About League Two
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The English Football League Two, also known as League Two, is the fourth-highest level of men’s professional football in England and the third-highest division in the English Football League (EFL). It was founded in 2004 and began play at the start of the 2004/05 season under the name “Football League Two”; prior to this, it was known as the Football League Third Division (from 1992 to 2004).
Teams competing in League Two also take part in the EFL Cup, the FA Cup as well as the EFL Trophy. The league operates on a relegation-promotion format, with the top two teams in League Two gaining promotion to League One. Meanwhile, the teams that finish in third through sixth all take part in a mini play-off competition, with the winner of those matches also earning a spot in League One. The two teams who finish bottom of League Two are demoted to the National League.
Currently, there are 24 teams featuring in League Two. Each side plays each other twice (once at home and once away). Chesterfield and Swindon Town are two of the most successful sides in League Two history, with each side having won the league title more than once.
Sky Sports have held TV broadcast rights to League Two in the UK on multiple occasions, dating back to before League Two was rebranded with its current name. Starting in 2004, Sky successfully renegotiated media rights to broadcast League Two, and held these rights until the mid 2000s, when ESPN successfully acquired TV broadcast rights.
However, in 2012, Sky were able to regain TV broadcast rights to broadcast League Two in a long-term, multi-year deal that also includes live-streaming and full TV coverage on its various channels. Starting in 2019, Sky Sports decided to make all League Two games available free-to-air on Sky Sports Football.
In the USA, ESPN+ has occasionally live-streamed select League Two matches since 2017. At the start of the 2022/23 season, the network successfully secured a multi-year extension for exclusive media rights to the EFL, which includes a set number of League Two games each season as well as the semi-finals and finals of the promotion and relegation play-off competitions.
