Which Teams Are in the 2024/25 Football League Play-Offs?

Although fans of top Premier League clubs seldom need to concern themselves with the play-offs, for millions of football fans of sides plying their trade in the other divisions, the play-offs are an exciting (and sometimes frightening) time of the season. So which sides have made it to the play-offs in the second, third and fourth tiers of English football, and who are the favourites to join their rivals who enjoyed automatic promotion to the division above?

Championship

With Leeds United and Burnley grabbing the two automatic promotion places to the Premier League, the four sides above are left to battle it out through the play-offs. The prize is one of the greatest in sport, in terms of financial rewards and prestige, and for one of these four, Premier League football beckons.

On the face of it, Sheffield United are the strong favourites to clinch the third promotion spot after having a very fine season and finishing 14 points ahead of their nearest play-off rival. But their late-season form was shaky to say the least… although not as bad as Sunderland’s, who lost their final five league matches! Of the four teams, only Coventry won on the final day of the season (2-0 against Middlesbrough). That said, none of them was in particularly brilliant form as the regular season drew to a close.

The current odds have Sheff United as the 6/4 favourites for promotion, followed by Sunderland at 3/1, Coventry at 10/3, and Bristol City at 4/1.

League One

Birmingham City ran away with the League One title, amassing a very grand total of 111 points. The Hollywood-funded Wrexham grabbed the second automatic promotion place with 92 points, which should help their ratings!

Things finished relatively closely between the next four sides, with Leyton Orient showing some excellent late-season form to force their way into the reckoning and grab sixth spot ahead of Reading (who finished just three points adrift). Based on form alone, Orient and Stockport are the sides to beat, but they face one another in the play-off semis. Charlton haven’t been bad form-wise either, but Wycombe go into their semi having lost the last three league games. They looked like favourites to finish above Wrexham for much of the season, so face a tough task to bounce back now.

The odds at the time of writing see Stockport as the 9/4 favourites to make it to the Championship, with Charlton next at 12/5, Wycombe at 3/1 and Orient out at 9/2, which isn’t the worst bet in the world given their recent charge.

League Two

League Two saw three sides earn automatic promotion to the third tier: Doncaster Rovers (who topped the table with 84 points), Port Vale (on 80 points), and Bradford City (with 78 points). Despite winning on the final day, Walsall just fell short of an automatic promotion place thanks to Bradford’s stoppage-time heroics, and will face Chesterfield in their semi. Chesterfield were under pressure in the closing stages of the campaign but held their nerve to hold onto seventh spot in the table on 70 points, one point ahead of Salford and two ahead of Grimsby Town, who had a very untimely slump in form as the season came to its climax.

A quick look at the odds shows that Wimbledon are the favourites to gain the final promotion place and are available at around 9/4. That’s just slightly shorter than Notts County (5/2), with Walsall offering some value at 3/1 and Chesterfield looking like the outsiders at 7/2.

Play-Off Fixtures 2024/25

Here are the details of the play-off fixtures for the teams from the Championship, League One and League Two.

Such is the unpredictable nature of the play-offs that picking the eventual winners from each division is tricky to say the least. But that doesn’t stop plenty of punters from backing their choice of winner from the Championship, League One and League Two in the hope of a decent return.

For the fans of the clubs involved, however, the magic of the play-offs is all about the possibility their side will start the new season one rung up the footballing ladder. And for those teams involved in the Championship play-offs, that next tier is about as prestigious as football can get. No pressure then!