National League Play-Offs 2024/25: Dates, teams, venues, history & more

The National League play-offs are the golden path to the Football League for teams that are unable to achieve automatic promotion by winning the league.

With only two promotion spots available from the National League, the play-offs are fiercely contested and there have been growing calls for an additional promotion slot to be added between the fifth tier and League Two.

Here is everything you need to know about the National League play-offs and the race for promotion to the Football League.

National League Play-Offs 2024/25 dates

The 2024/25 National League play-offs will take place shortly following the culmination of the regular league season on Monday 5th May 2025.

Eliminator A

• 5th v 6th - Wednesday 14th May

Eliminator B

• 4th v 7th - Thursday 15th May

Semi-Finals

• 2nd v Eliminator A winner - Tuesday 20th May
• 3rd v Eliminator B winner - Wednesday 21st May

Final

• Sunday 1st June

National League Play-Offs 2024/25 format

The National League play-offs consists of a unique structure in comparison to the format implemented by the Football League.

Clubs that finish second and third in the National League standings advance to the semi-finals, while those who occupy fourth to seventh will contest the eliminators.

The team that finishes fourth hosts the team in seventh, while the other eliminator sees the team in fifth host the team in sixth. The winners of those ties will advance to the last four, and the victors from the two semi-finals will meet in the final.

All matches are a single leg tie and if the scores are level, extra-time and penalties will be played until a winner is found.

National League Play-Offs history

The National League had a four-team play-off system until 2017 when it adopted a six-team revamp for the 2017/18 campaign.

While the majority of National League play-off finals have been hosted at Wembley Stadium since 2008, the 2021 National League play-off final was staged at Ashton Gate before the 2022 showpiece was held at the London Stadium.

There have been some notable winners in the National League play-offs with Notts County triumphant in 2023, Hartlepool United in 2021, Bristol Rovers in 2015 and AFC Wimbledon in 2011. Since the play-offs began in the National League, no team who has finished fifth or below has achieved promotion.

Bromley were triumphant in last year's play-off final, defeating Solihull Moors on penalties to achieve Football League status for the first time in their history.