League One and League Two Promotion Race 2025/26: Who Is Going Up?

Promotion race analysis for League One and League Two covering current standings, form, remaining fixtures and predictions. Extends lower league authority beyond the Championship into the full EFL pyramid. The existing lower league guide has an 80% engagement rate which is the highest on the site.

Promotion from League One means Championship football, bigger crowds and a financial step-change that can reshape an entire club. Promotion from League Two means escaping the fourth tier and everything that comes with it. 

Every spring, the EFL delivers promotion races tighter than anything happening higher up the pyramid, and this season is no exception.

The League One promotion battle

League One this season has been dominated by two clubs who have little business being in the third tier in the first place. Lincoln City and Cardiff City have spent the majority of the campaign at the top of the table, both accumulating points totals that would secure promotion in most seasons without breaking a sweat.

Lincoln confirmed their promotion on April 6 and have been the division's standout side. Their resilience at the back has been the foundation, and they go up having conceded fewer goals than anyone else in the top half of the division. Cardiff also spent a long stretch of the season at the top of the table, and will likely be promoted alongside Lincoln. It’s a pretty remarkable recovery for a club that dropped out of the Championship at the end of 2024/25.

Below them, the play-off race has taken shape around a clearly defined group. Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City are both in automatic promotion contention in third and fourth, while Stockport County and Huddersfield Town currently occupy the remaining play-off spots.  Plymouth Argyle are currently outside the play-off places but remain within range if results go their way.

Reading are still within touching distance, but will need a strong finish to force their way into contention. The gap between sixth and eighth is tight enough that a couple of results can quickly shift the picture, but as things stand, the play-off places look increasingly settled.

League Two: who will win automatic promotion?

League Two has a clear leader. Bromley have spent most of the season at the top of the division, building a decent cushion at the head of the pack. Manager Andy Woodman has put together a side that presses well, scores regularly and does not give up easy goals. Their 21-game unbeaten run was eventually ended by Barrow, which gave the chasing teams some hope, but they remain strong favourites to go up as champions.

MK Dons currently sit second, with Notts County holding the final automatic promotion spot. Cambridge United are just behind them and have a game in hand that could yet prove decisive in the race for the top three. That leaves four clubs competing for three automatic places heading into the final stretch. The margins are fine, and with so few points separating them, the order could still change more than once before the season closes.

Further back, Swindon Town, Salford City and Chesterfield occupy the play-off places, with Cambridge United right on the edge of the top seven. Crewe Alexandra remain within striking distance and will be hoping to close the gap before the final day. Salford’s recent form has pushed them into a strong position too, and they’re shaping up to be one of the more dangerous sides heading into the play-offs if they hold their place.

Predictions for the end of season

Lincoln City are up and Cardiff City are in a strong position to follow them. Both should be playing Championship football next season, so watch this space.

Bolton and Bradford are locked together in third and fourth, both chasing the second automatic promotion spot behind Lincoln and Cardiff. They are level on points and separated only by goal difference, making this the tightest battle in the division

For the play-offs, Bolton look the most complete side of those in and around the top six if they miss out on the top two. Stockport County and Stevenage have put themselves in strong positions to secure their places, while Plymouth Argyle remain the most likely side to break into the top six later on. Huddersfield currently hold the sixth play-off spot and will be looking to hold their position through the final weeks.

In League Two, Bromley to be champions feels very close to a certainty at this stage. The second and third automatic spots remain genuinely open between MK Dons, Cambridge and Notts County. Given Cambridge hold a game in hand, they have the best chance of the three to make the top two. Expect Notts County in the play-offs.

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