EFL League Two

League Two is contested by 24 clubs each season. Every club plays the other 23 twice, for 46 matches in total. The league uses the same scoring system as the rest of English football, and the table at the end of the season decides automatic promotion, the four play-off places, and the two relegation places that drop clubs out of the EFL.

League Two contains many of the smallest clubs in the EFL. Many are historic clubs from market towns, smaller cities and traditional football communities; some are former top-flight clubs that have fallen through the divisions over time. Matches are often closely contested, with smaller budget gaps than in the higher divisions, which helps make the season particularly unpredictable.

The season runs in parallel with the rest of the English league system. Most matches are played on Saturdays, with occasional midweek games scheduled across the season. League Two clubs can have one of the busiest schedules in English professional football: alongside 46 league matches, they take part in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy. League Two clubs usually enter the FA Cup at the first round proper, while League Cup entry arrangements can vary slightly by season.

The same basic scoring system applies as in the other EFL divisions: three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. If teams are level on points, the table is separated by goal difference, goals scored, then the relevant league records between the clubs, before further tiebreakers if still required. The league table at the end of the season decides who is promoted, who plays in the play-offs, and who is relegated.

The top three clubs in the League Two table at the end of the season are automatically promoted to League One — a wider automatic promotion zone than the top two in the divisions above. The clubs finishing fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh enter the League Two play-offs, a four-team knockout for the fourth promotion place. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with fourth facing seventh and fifth facing sixth, and the higher-placed clubs usually hosting the second leg. The final is a single match at Wembley Stadium in late May.

The League Two play-off final attracts crowds that are large by League Two standards but smaller than the higher-division finals — typically in the 35,000 to 50,000 range at Wembley. The promotion brings clubs back into the third tier and is a significant moment for the smaller-budget clubs that contest the play-offs, often involving long-suffering supporters who travel in numbers to watch their club at Wembley.

The two clubs finishing in the bottom two positions of League Two at the end of the season are relegated to the National League — the fifth tier of English football, sitting outside the Football League's 92-club structure. There is no relegation play-off — the bottom two drop straight down. The places they vacate are filled by clubs promoted from the National League: the champion automatically, plus the winner of the National League play-offs.

Relegation from League Two is one of the most consequential drops in English football. Clubs leaving the EFL lose central distribution income, their place in some cup competitions changes, and many need to adjust squad size, staffing and operating budgets. Several historic clubs have spent extended periods in the National League before working their way back up; others have struggled to return and have continued to fall further through the pyramid.

English football's fourth tier was created in 1958 when the Football League reorganised its lower divisions. The Third Division North and Third Division South, which had been parallel regional divisions since 1921, were merged into a single nationwide Third Division and Fourth Division — the third tier and fourth tier respectively. The Fourth Division was renamed the Third Division in 1992 when the Premier League broke away from the top flight, and renamed again to League Two in 2004 as part of the broader EFL restructure.

Across its history, League Two and its predecessor divisions have been home to many of the smaller clubs in the professional English game. Title races, play-off battles and relegation fights can all be shaped by small margins, and the combination of modest budgets and high stakes makes League Two one of the most unpredictable parts of the English football pyramid.