1. The 1-0 scoreline is the most common play-off final result, recorded in 38 finals.
2. Two finals were played at Old Trafford in 2011 while Wembley hosted the Champions League final.
3. Barnsley’s 3-1 win over Millwall in the 2016 League One final is the last time a third-tier final saw 3+ goals by one team.
4. The largest play-off final wins across all divisions are 4-0 (Preston v Swindon, 2015; Northampton v Exeter, 2020).
5. The biggest single-match win in second-tier play-offs is Leicester’s five-goal haul in the 1992 Division One semi second leg vs Cambridge.
6. Blackpool hold the record for most play-off wins by a club, with six triumphs.
7. The 1993 Division One final between Swindon and Leicester finished 4-3, seven goals in total.
8. Charlton 4-4 Sunderland in May 1998 produced eight goals in the Division One final; Charlton won on penalties.
9. The 1988 Division Four final saw nine goals across two legs as Swansea beat Torquay 5-4 on aggregate.
10. The highest-scoring single play-off game was Swindon’s 5-5 League One semi second leg with Sheffield United in 2015 (10 goals).
11. Swindon scored three goals inside 11 minutes in the 1993 Division One final (42nd, 47th and 53rd minutes).
12. Ipswich and Bolton combined for 12 goals over two legs in Ipswich’s 7-5 semi-final aggregate win in May 2000.
13. The 2015 League Two final shoot-out between Southend and Wycombe saw 13 penalties converted (Southend 7, Wycombe 6).
14. Fourteen play-off finals have been decided by penalty shoot-outs.
15. There are 15 EFL play-off matches each season, all shown exclusively on Sky Sports.
16. The youngest player to appear in a play-off game was 16 years and 354 days old (Lee Sharpe for Torquay, May 1988).
17. The youngest play-off scorer was Max Clayton at 17 years and 128 days (Crewe vs Southend, May 2012).
18. Eighteen play-off finals were staged at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium between 2001 and 2006.
19. Nineteen-year-old Tom Watson struck a 95th-minute Championship final winner for Sunderland vs Sheffield United in 2025.
20. Just 20 seconds separated Anthony Knockaert missing a penalty for Leicester and Troy Deeney scoring at the other end to send Watford into the 2013 Championship final.
21. Twenty-one total goals were involved in the 1998 Division One final before penalties (the match ended 4-4 in normal time).
22. Ryan Taylor scored twice for Rotherham with 22 minutes between his first and second goals in the 2010 League Two final loss to Dagenham & Redbridge.
23. Joe Bryan wore squad number 23 and scored both extra-time goals in Fulham’s 2020 Championship final win over Brentford.
24. Adam Armstrong scored Southampton’s 1-0 Championship final winner vs Leeds in the 24th minute in 2024.
25. Alan McLoughlin’s 25th-minute goal decided Swindon’s 1-0 Division Two final win over Sunderland in 1990; Swindon were later denied top-flight promotion for financial irregularities.
26. Huddersfield Town have taken part in 26 play-off matches and reached six finals.
27. Chris Tate scored after just 27 seconds for Leyton Orient in the 2001 Division Three final defeat to Blackpool.
28. Swansea ended a 28-year wait to reach the top flight by beating Reading 4-2 in the 2011 Championship final.
29. A crowd of 29,252 attended the first-ever third-tier play-off final at Wembley in 1990 (Notts County 2-0 Tranmere).
30. QPR played 30 minutes with ten men before substitute Bobby Zamora scored their 90th-minute winner in the 2014 Championship final vs Derby.
31. Macaulay Gillesphey’s winning goal came in the 31st minute for Charlton against Leyton Orient in the 2025 League One final.
32. Bournemouth’s 5-2 Division Three final win over Lincoln in 2003 was watched by 32,148.
33. Ivan Toney scored his 33rd goal of the season in Brentford’s 2021 Championship play-off final victory over Swansea.
34. Josh Scott scored four goals in 34 minutes (35th to 69th) for Dagenham & Redbridge in their 6-0 League Two semi first leg vs Morecambe in May 2010—the only player to net 4+ in a play-off game.
35. Peterborough’s 2-1 League One final win over Stockport in 1992 drew 35,087 fans; Ken Charlery’s 89th-minute winner followed Kevin Francis’ 87th-minute equaliser.
36. All first-half goals in the 2010 Championship final occurred within a 36-minute span as Blackpool beat Cardiff 3-2.
37. Gary Alexander scored Millwall’s equaliser in the 37th minute of the 2009 League One final vs Scunthorpe and added a second two minutes later.
38. Dean Windass struck in the 38th minute to win Hull’s 1-0 Championship final victory over Bristol City in 2008.
39. Wolves scored three first-half goals in a 39-minute span (6th, 22nd and 45th minutes) in their 2003 Division One final win over Sheffield United.
40. In 40 seasons the team finishing highest in the play-off positions has gone on to be promoted that year, excluding seasons with exceptional circumstances (for example 1994–95 when only two teams were promoted).
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