures, dates, prize money & more

The League One play-offs offer a chance to those who just missed out on automatic promotion, with four teams battling it out to see who can secure promotion to the Championship. With the winner getting the opportunity to gain more exposure and enjoy greater financial gains, as well as being just one step away from the bright lights of the Premier League, it’s a prize well worth fighting for.

The 2023/24 League One campaign is now at the business end, with a whole host of teams still in with a chance of reaching the play-offs, while the fight for second place also remains.

Nevertheless, with gamedays flying by, Football FanCast has taken a look ahead at the details concerning the upcoming 2024 EFL League One play-offs, which is now just over three months away.

How the League One play-offs work

Just like all the EFL play-offs, the League One play-offs consist of two semi-finals: the team that finishes in third play the team finishing in sixth; the team finishing in fourth plays the team who finished fifth.

One team advances from each semi-final tie, which is settled over two legs home and away, with the team leading on aggregate after 180 minutes of football (or more) advancing to 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.

In the event of a tie after 180 minutes of football, the match will be settled via extra-time and penalties if the score is still level following an additional 30 minutes.

Wembley Stadium is the stage for the League One play-off final, with the winner lifting the trophy and securing promotion to the Championship. As usual, 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 One.

Current League One standings

Teams placed from third to sixth make it into the League One play-offs, with the top two going up automatically.

At the time of writing, League One champions Portsmouth and Derby County occupy the top two places, with Bolton Wanderers only just trailing behind, needing the Rams to lose and the Trotters to pick up all three points and improve by at least four on goal difference.

In terms of the play-off places, Barnsley in fifth and Blackpool in eighth are only separated by two points, meaning that Barnsley, Lincoln, Oxford and Blackpool can all change places on the final day.

League One final day permutations

The only teams who can secure a play-off place on the final day are Barnsley, Lincoln City, Oxford United and Blackpool.

Barnsley can secure their place in the play-offs with a win. A draw could also be enough, but they’d need Oxford United and Blackpool to fail to win, or a loss for one of Lincoln/Oxford and Blackpool and a draw for one of Oxford/Lincoln. A loss would open the door for a draw for Oxford or Lincoln to be enough, as well as three points for Blackpool.

Lincoln City have a better goal difference over Oxford, but Blackpool are lingering. The Imps can get away with a draw if Barnsley lose and one of Oxford or Blackpool fail to win or if the two teams below them lose. A loss would spell big trouble, as this means Oxford could require just a point and Blackpool three. Of course, a win would book Lincoln’s place regardless.

Oxford simply have to win or hope that results go their way. A win would be perfect, as this means if Lincoln or Barnsley drop points, then a place in the play-offs would be theirs. It could be even easier if Barnsley and Lincoln lost as Oxford would then only require a point or a Lincoln battering to go through. However, a point for Oxford could mean trouble if Blackpool win, as they’d leapfrog them.

Blackpool simply have to win. A loss for Barnsley and draws for Lincoln and Oxford would see the Tangerines finish as high as fifth, while draws for Lincoln and Oxford would also be enough for Blackpool if they can win their game. Also, if Barnsley draw and one of Lincoln/Oxford draw then Blackpool can go through with a win.

2024 League One play-off dates

The 2024 League One play-offs will be held on Saturday 18th May 2024 after the regular season comes to a close. The regular season is due to finish on 27th April, with the play-offs ordinarily taking place in the subsequent week, with the return legs being held a few days later.

The semi-final dates have now officially been announced by the EFL, but are subject to confirmation.

It has already been announced that the 2023/24 League One play-off final will take place on 18th May. The kick-off time in the 2022/23 League One play-off final between Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday was 3pm, but nothing has been confirmed yet for this year.

Where to watch the 2024 League One play-offs on UK TV and live-stream

Fans will be able to watch the League One playoffs live on Sky Sportsas well as Sky Go if you’re looking for an online streaming platform.

If you’re from over the pond in the US, League One play-off games are available to watch and stream live on ESPN+ and the ESPN network.

How and where to buy League One play-off semi-final tickets

Of course, no information regarding tickets is out yet as we won’t officially know which teams are taking part until towards the end of April, but any announcements will be made by the clubs themselves, whether that’s via their social media channels or club website.

The way that semi-final tickets are offered may differ from club to club, but it is typically structured based on membership and points you may have acquired from attendance during the regular season.

Of course, you could take a bit of a gamble and look to buy tickets on resale sites, but there’s no guarantee that these are official and the price will be substantially more than the general sale price from clubs.

How and where to buy League One play-off final tickets

Sadly, as with any final that attracts major attention, quite a lot of corporate tickets will be handed out, which is obviously frustrating for fans as people are likely to miss out on attending the final due to the shortfall in seats both clubs get.

Last year, Barnsley were given 37,325 tickets for the West End of Wembley Stadium, whilst Sheffield Wednesday were allocated 36,634 tickets for the East End. However, there have been previous instances, which most recently involved Sunderland, where clubs can be given a slightly higher allocation due to high ticket demand.

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.

Should your side make it to the final, there may be a tiered system in terms of tickets, with the priority going to the season ticket holders and it filtering down tier by tier until the allocation is filled.

How much the League One play-off final is worth

Of course, it may not be as glamorous as the potential £265m you can earn from securing promotion to the Premier League, but for a club advancing from League One to the Championship, a potential prize of £6-7m is still rather sweet.

Interestingly, clubs in the third tier receive around £1.4m, partly from a basic award and a solidarity payment. As a Championship club, there are plenty more riches to be had, with the same awards as a second-tier club totalling around £6-7m. That is due, in part, to the increased levels of TV revenue per live game as well as the money handed down from the Premier League to the EFL clubs.

Last year’s League One play-off final

Following the conclusion of the 2022/23 League One regular season, Peterborough United, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers all battled it out for a place in the Championship.

The Posh flew out the blocks and secured a 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg, whilst Bolton and Barnsley played out a 1-1 draw.

Things really heated up in the second leg at Hillsborough, as the Owls did the impossible to overturn a four-goal deficit to win on penalties with the score standing at 5-1 in the match after extra time.

In the other semi-final, Barnsley made home advantage count as they booked their place in the final with a 1-0 win.

The final at Wembley was a rather nervy encounter for both sets of fans as the two sides couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes. It took 123 minutes of football for there to be a winner crowned, as Josh Windass popped up with an injury-time goal to send Sheffield Wednesday fans into a frenzy as promotion to the Championship was secured.