English Football League | Pyramid System Explained | OneFootball

The English Football League Pyramid System is nothing but the hierarchy of how the English football leagues work. English football is widely watched and adored by fans across the globe, and it is no coincidence that it is also loved by sports betting fans. Understanding the Pyramid scheme of English football league will make it even more fascinating to watch and know where to and when to place your bets. Let us delve in deeper.

Level 1. Premier League

The English Football League Pyramid System is nothing but the hierarchy of how the English football leagues work. English football is widely watched and adored by fans across the globe, and it is no coincidence that it is also loved by sports betting fans. Understanding the Pyramid scheme of English football league will make it even more fascinating to watch and know where to and when to place your bets. Let us delve in deeper.

The Premier league comprises 20 competitive teams, and it is adored for the competition. Quite often, the so-called lesser teams pull surprises against the big guns. As a tradition, the team that finishes with more points at the end of the season clinched the premier league crown. The top four teams automatically book the UEFA champions league spot for the upcoming season while the bottom three are relegated to the Championship.

Level 2. The Championship

Unlike the English Premier League, the English Football League Championship features 24 teams fighting to gain promotion. The many league games make the Championship much competitive and tougher to navigate than it looks. Interestingly, most of the teams in the Championship have at one point played in the premier league, and surprisingly some of them have even won the premier league trophy and the UEFA Champions League!

At the end of the campaign, the top two teams get a direct ticket to the premier league. The next four teams in line participate in a playoff to find another team to join the two. Again, the bottom three teams get relegated automatically to the next tier of English football.

Level 3. League 1

Just like the Championship, League 1 division comprises a total of 24 teams. Here, you will be surprised to find teams that just recently featured in the Premier League. The likes of Sunderland, Blackpool, and Portsmouth have tasted the premier league football not long ago, but they have sunk to this tier of football.

At the end of the season, the top two teams automatically qualify for the Championship. The next four top teams face each other in a very competitive playoff where only one team out of the four will get a ticket to the Championship. The bottom four teams in the table automatically drop one level below.

Level 4. League 2

In League 2, there are also a total of 24 teams fighting out to secure promotion to League 1. The top three teams at the end of each season get a direct ticket to League 1 while the next top four teams battle out in the playoffs. The winner of the playoff joins the three teams in getting a promotion to League 2. The bottom two teams on the table automatically get relegated.

Level 5. National League

Up in the 5th tier is the National League that is also quite competitive. In this tier, 24 clubs fight it out for two promotion slots. The race is made tougher by the fact that only the champions get a direct ticket to League 2. The next top six must face each other in an inevitable playoff. The winner of this playoff gets the second promotion ticket to League 2. The bottom four, on the other hand, drop to either the South or the North division.

Level 6. National League South and North

Each of these leagues is also made up of 24 teams. The champions of each side get automatic promotion to the National League. Just like in the National League, 6 teams fight for a slot through play-offs with the winner joining the other team in the National League. The bottom three teams are relegated to either of the Northern, Southern, or Isthmian Premier Divisions based on their location.

Level 7 and Below

This comprises the Northern Premier Division, Southern Football League South Division, Isthmian Premier Division, and the Southern Football League Central Division. These leagues consist of 22 teams with the top teams in each league getting automatic promotion. The remaining top four teams go for a playoff where the winning team is again pooled in another round of playoffs with the other three playoff winners. Out of the four, only two teams will be promoted. Each division relegates the bottom three teams.

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In level eight, the top team gets automatic qualification to level seven. The next best four teams are drawn for playoffs. The five best playoff winners based on points per game are promoted. The bottom last two teams in each league are relegated to level 9.

Cup Competitions

There are a series of cup competitions in English football. However, most of them didn’t finish because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, the following are some of the major cup competitions in the English Football League. The FA Cup –