The English Football League play-offs for the 2016–17 season (referred to as the Sky Bet Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in May 2017 with all finals being staged at Wembley Stadium in London.
 Wembley Stadium is the venue for each play-off final | |
| Season | 2016–17 |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 34 (2.27 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Bradford 1–0 Fleetwood Blackpool 3–2 Luton Reading 1–0 Fulham Exeter 3-2 Carlisle |
| Biggest away win | Scunthorpe 2–3 Millwall |
| Highest scoring | Carlisle 3–3 Exeter Luton 3–3 Blackpool |
| Highest attendance | 76,682 |
| Lowest attendance | 3,882 |
| Average attendance | 17,205 |
← 2016 2018 → | |
The play-offs begin in each league with two semi-finals which are played over two legs. The teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th-placed teams in League Two compete. The winners of the semi-finals advance to the finals, with the winners gaining promotion for the following season.
Background
The English Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places. The fixtures are determined by final league position – in the Championship and League One this is 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th, while in League Two it is 4th v 7th and 5th v 6th.
Championship
Championship Semi-finals
| Final league position - Championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Reading | 46 | 26 | 7 | 13 | 68 | 64 | +4 | 85 |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 81 |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 25 | 6 | 15 | 56 | 58 | –2 | 81 |
| 6 | Fulham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 85 | 57 | +28 | 80 |
- First leg
- Second leg
| Reading | 1–0 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
Kermorgant  49' (pen.) | Report |
Reading won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Huddersfield Town |
|---|---|---|
| Fletcher 51' | Report | Lees 73' (o.g.) |
| Penalties | ||
Hutchinson  Bannan  Lee Hunt Forestieri | 3–4 | Löwe Hefele Wells Mooy Payne |
Sheffield Wednesday 1–1 Huddersfield Town on aggregate. Huddersfield Town won 4–3 on penalties.
Championship final
League One
League One Semi-finals
| Final league position - League One | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 80 | 54 | +26 | 82 |
| 4 | Fleetwood Town | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 82 |
| 5 | Bradford City | 46 | 20 | 19 | 7 | 62 | 43 | +19 | 79 |
| 6 | Millwall | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 66 | 57 | +9 | 73 |
- First leg
- Second leg
Millwall won 3–2 on aggregate.
Bradford City won 1–0 on aggregate.
League One Final
League Two
League Two Semi-finals
| Final league position - League Two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 4 | Luton Town | 46 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 70 | 43 | +27 | 77 |
| 5 | Exeter City | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 75 | 56 | +19 | 71 |
| 6 | Carlisle United | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 69 | 68 | +1 | 71 |
| 7 | Blackpool | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 69 | 46 | +23 | 70 |
- First leg
| Carlisle United | 3–3 | Exeter City |
|---|---|---|
| Moore-Taylor 32' (o.g.) O'Sullivan 71'Miller 73' | Report | Grant 15' Harley 45+1'Wheeler 56' |
- Second leg
| Luton Town | 3–3 | Blackpool |
|---|---|---|
| Mellor 36' (o.g.) Cuthbert 45'Hylton 57' (pen.) | Report | Delfouneso 22' Gnanduillet 76'Moore 90+5' (o.g.) |
Blackpool won 6–5 on aggregate.
| Exeter City | 3–2 | Carlisle United |
|---|---|---|
| Watkins 10', 79' Stacey 90+5' | Report | Kennedy 81' O'Sullivan 90' |
Exeter City won 6–5 on aggregate.
League Two Final
| Blackpool | 2–1 | Exeter City |
|---|---|---|
| Potts 3' Cullen 64' | Wheeler 40' |