EFL Play-Off Finals 2026: Dates, Schedule & New Format Explained

The EFL Championship, League One, and League Two play-off finals will be held over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend in May, the English Football League announced on Tuesday.

The Championship final is scheduled for Saturday, May 23rd, followed by the League One final on Sunday, May 24th, and the League Two final on Monday, May 25th. The dates were confirmed by the EFL, with all matches to be played at Wembley Stadium.

This season marks the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the play-offs to the Football League, having begun in the 1986-87 campaign. Yet, it will be the last season featuring the current format for the Championship, where the teams finishing third to sixth qualify for the play-offs and compete in two-legged semi-final ties.

From the 2026-27 season, the Championship play-off structure will change. The teams finishing seventh and eighth will enter the play-offs, playing single-leg matches against the teams finishing fifth and sixth respectively. The winners of those matches will then face the teams that finished third and fourth in two-legged semi-finals. The EFL has stated Notice currently no plans to alter the play-off formats for Leagues One and Two.

The semi-final schedule has also been released. Championship semi-final first legs will be played on Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th. The second legs are scheduled for Monday, May 11th and Tuesday, May 12th. League One semi-final first legs will take place on Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th, with the second legs on Wednesday, May 13th and Thursday, May 14th. League Two semi-final first legs are scheduled for Sunday, May 10th, and the second legs on Friday, May 15th.

The regular seasons for all three divisions will conclude on Saturday, May 2nd. All play-off matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.