National League play-offs 2023: Fixtures, dates & teams in contention
We're past the halfway point of the 2022/23 National League campaign, so it's time to look ahead to the end-of-season play-offs.
Gaining promotion to the lowest division of the Football League is notoriously difficult, with only the champions able to do so automatically.
The six teams below them are forced to contest the play-offs, with only one of those sides able to move up a division too.
Here's everything there is to know about the National League play-offs.
National League play-offs 2023
How does promotion and relegation work in the National League?
Each season, two teams are promoted from the National League to League 2, with the champions always going up automatically.
The clubs that finish second and third go straight through to the play-off semi-finals where they play the two winners of the quarter-finals, which the teams from fourth to seventh contest; the winners of those semis meet in a final at Wembley, with the victor being promoted. All ties consist of a single leg.
The bottom four teams in the league are relegated to the National League North or National League South depending on their geographic location, with two from each of those coming up to replace them.
When are the 2023 National League play-offs?
The 2022/23 National League campaign will end on April 29, with the team gaining automatic promotion and those that will contest the play-offs being confirmed that day.
The play-off quarter-finals will then be played on the evenings of May 2 and May 3 before the semi-finals both take place on May 7.
When is the 2023 National League play-off final?
The 2023 National League play-off final will take place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday May 13 and will most likely start in the afternoon.
Which teams have qualified for the 2023 National League play-offs?
National League leaders Wrexham are assured of at least a play-off semi-final place but may go up automatically, while Notts County have at least a play-off eliminator.
Behind the top two of Notts County and Wrexham, Woking and Chesterfield are jostling for third, which is rewarded with a semi final. The likes of Barnet, Eastleigh and Boreham Wood are also eyeing top seven finishes.
Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Wrexham | 39 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 65 | 97 |
2. | Notts County | 40 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 65 | 94 |
3. | Woking | 39 | 21 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 71 |
4. | Chesterfield | 39 | 21 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 71 |
5. | Barnet | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 66 |
6. | Eastleigh | 40 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 64 |
7. | Boreham Wood | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 62 |
8. | Solihull Moors | 39 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 55 |
9. | Bromley | 38 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 55 |
10. | Dagenham & Redbridge | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | -6 | 55 |
11. | Wealdstone | 39 | 15 | 10 | 14 | -12 | 55 |
12. | Southend | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 53 |
As of 25 March
How to watch the 2023 National League play-offs
BT Sport hold the broadcasting rights for Football League matches in the United Kingdom. They will show the play-off games on their various television and streaming services.
How much is winning the National League play-off final worth?
Getting promoted to League Two and the Football League is a real game-changer for non-club clubs from a financial perspective.
That's because they then receive a basic award payment from the EFL as well as a solidarity payment from the Premier League. Those two payments combined amount to just under £1m.
Such a sum of money can be transformative for a club, and doesn't even take into account the increased ticket sales and fees paid for matches shown on TV.