EFL Play-Off Finals Set for Exciting Spring Bank Holiday Weekend

Football fans have plenty to look forward to this spring, as the English Football League has officially confirmed the dates for this season’s play-off finals at Wembley Stadium — and they fall perfectly across the Spring Bank Holiday weekend in May.

The Championship showpiece is scheduled for Saturday, 23 May, followed by the League One decider on Sunday, 24 May, with League Two wrapping up the celebrations on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May. Kick-off times for all three finals are yet to be announced.

A Historic Season for the Championship Play-Offs

This campaign carries extra significance for the Championship, as it marks the last time the play-offs will run in their current format at that level. Under the existing setup, the teams finishing third through sixth compete across two-legged ties to determine who earns a place in the final.

From the 2026-27 season onwards, the Championship play-offs will be expanded. The sides finishing seventh and eighth will first face those in fifth and sixth in single-leg matches, with the winners then taking on the third and fourth-placed teams over two legs. No changes of this kind are planned for League One or League Two.

It’s also worth noting that this is the 40th year since the play-offs were first introduced, back in the 1986-87 season — a fitting milestone for one of English football’s most dramatic annual traditions.

For those tracking the full picture of results and standings throughout the run-in, Football Score Today is a great resource to stay on top of every match as the race for Wembley heats up.

Semi-Final Schedule in Full

The regular season concludes on Saturday, 2 May, after which the semi-finals get underway. Here’s the complete schedule for the play-off semi-final legs (all times BST):

Friday, 8 May

• Championship A – 1st Leg (6th vs 3rd) | 20:00

Saturday, 9 May

• Championship B – 1st Leg (5th vs 4th) | 12:30
• League One A – 1st Leg (6th vs 3rd) | 15:00
• League One B – 1st Leg (5th vs 4th) | 20:00

Sunday, 10 May

• League Two A – 1st Leg (7th vs 4th) | 15:00
• League Two B – 1st Leg (6th vs 5th) | 18:00

Monday, 11 May

• Championship A – 2nd Leg (3rd vs 6th) | 20:00

Tuesday, 12 May

• Championship B – 2nd Leg (4th vs 5th) | 20:00

Wednesday, 13 May

• League One A – 2nd Leg (3rd vs 6th) | 20:00

Thursday, 14 May

• League One B – 2nd Leg (4th vs 5th) | 20:00

Friday, 15 May

• League Two A – 2nd Leg (4th vs 7th) | 19:15
• League Two B – 2nd Leg (5th vs 6th) | 20:00