How much money Walsall or AFC Wimbledon will earn if they win the League Two play-off final | OneFootball

We looked at how much money Walsall or AFC Wimbledon will earn if they win the League Two play-off final on Monday.

Walsall take on AFC Wimbledon in the League Two play-off final at Wembley on Monday afternoon.

There was little between Walsall and Wimbledon during the regular season, with just one place and four points separating the two teams in the table, so it promises to be a close contest in the capital with the prize of League One football on offer.

Walsall have been out of the third tier for six years after suffering relegation in the 2018-19 season, while Wimbledon will be aiming to return to the division for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign, when they were relegated after a horror run of form that saw them fail to win any of their final 27 league games.

Walsall and AFC Wimbledon set for Wembley play-off final showdown

Walsall sat a huge 15 points clear of fourth-placed Wimbledon in January, and they looked destined to secure the League Two title, but it was a nightmare second half of the season for Mat Sadler's side.

The Saddlers won just three of their last 21 games of the campaign, including a 13-game winless run between February and April, but despite that, they were only denied automatic promotion in the closing minutes of the season after Bradford City's dramatic stoppage-time winner against Fleetwood Town on the final day.

After their decline in form, there were question marks over how Walsall would handle the pressure of the play-offs, but they put those doubts to bed with a 2-0 win at Chesterfield in their semi-final first leg, with Taylor Allen's penalty and Alfie Chong's strike giving the Midlands outfit a big advantage.

The Saddlers took another step closer to Wembley when Charlie Lakin gave them the lead in the 81st minute of the second leg at the Poundland Bescot Stadium on Friday night, and while Armando Dobra did pull one back for the Spireits in the 94th minute, the hosts went straight up the other end and scored through Levi Amantchi to book their place in the final.

Wimbledon also did not have a particularly strong end to the season, winning just two of their final nine games as they missed out on a place in the top three, but they secured a 1-0 win in their play-off semi-final first leg at Notts County thanks to Riley Harbottle's second-half header, and they were given a further boost when the Magpies' top scorer Alassana Jatta was sent off late on.

Any nerves the Dons may have had going into the second leg at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday were eased in the eighth minute when Josh Neufville put them ahead, and, in truth, it was a relatively comfortable afternoon for Johnnie Jackson's side as they held on to set up a meeting with Walsall at Wembley on Monday.

How much Walsall or AFC Wimbledon will earn from play-off final victory

Of course, the only thing that will matter to Walsall and Wimbledon supporters is being back in League One by 5pm on Monday afternoon, but both clubs may have one eye on the possible financial benefits of winning promotion.

The winner of the Championship play-off final between Sheffield United and Sunderland is set to receive a staggering £220 million in extra income for reaching the Premier League, and that is just a minimum figure, while Charlton or Leyton Orient could net an additional £11 million if they win the League One showdown.

While there is nowhere near the same level of riches on offer for the victorious side in the League Two final, it is believed that whoever comes out on top at Wembley on Monday could be boosted by £1.5 million in extra revenue, which would be a welcome bonus for both clubs.

Winning the League Two play-off final has not always proven to be the start of a successful chapter for clubs in recent years, with the likes of Southend United, Morecambe and Carlisle United all dropping into the National League, despite earning promotion to League One during the past decade.

However, other clubs have used it as a platform to build on, with 2018 winners Coventry City now regularly challenging for promotion to the Premier League, while Blackpool have bounced between the second and third tier after their Wembley victory in 2017, and Walsall and Wimbledon will be aiming to follow in their footsteps.