2026 National League play-off final
Football match
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 National League play-off final, known as the Enterprise National League Promotion Final for sponsorship reasons, was an association football match played on 10 May 2026 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Boreham Wood and Rochdale.
| Event | 2025–26 National League | ||||||
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| After extra time Rochdale won 3–1 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 10 May 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Referee | Andrew Humphries | ||||||
| Attendance | 17,740 | ||||||
The match determined the second and final team to gain promotion from the National League, the fifth tier of English football, to EFL League Two. The champions of the 2025–26 National League season gained automatic promotion to EFL League Two, while the teams placed from second to seventh took part in the play-offs; Boreham Wood finished in fourth position while Rochdale finished in second position. Carlisle United and Scunthorpe United were the losing semi-finalists, while Southend United and Forest Green Rovers had lost at the quarter-final stage.
Route to the final
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York City | 46 | 33 | 9 | 4 | 114 | 41 | +73 | 108 |
| 2 | Rochdale | 46 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 88 | 41 | +47 | 106 |
| 3 | Carlisle United | 46 | 29 | 8 | 9 | 87 | 51 | +36 | 95 |
| 4 | Boreham Wood | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 95 | 58 | +37 | 90 |
| 5 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 77 | 62 | +15 | 82 |
| 6 | Southend United | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 83 | 47 | +36 | 81 |
| 7 | Forest Green Rovers | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 82 | 52 | +30 | 81 |
Quarter-finals
| 28 April 2026 | Scunthorpe United | 1–0 | Southend United | Scunthorpe |
| 19:45 BST |
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Stadium: Attis Arena Attendance: 6,248 |
| 29 April 2026 | Boreham Wood | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Forest Green Rovers | Borehamwood |
| 19:45 BST |
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Stadium: Meadow Park Attendance: 2,452 |
Semi-finals
| 3 May 2026 | Carlisle United | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Boreham Wood | Carlisle |
| 12:30 BST |
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Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 13,814 |
| 3 May 2026 | Rochdale | 2–1 | Scunthorpe United | Rochdale |
| 15:00 BST |
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Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 7,552 |
Match
Details
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Broadcasting
The match was televised live on DAZN.[2] Audio commentary was provided by BBC Local Radio, with BBC Three Counties Radio covering the game for Boreham Wood[3] and BBC Radio Manchester doing so for Rochdale.[4]