Promotions, Relegations and European Places in England, 2025-26 Season

Who has been promoted, relegated and “gotten into Europe” in England during the 2025-26 season?

Updated April 9, 2026.

Here we will track all the promotions, relegations and European places in English football during the 2025-26 season, from the Premier League down to the fifth tier, the National League.

How Promotion and Relegation Works in English Football

For a video version of how promotion and relegation works in England, see above.

Short version: The top two or three teams go up automatically, and another goes up via the promotion playoffs. From the National League, one goes up automatically and another via the playoffs. In all cases, the bottom two or (usually) three go down.

For a fuller explanation in writing, check out our post all about the English promotion and relegation system.

And here is who go promoted and relegated in England after the 2024-25 season.

The Football League and Promotion Playoff Schedule

In the Football League — Championship, League One and League Two — the last day of the season is Saturday, May 2.

The National League season ends Saturday, April 25.

The Football League playoffs run from May 8 to May 25. Here is the full Football League promotion playoff schedule.

Premier League European Places

“Getting into Europe” means qualifying for the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.

The top five go to Champions League — plus whoever wins the Europa League. No. 6 goes to Europa League, no. 7 to Conference League. Because City won the League Cup, their spot in the Conference League would then to go the eighth-place team. Whoever wins the FA Cup goes to the Europa League, so if that is City or Chelsea, their spot would go to the #9 team!

Here is the current Premier League table.

Arsenal has virtually clinched Champions League for next season, and Man City will almost certainly get there. Man United and Aston Villa are in a strong position to get in.

Liverpool are currently fifth, but with Chelsea, Brentford and Everton all within three points of them.

City has won the League Cup, so that Conference League spot is up for grabs. If they also win the FA Cup, that spot will also go to somebody else, meaning everybody from Liverpool to Everton could get into Europe.

Like I said: complicated.

Relegated From Premier League to the Championship

The season ends May 24, and the bottom three go down.

Again, the current Premier League table.

Wolverhampton (20th) and Burnley (19th) are almost certainly doomed.

The fight to avoid 18th place currently is between West Ham, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds, with four points separating them all. Spurs haven’t been relegated since 1977. West Ham and Leeds play this week.

Promoted from the Championship to the Premier League

Last game is May 2. The top two go up, nos. 3 though 6 go into the playoffs. The promotion final is May 23 at Wembley.

Here is the current Championship table.

Coventry City are all but up — and it would be the first time since 2001. Ipswich Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough are in a dog fight for the second spot — all on 72 points! Millwall has never been Premier League and hasn’t been top tier since 1990.

Assuming those two of those three make the playoffs, that leaves two more spots, with Hull City looking strong in 3rd and Wrexham, Southampton and Derby County within two points of each other for the last spot. Wrexham has never been in the top tier!

Relegated from the Championship to League One

• Relegated: Sheffield Wednesday

The bottom three go down.

Sheffield Wednesday, thanks to a points deduction from financial problems, has negative points and were relegated in February — the earliest relegation in history. For the other two spots, two of Oxford United, Leicester City and Portsmouth will probably drop, but West Brom will be feeling nervous.

Promoted from League One to the Championship

Top two go up, nos. 3-6 to the playoff.

• Promoted: Lincoln City, for the first time since 1961! They will probably win the league, too. That’s them at the top of this post.

Here is the current League One Table.

For second place, Cardiff City are in a strong position. Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City and Stockport County will probably make the playoffs, and about five teams have a shot at the last playoff spot.

Relegated from League One to League Two

The bottom four go down here, and three of them will almost certainly be Port Vale, Northampton Town and Rotherham United.

Exeter City are currently in 21st, but eight teams are separated by just three points, two points above them. It’s chaos at the bottom of League One!

Promoted from League Two to League One

The top three go up, and nos. 4-7 enter the playoff.

Here is the current League Two table.

Bromley are looking strong at no. 1, and of the five teams in spots 2-6 — MK Dons, Notts County, Cambridge United, Swindon Town, and Salford City — two will go up and two will be in the playoffs. About five teams are slugging it out for the last playoff spot.

Relegated from League Two to the National League

This is the big drop, out of the Football League and into “non-league” football.

The bottom two go down, currently Harrogate Town and Barrow. But Newport County are definitely not safe, and both Tranmere Rovers and Crawley Town are nervous.

Promotion from National League to Football League Two

The champions go up, and nos. 2-7 go into a convoluted playoff.

Here is the current National League Table.

York City and Rochdale are having an epic battle for the championship and automatic promotion here. One of them will get it for sure. And they play each other on the last day!

The rest of the playoff spots are probably set, but if Halifax Town win their last three they could get in.