The English Football League play-offs for the 2023–24 season (referred to as the Sky Bet Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in May 2024 with all finals being staged at Wembley Stadium in London.
 Wembley Stadium was the venue for each play-off final | |
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
← 2023 2025 → | |
The play-offs began in each league with two semi-finals which were played over two legs. The teams who finished in 3rd to 6th place in the Championship and League One and the 4th to 7th-placed teams in League Two competed. The winners of the semi-finals advanced to the finals, with the winners gaining promotion for the following season.[1]
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
The final table was confirmed after the final matchday on 4 May 2024. Going into the final day, Southampton had already confirmed their place in their play-offs by finishing 4th. Leeds United could only secure automatic promotion if they beat Southampton and Ipswich Town lost to Huddersfield Town. In the end, Leeds United missed out on automatic promotion after losing to Southampton, confirming they would finish 3rd. Ipswich Town won their match against Huddersfield. Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, and Hull City were all in the hunt for the last two spots. West Bromwich Albion leapfrogged Norwich City to 5th after beating Preston North End. Despite their loss to relegation-threatened Birmingham City, Norwich City managed to finish 6th after Hull City also lost against Birmingham City's relegation rivals Plymouth Argyle.
| Final league position - Championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 81 | 43 | +38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 87 | 63 | +24 | 87 |
| 5 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 70 | 47 | +23 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 79 | 64 | +14 | 73 |
- First leg
- Second leg
| Leeds United | 4–0 | Norwich City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Leeds United won 4–0 on aggregate.
| Southampton | 3–1 | West Bromwich Albion |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Southampton won 3–1 on aggregate.
Championship final
League One
League One semi-finals
The final table was confirmed after the final matchday on 27 April 2024. Going into the final day, Bolton Wanderers had already qualified for the play-offs but still had a chance of automatic promotion. However, a Derby County win prevented that possibility. In the end, they drew with Peterborough United, who had also already guaranteed their place in the play-offs to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. The final day also saw a four-way battle between Barnsley, Oxford United, Lincoln City and Blackpool for the final two spots. In the end, Oxford United secured 5th with a win over Exeter City while Barnsley's draw with Northampton Town proved enough to finish 6th as Lincoln City and Blackpool lost to Champions Portsmouth and Reading respectively to miss out.
| Final league position - League One | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 86 | 51 | +35 | 87 |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 89 | 61 | +28 | 84 |
| 5 | Oxford United | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 79 | 56 | +23 | 77 |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 82 | 64 | +18 | 76 |
- First leg
- Second leg
Bolton Wanderers won 5–4 on aggregate.
Oxford United won 2–1 on aggregate.
League One final
| Bolton Wanderers | 0–2 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Murphy  31', 42' |
League Two
League Two semi-finals
The final table was confirmed after the final matchday on 27 April 2024. Going into the final day, Milton Keynes Dons had already secured a play-off place and were confirmed to finish 4th. The remaining three places were under contention between Doncaster Rovers, Crewe Alexandra, Crawley Town, Barrow and Bradford City. Thanks to Doncaster Rovers' spectacular run from February onwards, where they only lost once coupled with a 10-match win streak, a draw against Gillingham was enough to see them finish 5th. A draw against Colchester United was also enough for Crewe Alexandra to secure 6th. Crawley Town's win over Grimsby Town saw them take 7th as Barrow's draw against Mansfield Town meant they would drop out off the play-offs. All these results meant that Bradford City's win over Newport County would not be enough to see them over the line.
| Final league position - League Two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 4 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 83 | 68 | +15 | 78 |
| 5 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 73 | 68 | +5 | 71 |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 69 | 65 | +4 | 71 |
| 7 | Crawley Town | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 73 | 67 | +6 | 70 |
- First leg
- Second leg
2–2 on aggregate, Crewe Alexandra won 4–3 on penalties.
| Milton Keynes Dons | 1–5 | Crawley Town |
|---|---|---|
| Dean 45+1' | Report | Williams 3' Orsi 30', 48', 90+2'Roles 80' |
Crawley Town won 8–1 on aggregate.