How do the play-offs work in the EFL and National Leagues?
- Published
At the end of the English football league season clubs seek a final shot at promotion.
Twelve clubs contest the English Football League (EFL) play-offs.
EFL play-offs format and rules
Four clubs from each of the Championship, League One and League Two contest two-legged semi-finals, with the winners meeting at Wembley Stadium to decide which team will secure promotion.
In the Championship and League One, the clubs - who finish the league season between third and sixth - meet in the semi-finals (third vs sixth and fourth vs fifth).
The two teams who finished highest will have home advantage in the second leg.
The winner is decided by the tie's aggregate score after both legs. Away goals do not count, so if the tie finishes level then extra time will played and penalties may be required.
The final is a one-off match at Wembley, so extra-time and penalties may also be needed.
The play-off system in League Two mirrors this format but is contested between the clubs who finish between fourth and seventh (fourth vs seventh, fifth vs sixth) as the top three in the league are promoted automatically.
Get in touch
Send us your questions
National League play-offs format and rules
The National League restructured their play-off format for the 2017/18 season.
The winners of each of the leagues: National League, National League North and National League South are promoted automatically.
The next six clubs - who finished between second and seventh - qualify for a play-off.
The second and third-placed teams go straight into the semi-final stage and are guaranteed a one-legged home tie for a place in the final.
There are two eliminators to determine their opposition
The first eliminator is between the teams who finished fifth and sixth, the winner will be away to the team who finished second in the semi-final.
The second eliminator is between the teams who finished fourth and seventh, the winner will be away to the team who finished third in the other semi.
The winners of the one-legged semi-final progress to the final.
The National League final to determine who is promoted to the EFL is held at Wembley.
The final for the National League North and National League South is held at the stadium of the club who finished highest during the league season.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. The question was sent to us by Roy in Cleethorpes. Thanks, Roy!