EFL Final Day- Every Possible Scenario for Promotion, Relegation and Playoffs Broken Down for Championship, League One and League Two

EFL Final Day- Every Possible Scenario for Promotion, Relegation and Playoffs Broken Down for Championship, League One and League Two

The final day of the season in the football calendar is always one to look forward to and this season looks set to not disappoint with a lot still to play for across the three leagues in the EFL.

Championship Automatic Promotion Race

The second automatic promotion place in the Championship is going right down to the final day as Ipswich, Millwall and Middlesbrough are all in with a chance of reaching the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Following a late equaliser against Southampton midweek, Ipswich go into the final day in pole position as they are a point clear of Millwall and two clear of Middlesbrough. On Saturday, both Ipswich and Millwall have home ties against Queens Park Rangers and Oxford United retrospectively, whereas Middlesbrough are away against playoff chasing Wrexham.

The Championship automatic promotion race will go down to the final day - but Southampton will have to settle for the play-offs.

Tonda Eckert’s draw 2-2 with Ipswich Town, who currently sit in second - but Kieran McKenna’s side are far from secure, with Millwall and… pic.twitter.com/Rszsd7Yg6f

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 28, 2026

Championship Final Playoff Position

With relegation already confirmed in the second tier, this is the only other thing up for grabs on the final day. There are three teams battling it out for the chance at Premier League football next season. Wrexham currently find themselves in 6th position but only above Hull City on goal difference and Derby County are just one point behind. On the final day, it is Wrexham with the harder fixture on paper as previously mentioned they face Middlesbrough. For Derby and Hull they face Sheffield United and Norwich City sides that are without anything to play for and already looking ahead to next season possibly.

League One Playoff Push

This is set to be a fascinating watch as there are six teams all fighting it out for the final three spots in the playoffs. The positions and points and their final games are as follows;

Stockport County - 74 Points (Barnsley A) Bradford City - 74 Points (Exeter A) Stevenage - 72 Points (Wigan H) Luton Town - 71 Points (Bolton A) Plymouth Argyle - 70 Points (Northampton A)

It’s all to play for on Saturday with only Bolton Wanderers the only team to have a playoff place secured

Which of these teams do you think will win the playoffs and get promoted to the championship? 🏆⬆️ #EFL #bwfc #bcafc #StockportCounty #StevenageFC #LTFC #COYH #htafc #pafc pic.twitter.com/hBVEHe59pb

— AllAboutLeagueOne (@LeagueOne25) April 29, 2026

Based on that you would think that Stevenage are the side with the best fixture with it being at home and Plymouth face bottom of the table Northampton Town. Whereas, Luton are travelling to Bolton who are already confirmed to be playing in the playoffs in May. It is certainly one that will be switching around all afternoon.

League One Relegation

The fight to avoid the final relegation spot in League One has been very entertaining over the past weeks and now it goes down to two teams on the final day. Exeter City currently find themselves in the drop zone but Leyton Orient are in catching distance as they are just two points ahead with a worse goal difference. This means if Exeter were to win at home to Bradford then Leyton Orient would need to win at home to Burton Albion to confirm their place in League One next season.

League Two Promotion Race

In League Two there are three teams fighting it out to join Bromley and MK Dons in the automatic positions, who are still both competing to lift the title on the final day. Cambridge, Salford and Notts County are all in the run-in with just one point in between each of them. Notts County who are two points behind Cambridge are the only side to have a home fixture on the final day, though it is against the most in form team in the league in Bristol Rovers. Cambridge know they need to just beat Crewe away from home to confirm their place in League Two next season, whereas Salford will be hoping a win at Crawley and Cambridge dropping points will see them clinch third spot.

League Two Playoff Battle

In League Two there is a playoff for the final spot in the playoffs between Chesterfield and Swindon. Chesterfield are currently a point clear of Swindon but as they meet each other on the final day it could change. Chesterfield are the away side for the game but they know that if they can get at least a point from the game, it would be enough to clinch the final playoff position. As for Swindon, they would need to win the game to see themselves leapfrog Chesterfield right at the death.

League Two Relegation Battle

In League Two no one is officially relegated from the EFL just yet, although bottom side Barrow would need a win and an eight goal goal difference swing to catch Crawley. As for the second relegation spot, there are four teams in fear of the drop on the final day. Harrogate currently find themselves in the drop zone on 39 points. Crawley are also on 39 points with Newport and Tranmere both just one point ahead. Newport are the only side from the four that have an away fixture on the final day, however it is against Barrow. For Tranmere they just need to beat Grimsby to retain their spot in League Two next season. Whereas for Crawley and Harrogate if they both win or lose to Salford and Barnet it could go down to goal difference in which Crawley are four goals to the good currently. One to keep an eye on for sure!

LEAGUE TWO RELEGATION PROBABILITIES
Based on table + fixtures:
Barrow ~70% down
Newport ~35–40% down
Crawley ~35–40% down
Harrogate ~25–30% down
Tranmere ~10–15% down
Most likely outcome:
⬇️ Barrow + one of Newport/Crawley
⬆️ Harrogate & Tranmere favoured to survive

— Matt (@M_GD_01) April 29, 2026

So whether or not your team is part of the drama on the last day it is certainly one to watch to see how it all unfolds!