It may be the foot of the English Football League, but the sheer level of competitiveness in League Two continues to make it a huge draw for fans across the country and in online betting circles.
However, being three tiers removed from the Premier League, you can bet that League Two prize money sums aren’t anywhere near that of the top flight, or even the division below that.
The big point of note here, though, is that League Two prize money is far more comparable to that of League One, enabling teams coming up to be that bit more competitive financially than between other jumps up the pyramid.
How Much League Two Prize Money Does the Winner Get?
The winner of the fourth tier of English football will get around £1.5 million in League Two prize money.
Around £1.13 million of this comes from TV money, while much of the rest is a solidarity payment from above.
League Two winners get to raise the trophy, but they don’t get too much more from the division than most of their peers.
Winners will benefit from getting a bit more merit income from the League Two prize money pool, as well as a bit more in facility fees for hosting live broadcasts.
Still, these other forms of revenue aren’t noted as being much when compared to the guaranteed £1.5 million.
Going up to League One, the champions of the fourth tier will see their base season prize money jump from £1.5 million to around £2 million, making for a 25 per cent increase.
Promotion from League One to the Championship or the Championship to the Premier League issues an increase in prize money that’s multiple times the size of the prize money from the season prior, rather than a fractional bump.
How Much League Two Prize Money Does a Play-off Team Get?
Securing promotion with any of the top three spots in League Two shouldn’t be overshadowed, and yet, teams in fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh have a shot at what is almost a doubling of their League Two prize money.
First, each Play-off team will get another round of facility fees for hosting the broadcasters of both legs in the Semi-finals. Then, the winners of the Play-off Semi-finals get to go to Wembley Stadium.
With a maximum capacity of 90,000, and finalists getting a cut of the gate receipts, it’s estimated that clubs collect between £1.5 million and £2 million to share in extra League Two prize money just for playing at Wembley.
However, the attendance of the League Two Play-off Final tends to be just north of half of the capacity of the national stadium, as shown by the nearly 51,000 in attendance for AFC Wimbledon’s 1-0 win over Walsall in 2024/25.
Even so, a potential seven-figure sum coming from Wembley on top of the League Two prize money of 2025/26 can earn a fourth-tier club more than the basic award of a League One team.
What is the Sum of League Two Prize Money Teams Get for Staying in the Division?
For staying in the division, the League Two prize money awarded to every team is around £1.5 million. This is the same amount that’s paid to every team in the league in 2025/26, regardless of their final place in the table.
Individual teams will also get to make a bit more cash from merit payments – which vary based on table placing – and facility fees that broadcasters pay for hosting live games on TV.
Staying in League Two is a huge deal because the fourth tier marks the bottom of the English Football League, where greater revenues from broadcast rights and solidarity payments from the top flight are shared.
Further, League Two has a drop zone of just two places while promoting four. So, while it’s easier to make good on the promotion football odds, getting back into League Two from the National League is much more difficult.
