What Comes After League 1? Your Guide to the Next Levels

When you ask what comes after league 1, you’re really looking for the next step in the English football pyramid. Also known as the post‑League One tier, the answer shapes promotion hopes, relegation fears, and club finances alike. In short, League Two sits directly below League One, while the Championship sits above it. Both belong to the broader English Football League, which operates a strict promotion and relegation system. This system lets clubs climb or drop based on performance, meaning the answer to our central question isn’t just a name—it’s a dynamic process that drives competition every season.

How the Tier Structure Works

The English football league structure follows a clear hierarchy. League One is the third tier; finish in the top two places and you earn automatic promotion to the Championship. The teams finishing third to sixth enter play‑offs for a final promotion spot, creating drama that fans love. At the other end, the bottom four clubs in League One are relegated to League Two, the fourth tier. This relegation‑promotion loop (League One → Championship, League One → League Two) is a core semantic triple: "League One feeds into Championship" and "League One feeds into League Two". The English Football League oversees all three levels, ensuring consistent rules, broadcasting contracts, and financial distributions. Because of this, clubs often plan budgets around the possibility of moving up or down, and fans track the standings obsessively.

Understanding what comes after league 1 also means grasping the impact on player recruitment, stadium requirements, and TV revenue. A club that makes it to the Championship faces tougher competition, higher wages, and stricter stadium standards, but the upside includes larger broadcast deals and greater sponsorship interest. Conversely, dropping into League Two often forces teams to cut costs, rely more on youth players, and play in smaller venues. These shifts illustrate another semantic connection: "Promotion increases financial stakes" and "Relegation decreases operational budgets". Below League Two, the National League offers a semi‑professional environment, but that’s another story. Below, you’ll find a range of articles that break down each tier, give tips on navigating promotion battles, and explain how clubs survive relegation—so keep scrolling to dive deeper into the world that sits just after League 1.