2020 English Football League play-offs
The English Football League play-offs for the 2019–20 season (referred to as the Sky Bet Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in June, July and August 2020 with all finals played at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-offs began in each league with two semi-finals played over two legs. The teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place in the Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th-placed teams in League Two were set to compete. The winners of the semi-finals advanced to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.[1]
 Wembley Stadium was the venue for each play-off final | |
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
← 2019 2021 → | |
The away goals rule does not apply in the playoff semi-finals per the standard rules.
Background
The English Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places. The fixtures are determined by final league position – in the Championship and League One this is 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th, while in League Two it is 4th v 7th and 5th v 6th.
Championship
The matchups were determined on 22 July 2020 on the conclusion of the league season.
| Final league position – Championship | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 80 | 38 | +42 | 81 |
| 4 | Fulham | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 64 | 48 | +16 | 81 |
| 5 | Cardiff City | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 68 | 58 | +10 | 73 |
| 6 | Swansea City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 70 |
First leg
| Swansea City | 1–0 | Brentford |
|---|---|---|
Ayew  81' |
Report |
| Cardiff City | 0–2 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Onomah 49' Kebano 90+1' |
Second leg
Brentford won 3–2 on aggregate
Fulham won 3–2 on aggregate
League One
After suspending play due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, EFL League One clubs voted to curtail the season, and using points per game (PPG) to decide the final standings.[3]
| Final league position – League One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 59 | 1.74 |
| 4 | Oxford United | 35 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 60 | 1.71 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 35 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 60 | 1.71 |
| 6 | Fleetwood Town | 35 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 51 | 38 | +13 | 60 | 1.71 |
League One semi-finals
First leg
| Portsmouth | 1–1 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Curtis 32' |
Report | Browne 43' |
| Fleetwood Town | 1–4 | Wycombe Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Evans 4' (pen.) |
Report | Ofoborh 2' Jacobson 6'Wheeler 45+3'Samuel 57' |
Second leg
| Oxford United | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison 45+3' (o.g.) |
Report | Harness 38' |
| Penalties | ||
Woodburn  Forde Taylor Mousinho Brannagan |
5–4 | Marquis Evans Brown McGeehan Hawkins |
2–2 on aggregate, Oxford United won 5–4 on penalties.
| Wycombe Wanderers | 2–2 | Fleetwood Town |
|---|---|---|
| Onyedinma 47', 90+4' |
Report | Andrew 23' Evans 60' (pen.) |
Wycombe Wanderers won 6–3 on aggregate.
League One final
| Wycombe Wanderers | 2–1 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Stewart 9' Jacobson 79' (pen.) |
Report | Sykes 57' |
League Two
After suspending play due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, EFL League Two clubs voted to curtail the season, and using points per game (PPG) to decide the final standings.[4]
| Final league position – League Two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
| 4 | Cheltenham Town | 36 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 52 | 27 | +25 | 64 | 1.78 |
| 5 | Exeter City | 37 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 65 | 1.76 |
| 6 | Colchester United | 37 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 58 | 1.57 |
| 7 | Northampton Town | 37 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 54 | 40 | +14 | 58 | 1.57 |
League Two semi-finals
- First leg[5]
| Northampton Town | 0–2 | Cheltenham Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Raglan 26' Thomas 86' |
- Second leg[6]
| Exeter City | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Colchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Martin 10' Richardson 58'Bowman 111' |
Report | Senior 78' |
Exeter City won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Cheltenham Town | 0–3 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Oliver 9' Morton 57', 77' |
Northampton Town won 3–2 on aggregate.
Notes
- The semi-finals and final would be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
- The final was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
- The final was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
References
- "EFL rules and relegations".
- "Next up: Fulham". Brentford F.C. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- "EFL League One clubs vote to end season".
- "EFL League Two clubs vote to end season".
- "Sky Bet EFL Play-off dates confirmed".
- "Sky Bet EFL Play-off dates confirmed".