This season’s English Football League play-off finals at Wembley will take place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend in May.
The EFL has announced the Championship final will be held on Saturday, 23 May, with League One to follow on Sunday, concluding with League Two on Monday.
This is the final season in which the Championship play-offs will be contested solely by the teams finishing third to sixth in double-headed ties.
From 2026-27 the teams finishing eighth and seventh play at the sides who finished in fifth and sixth respectively in one-off games, with the winners then playing the sides who came in third and fourth across two legs.
There are currently no plans to expand the play-offs in Leagues One and Two.
This is the 40th season since the play-offs were introduced for the 1986-87 campaign.
As well as the dates for the finals, the details for the play-off semi-final first and second legs have also been confirmed, following the end of the regular season which is Saturday, 2 May (all times BST):
Friday, 8 May 2026
Championship A 1st leg (6th v 3rd) – 20:00
Saturday, 9 May
Championship B 1st leg (5th v 4th) – 12:30
League One A 1st leg (6th v 3rd) – 15:00
League One B 1st leg (5th v 4th) – 20:00
Sunday, 10 May
League Two A 1st leg (7th v 4th) – 15:00
League Two B 1st leg (6th v 5th) – 18:00
Monday, 11 May
Championship A 2nd leg (3rd v 6th) – 20:00
Tuesday, 12 May
Championship B 2nd leg (4th v 5th) – 20:00
Wednesday, 13 May
League One A 2nd leg (3rd v 6th) – 20:00
Thursday, 14 May
League One B 2nd leg (4th v 5th) – 20:00
Friday, 15 May
League Two A 2nd leg (4th v 7th) – 19:15
League Two B 2nd leg (5th v 6th) – 20:00
Saturday, 23 May
Championship final – kick-off TBC
Sunday, 24 May
League One final – kick-off TBC
Monday, 25 May
League Two final – kick-off TBC
