EFL League One

Season Calendar

The EFL League One season runs from early August through late April or early May, spanning approximately ten months of competitive football. Each of the 24 clubs plays 46 league matches — a full home-and-away double round-robin — making it one of the longest campaigns in English football. Midweek fixtures are a regular feature, particularly during the congested autumn and winter months, and clubs involved in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, or EFL Trophy face additional scheduling pressure. The season concludes with the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, typically held in late May.

Team Format

Each League One squad operates under EFL salary cap regulations designed to promote financial sustainability, with clubs limited to spending a fixed percentage of their revenue on player wages. Squads typically carry between 22 and 28 first-team players, supplemented by academy graduates and loan signings. There are no foreign player limits beyond standard UK work permit requirements, though post-Brexit visa rules require international signings to meet a points-based system that considers caps, club reputation, and league standing. Loan deals — particularly from Premier League and Championship academies — are a vital pipeline for League One clubs seeking to augment their squads without long-term financial commitments.

Game Format

Matches are played eleven-a-side on a grass pitch between 100 and 110 metres long. Each match consists of two 45-minute halves, with stoppage time added at the referee's discretion to account for delays. The objective is to score by propelling the ball into the opposing team's goal using any body part except the hands and arms, which only the goalkeeper may use within the penalty area. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.

Key Rules

League One follows the Laws of the Game as set by the International Football Association Board. Each team is permitted five substitutions across three windows plus half-time. Yellow cards serve as cautions, and a player who accumulates two yellows or receives a straight red card is sent off, with subsequent match bans applied for accumulated bookings. The offside rule prevents attacking players from gaining an unfair positional advantage beyond the last defender. Fouls committed inside the penalty area result in a penalty kick from 12 yards. VAR is not currently used in League One, with refereeing decisions made in real time by the on-field officials.

Playoff Format

The top two clubs in the final standings are automatically promoted to the EFL Championship. The teams finishing third through sixth enter the League One play-offs, a knockout competition consisting of two-legged semi-finals followed by a single-match final at Wembley Stadium, whose winner earns the third and final promotion place. The play-off final is one of the most lucrative single matches in world football, with promotion to the Championship worth an estimated 7-10 million pounds in additional revenue.

At the bottom of the table, the four lowest-placed clubs are relegated to EFL League Two. Teams level on points are separated first by goal difference, then by goals scored, and finally by head-to-head record. The threat of relegation and the promise of promotion create a relentless competitive intensity that persists from the first weekend in August through the final day of the season.