While the EFL League Two (also referred to here as League 2) might be the bottom of English football’s four professional leagues, do not be fooled into thinking that the quality is low and the fun non-existent. In fact, EFL League Two is a fantastic watch, and in many ways the lifeblood of English football. It’s great not only for viewing but also for EFL League Two betting, which is the main focus of this page.
- EFL League 2 Tournament Structure
- England League 2 Betting Odds 2022/23
- EFL League 2 Predictions & Betting Tips
- Popular EFL League 2 Betting Markets
- EFL League 2 2021/22 Season Round-up
- History of the EFL League 2
- Who Has Scored the Most League 2 Goals?
- Upcoming Sporting Events
- EFL League Two Betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
EFL League 2 Tournament Structure
The EFL League 2 is played with 24 teams in the competition. Each of these sides must play each of the other clubs twice: once home and once away. Teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. These points are then tallied up into a league table over a nine-month season that spans August to May.
In May, when the last game has been played, the team on top will be crowned champions. This team will then, along with the team who finished second, receive automatic promotion to the EFL League One. They will then be joined by the winner of the playoffs which is contested by the teams that finish third through sixth. These teams will then be replaced by the three teams that are dropping out of EFL League One.
The two sides that finish 23rd and 24th in the division are relegated to the National League.
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England League 2 Betting Odds 2022/23
We have listed the 2022/23 EFL League 2 odds in the below tables:
EFL League 2 2022/23 – Outright Winner
EFL League 2 2022/23 – Promotion Odds
EFL League 2 2022/23 – Relegation Odds
| Team | Best Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Rochdale | 7/4 | BetVictor |
| Hartlepool United | 5/2 | BetVictor |
| Colchester United | 11/4 | Betway |
| Harrogate Town | 4/1 | William Hill |
| Crawley Town | 11/2 | William Hill |
EFL League 2 2022/23 – To Make the Playoffs Odds
| Team | Best Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Salford City | 9/4 | Sky Bet |
| Leyton Orient | 5/2 | Sky Bet |
| Northampton | 5/2 | Sky Bet |
| Mansfield Town | 5/2 | Sky Bet |
| Doncaster Rovers | 11/4 | Sky Bet |
| Stockport | 11/4 | Sky Bet |
| Bradford | 11/4 | Sky Bet |
| Stevenage | 10/3 | Sky Bet |
| Walsall | 4/1 | Sky Bet |
| Barrow | 9/2 | Sky Bet |
*odds subject to change.
EFL League 2 Predictions & Betting Tips
Here are our tips and predictions for the 2022/23 League Two campaign:
- Stockport County have been tipped by many to enjoy back-to-back promotions after returning to the EFL following a 11-year absence. The Hatters are superbly led by Dave Challinor and have been bolstered by the arrivals of seven players this summer, including former Rochdale and Fleetwood Town midfielder Callum Camps. They’re certainly worth backing for a promotion spot next season.
- Bradford are another side well-fancied by the bookmakers, but we recommend you stay away from the Yorkshire outfit. Don’t get sucked into the allure of Mark Hughes! They simply don’t have the squad to go all the way in 2022/23, but they should be competing for a playoff spot.
- An outside title contender for you to consider are Tranmere Rovers. Priced at 18/1 with Sporting Index, Tranmere have a well-balanced squad and a manager in Micky Mellon who knows a thing or two about getting teams up.
- There’s also a great feeling surrounding Grimsby Town heading into the new season. The new owners, Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit, oversaw promotion back into the EFL at the end of their first campaign at the helm. While their primary objective will be to stay in the division, there’s no reason why they can’t compete for a top-half finish and more. Sure, Grimsby’s squad might lack talent, but they’ve got an excellent manager in Paul Hurst and the good feeling around town will have a pivotal role to play. They’re 6/1 to make the playoffs with Sky Bet.
- At the other end of the table, Colchester United look like they’re struggling. The powers of their once reliable veterans are waning and the club’s over-reliance on youth could prove costly in an unforgiving division. Brendan Wiredu’s exit is massive, while there’s no guarantee that shot-stopper Shamal George will be around come the end of the summer. Colchester are 13/2 to go down with Betway.
Popular EFL League 2 Betting Markets
English football’s fourth and final league can throw up an impressive range of top football betting sites to wager on. With a great deal of options for bettors to sink their teeth into, here are just a few of the available EFL League 2 betting options.
Outright Winner
If there is a team that you have a strong hunch might win the league, then this is the bet for you. Here, all punters are required to do is successfully predict the League Two winner at the end of the season. Do that, and you’re in the money.
Top Three Finish
Not quite the same thing as an each-way bet, this is a one stake wager on a team to finish inside the top three places, essentially just above the playoff places. Given the structure of the league (see below), this is basically a bet to win promotion which, if you were to also place such a bet with a bookmaker, would provide you with a potential third option: the playoff winner.
Top Seven Finish
While only two teams are relegated to the National League, four sides are promoted from League 2 up into League 1 every season. The top three are automatically promoted, while the fourth promotion spot is determined via the playoffs. Teams that finish between fourth and seventh make up this mini-tournament – hence the significance of a top seventh finish – with the final being played at Wembley.
However, you’re not betting on who you think will earn promotion from the playoffs. Instead, you’re merely backing a side to finish the season in the top seven. What happens in the post-season is inconsequential.
To Finish Bottom
If there is a team that you think will struggle in the upcoming season and eventually finish on the bottom of the entire table, then you might want to consider this bet, whereby you are predicting exactly that.
Next Manager To Be Sacked
This is not the same as a first manager to be sacked bet. A bet such as this one can pay out at any point of the season, and is designed purely to predict which manager will be the next to lose their job.
EFL League 2 2021/22 Season Round-up
- Fans returned to EFL stadia across the country for the first time since COVID-19 entered our global consciousness, as Forest Green Rovers prevailed from League 2 as champions in 2021/22.
- Rob Edwards, who took the Forest Green job last summer, did an excellent job in evolving a playoff outfit into the division’s most proficient side. However, they only pipped Exeter City to the title on goal difference.
- Bristol Rovers, meanwhile, earned the final automatic promotion spot and will immediately return to the third tier after finishing bottom in 2020/21.
- The other relegated sides weren’t quite as successful as the Pirates, however. Both Northampton and Swindon were beaten in the playoffs, which were eventually won by fifth-place Port Vale, while Rochdale finished a lowly 18th in the table.
- After barely avoiding the drop in 2020/21, Scunthorpe succumbed to the National League alongside Oldham. The former were quite comfortably the poorest League 2 outfit last season, finishing on just 26 points.
Key Stats & Records from EFL League 2 2021/22
| Stat | Team/Player |
|---|---|
| Most wins | 23 – Forest Green, Exeter City, Bristol Rovers, Northampton |
| Most draws | 17 – Rochdale |
| Most goals scored | 77 – Swindon Town |
| Most goals conceded | 90 – Scunthorpe United |
| Least goals scored | 29 – Scunthorpe United |
| Least goals conceded | 38 – Northampton |
| Top scorer | 25 goals – Dom Telford (Newport County) |
| Most carded team | 121 – Barrow |
History of the EFL League 2
The EFL League 2, as it has been known since 2004, is the fourth professional football league in England and Wales. In the past, it was called Division Two and prior to 1992, Division Three. The league was originally launched in two regional sections, north and south. Then, in 1958, the authorities brought together the regionalised Third Division North and Third Division South to create one national league.
Past Winners of EFL League 2
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up | 3rd Place Finish | Playoff Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Forest Green Rovers | Exeter City | Bristol Rovers | Port Vale |
| 2020/21 | Cheltenham Town | Cambridge United | Bolton Wanderers | Morecambe |
| 2019/20 | Swindon Town | Crewe Alexandra | Plymouth Argyle | Northampton Town |
| 2018/19 | Lincoln City | Bury | Milton Keynes Dons | Tranmere Rovers |
| 2017/18 | Accrington Stanley | Luton Town | Wycombe Wanderers | Coventry City |
| 2016/17 | Portsmouth | Plymouth Argyle | Doncaster Rovers | Blackpool |
| 2015/16 | Northampton Town | Oxford United | Bristol Rovers | AFC Wimbledon |
| 2014/15 | Burton Albion | Shrewsbury Town | Bury | Southend United |
| 2013/14 | Chesterfield | Scunthorpe United | Rochdale | Fleetwood Town |
| 2012/13 | Gillingham | Rotherham United | Port Vale | Bradford City |
| 2011/12 | Swindon Town | Shrewsbury Town | Crawley Town | Crewe Alexandra |
| 2010/11 | Chesterfield | Bury | Wycombe Wanderers | Stevenage |
| 2009/10 | Notts County | Bournemouth | Rochdale | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| 2008/09 | Brentford | Exeter City | Wycombe Wanderers | Gillingham |
| 2007/08 | Milton Keynes Dons | Peterborough United | Hereford United | Stockport County |
| 2006/07 | Walsall | Hartlepool United | Swindon Town | Bristol Rovers |
| 2005/06 | Carlisle United | Northampton Town | Leyton Orient | Cheltenham Town |
| 2004/05 | Yeovil Town | Scunthorpe United | Swansea City | Southend United |
EFL League Two All-Time Stats
- Notts County’s signing of Kasper Schmeichel in 2009 for a reported £1.5M remains the most expensive transfer by a League Two club. In 1961, Peterborough United posted a final goal tally of 134, a league record.
- Stockport County recorded the division’s biggest ever winning score line when they beat Halifax Town 13–0 on the 6th January 1934.
- Chesterfield and Swindon Town have both won the EFL League Two title a record two times since the division’s rebranding.
- Since the EFL rebrand, Northampton Town hold the single season record points tally. They notched 99 points under Chris Wilder in 2015/16.
- Only three teams have reached 90+ points in a single season since 2004.
Who Has Scored the Most League 2 Goals?
Here are the ten leading goalscorers in English League 2 history:
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Richards | 137 |
| 2 | Kevin Ellison | 124 |
| 3 | Billy Kee | 114 |
| 4 | Adebayo Akinfenwa | 110 |
| 5 | Reuben Reid | 104 |
| 6 | Adam Le Fondre | 102 |
| 7 | Danny Hylton | 102 |
| 8 | Padraig Amond | 93 |
| 9 | Ryan Lowe | 92 |
| 10 | James Collins | 90 |
Upcoming Sporting Events
EFL League Two Betting FAQs
Absolutely! We provide all the latest League two betting odds throughout the season.
The playoffs are played over two legs, one at home and the other away. The final is then played at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The two bottom placed teams in the table will drop into the non-league National League.
Yes, two teams will be promoted from the National League.
Yes, each League Two club receives £472,000 plus a £430,000 solidarity payment from the Premier League.
Yes, two teams will be promoted from the National League.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The last league in England’s professional football network, the EFL League 2 is the final stop before non-league football. Sitting three tiers below the Premier League and two tiers below the EFL Championship, do not let its lowly position fool you into thinking that this is a division bereft of talent and quality. EFL league 2 betting, along with the event itself of course, offers lots of excitement that keeps both punters and bookies alike on their toes. If you're still looking for a bookie to punt with, check out our list of the best UK betting sites or the specific Premier League betting sites to get started!