EFL League One

The English Football League One, also known simply as League One or as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, is the 3rd tier of English football. Away from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, League One offers a meeting point between a more traditional footballing experience and the modern professional game.

📜 League One History

Although League One was formally established in 2004, its history stretches back to 1920 when it was first founded as the Football League’s Third Division. From 1921 to 1958, it was split into 2 parallel leagues based on geographical location, Third Division North and Third Division South, before reverting to a single joint league.

In 1992 it was rebranded as the Second Division following the Premier League’s breakaway from the Football League, despite remaining as the pyramid’s 3rd tier. In 2004, when the First Division became known as the Championship, the Second Division became known as League One.

💯 League One Format & Scoring

Seasons typically run from July or August to May. There are 24 teams in League One and each season they play every opponent home and away for a total of 46 matches apiece, using the usual system of 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a defeat. Teams are ranked on points, then goal difference, and then goals scored.

The top 2 teams are automatically promoted to the Championship. The teams that finish between 3rd and 6th qualify for the play-offs; they are separated into a bracket by league position (3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th) and play each other in 2-legged semifinals before the 2 remaining teams face off in the League One Play-off Final. The bottom 4 teams are all relegated to League Two.