Formerly the Second Division, the division has been known as League One since the beginning of the 2004/05 season, when the Football League, the three divisions below the Premier League, were rebranded.
England's third tier can be a tough division to get out of; it is incredibly competitive and contains a range of both former Premier League teams and notorious EFL veterans.
Teams relegated from the Championship can often find themselves stuck for years, Leeds spent three years trying to gain promotion out of the league, while it took Sunderland four seasons, though both teams now find themselves in the Premier League.
Reading on the other hand, once a Premier League side featuring Jason Roberts, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Adam Le Fondre are heading into their fourth consecutive season in League One.
2015/16 Premier League Champions and 2020/21 FA Cup winners Leicester City will ply their trade in the division next term, hoping not to get pulled into the trap of becoming stuck there.
League One dates
The 2026/27 League One season kicks off on Friday 7th August 2026, and culminates in May 2027.
The season-ending League One play-offs will take place after the conclusion of the regular season, with dates still yet to be announced for them.
League One teams
The confirmed list of teams taking part in the 2026/27 League One campaign will be:
AFC Wimbledon | Mansfield Town |
Barnsley | MK Dons |
Blackpool | Notts County |
Bradford City | Oxford United |
Bromley | Peterborough United |
Burton Albion | Plymouth Argyle |
Cambridge United | Reading |
Doncaster Rovers | Sheffield Wednesday |
Huddersfield Town | Stevenage |
Leicester City | Stockport County |
Leyton Orient | Wigan Athletic |
Luton Town | Wycombe Wanderers |
League One format
League One is the second division of the English Football League, known as the EFL, and the third tier overall in the English league system, beneath the Premier League and Championship but above League Two.
The 24 teams in the division play each other twice, once at home and once away, with three points awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a defeat.
At the end of a gruelling 46-match campaign, the final standings determine who is promoted to the Championship and which clubs are relegated to League Two.
The top two sides are automatically promoted to the Championship and are joined by the winners of the play-offs, which are contested by the sides who finish third, fourth, fifth and sixth after 46 games.
The bottom four sides are relegated to League Two.
League One history
The third tier of English football has had a number of names down the years and between 1958 and 1992 it was known simply as Division Three.
The introduction of the Premier League in 1992 meant it then became Division Two until another rebrand in 2004. And for the past 19 years the division has been known as League One.
League One winners
2025/26 | Lincoln City |
2024/25 | Birmingham City |
2023/24 | Portsmouth |
2022/23 | Plymouth |
2021/22 | Wigan Athletic |
2020/21 | Hull City |
2019/20 | Coventry City |
2018/19 | Luton Town |
2017/18 | Wigan Athletic |
2016/17 | Sheffield United |
2015/16 | Wigan Athletic |
Read the full list of EFL League One previous winners dating back to 1958, when it was the English Football League Third Division.
