EFL League One has been around since 1920, albeit in different formats. The current format was adopted in 2004. League One is the third highest division in the English football league system, coming after the Premier League and EFL Championship.
Plymouth Argyle holds the highest number of wins with five titles since the establishment of the League. Wigan Athletic have won three championships, the most since the League entered its current format.
Promotion from EFL League One leads the teams to play in EFL Championship, while EFL League One relegation results in being transferred to EFL League Two. Portsmouth P.C. are the current title holders.
In this EFL League One preview we will take a look at the competing teams, key clubs and players to watch out for, and other insight that may influence the outcome of the season.
Introduction to the EFL League One 2024/25 Season
The current season of EFL League One started on 9 August 2024 with a match between Barnsley and Mansfield Town (1 – 2). The season will end on 3 May, 2025. Currently, there are 24 teams playing in the EFL League One. English Football League rules define how many games in League One will be played: each of the 24 teams will play twice against every team, at home and away. So the total number of games for each team during the season comes to 46.
As of present, Birmingham City is the main title contender, with Wycombe Wanderers closely following. Both teams, should they finish the season in the top two positions, will qualify for EFL Championship promotion.
The four teams currently at the bottom of the league table will be facing relegation to EFL League Two. These are: Crawley Town, Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United, and Burton Albion.
The full list of EFL League One clubs playing in the 2024/25 season and their current results are as follows:
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Birmingham City | 24 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 56 | Promotion to EFL Championship |
| 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 54 | |
| 3 | Wrexham | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 51 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Huddersfield Town | 25 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 48 | |
| 5 | Barnsley | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 42 | |
| 6 | Stockport County | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 41 | |
| 7 | Reading | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 41 | |
| 8 | Leyton Orient | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 39 | |
| 9 | Bolton Wanderers | 25 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 38 | |
| 10 | Mansfield Town | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 37 | |
| 11 | Lincoln City | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 | |
| 12 | Charlton Athletic | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 34 | |
| 13 | Rotherham United | 25 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 34 | |
| 14 | Blackpool | 25 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 31 | |
| 15 | Stevenage | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 31 | |
| 16 | Exeter City | 25 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 31 | |
| 17 | Wigan Athletic | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 30 | |
| 18 | Bristol Rovers | 25 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 28 | |
| 19 | Peterborough United | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 27 | |
| 20 | Northampton Town | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 26 | |
| 21 | Crawley Town | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 21 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| 22 | Shrewsbury Town | 25 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 20 | |
| 23 | Cambridge United | 25 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 18 | |
| 24 | Burton Albion | 25 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 15 |
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Teams Competing in the EFL League One
The 2024/25 season saw quite a few changes in the list of participants through promotions and relegations both from and to League One.
In total, seven new clubs joined League One:
- promoted from League Two
- Stockport County
- Wrexham
- Mansfield Town
- Crawley Town
- relegated from the Championship
- Birmingham City
- Huddersfield Town
- Rotherham United
At the same time, seven clubs from the previous season left League One:
- promoted to the Championship
- Portsmouth
- Derby County
- Oxford United
- relegated to League Two
- Cheltenham Town
- Fleetwood Town
- Port Vale
- Carlisle United
The full list of the teams and their home base stadiums is below:
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Barnsley | Barnsley | Oakwell | 23,287 |
| Birmingham City | Birmingham (Bordesley) | St Andrew’s | 29,409 |
| Blackpool | Blackpool | Bloomfield Road | 16,616 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Horwich | Toughsheet Community Stadium | 28,723 |
| Bristol Rovers | Bristol (Horfield) | Memorial Stadium | 9,832 |
| Burton Albion | Burton upon Trent | Pirelli Stadium | 6,912 |
| Cambridge United | Cambridge | Abbey Stadium | 8,127 |
| Charlton Athletic | London (Charlton) | The Valley | 27,111 |
| Crawley Town | Crawley | Broadfield Stadium | 5,996 |
| Exeter City | Exeter | St. James Park | 8,720 |
| Huddersfield Town | Huddersfield | Kirklees Stadium | 24,121 |
| Leyton Orient | London (Leyton) | Brisbane Road | 9,271 |
| Lincoln City | Lincoln | Sincil Bank | 10,669 |
| Mansfield Town | Mansfield | Field Mill | 9,186 |
| Northampton Town | Northampton (Sixfields) | Sixfields Stadium | 7,798 |
| Peterborough United | Peterborough | London Road Stadium | 13,511 |
| Reading | Reading | Madejski Stadium | 24,161 |
| Rotherham United | Rotherham | New York Stadium | 12,021 |
| Shrewsbury Town | Shrewsbury | New Meadow | 9,875 |
| Stevenage | Stevenage | Broadhall Way | 7,800 |
| Stockport County | Stockport (Edgeley) | Edgeley Park | 10,852 |
| Wigan Athletic | Wigan | Brick Community Stadium | 25,138 |
| Wrexham | Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 13,341 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | High Wycombe | Adams Park | 10,137 |
Key Players to Watch in the EFL League One 2024/25 Season
Louie Barry, Stockport County
Originally playing for Aston Villa, Louie Barry has been out on loans quite a few times. His current loan transfer to Stockport County started in August 2024 and will last the whole season. In the previous season, when the club was still playing in League Two, he scored in each of the five fixtures his club played and assisted in three more. He was awarded EFL Young Player of the Month and the EFL League Two Player of the Month, but had to stay away from the action from October to April due to an injury.
In the current season he showed top form, having scored 15 goals and presently being the top scorer of the 2024/25 League One season.
Richard Kone, Wycombe Wanderers
Coming right after Barry, Richard Kone holds the second place among the top scorers with 14 goals to his credit. In addition, he got a hat trick in just 9 minutes in the game against Peterborough United 19 October. This is especially noteworthy, as this is Kone’s first full season in EFL.
Kone has been playing in the United Kingdom since 2019 but Wycombe Wanderers became his first higher tier club. Before that he used to play in Lopes Tavares, later renamed Athletic Newham, where he was also noticed for being a top scorer.
Jay Stansfield, Birmingham City
Forward Jay Stansfield joined Birmingham City after having previously played for the club on a loan from Fulham. He is currently the third top scorer in the League One 2024/25 season, with 12 goals under his belt.
In the previous season, while playing for Birmingham on loan, Stansfield received the Player of the Season award.
Two other players who have been noticed in the current season for performing hat tricks are Dion Charles from Bolton Wanderers (match against Reading on 21 September) and Kwame Poku from Peterborough United (match against Cambridge United on 9 November).
Key Teams to Watch in the EFL League One 2024/25 Season
Birmingham City
Relegated from the EFL Championship after the 2023/24 season, Birmingham City has a clear goal of winning the title and returning to the Championship next season. So far their performance speaks to their credit: with 17 wins and only 2 losses they are firmly at the top of the league table.
Gary Rowett finished his interim manager spell on 7 May, 2024, handing over the reins to Tony Mowbray. However, Mowbray resigned two weeks into his residency due to health concerns. Currently, Birmingham plays under Chris Davies.
Among the transfers before the start of the current season, the arrival of Jay Stansfield from Fulham F.C. stands out the most. Another interesting transfer-in is Christoph Klarer who joined Birmingham from the German Darmstadt 98. At the same time, Jordan James, who started his career in Birmingham City, left to play for the French Stade Rennais.
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers had a fairly good 2023/24 season, finishing in the 10th position on the league table. However, this year they seem not to be content with simply staying in League One and aim at EFL Championship promotion. With only two points behind Birmingham City, they already qualify for that, and depending on the outcome of upcoming games have a good chance of winning the championship title.
Recently, the club’s head coach Matt Bloomfield left his position to work with Luton Town. As of now, the position remains vacant. How this change will affect the club’s performance in the remainder of the season, remains to be seen.
Wycombe Wanderers welcomed central midfield Magnus Westergaard, for whom this will be his first club outside Denmark. The club’s goalkeeper Maksymilian Stryjek left on a free transfer.
Wrexham
Wrexham entered their first season in League One since 2004/05, having been promoted from League Two. They continue showing a great performance with 15 wins and only 5 losses, leading the list of teams that qualify for League One play offs.
The club continues playing under Phil Parkinson who since having been appointed the head coach in 2021 led Wrexham from the National League to League Two first, and now to League One.
If Wycombe Wanderers had to let go of their goalkeeper on a free transfer, Wrexham got one. Arthur Okonkwo joined the club from Arsenal in July 2024. Among the top departures are two centre forwards, Sam Dalby (loan transfer to Dundee United) and Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (free transfer to Burton Albion).
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town had a rather upsetting 2023/24 season in the EFL Championship. Finishing in the 23rd out of 24 places, they were subject to League One relegation. Their recent performance doesn’t warrant a return to the EFL Championship, however they keep a strong hold in the top four of the league table.
After the end of the 2023/24 season, Huddersfield Town and their head coach André Breitenreiter decided to part ways. Michael Duff, who previously managed Swansea City, took over the position.
Huddersfield Town added centre forward Joe Taylor to their squad, but had to let go of centre midfield Jack Rudoni, who joined Coventry City.
Barnsley
Barnsley keeps showing a stable game for the third season in a row. After they had been relegated from the EFL Championship in the 2022/23 season, they have been firmly positioned in the top six of the League One table. However they still have to put their best foot forward and find a way to return to the Championship. Whether it will happen this season or the next remains to be seen.
After Barnsley finished the 2023/24 season, their interim manager Martin Devaney left the team, as his interim spell was over. Darrell Clarke, who previously coached Cheltenham Town, took over his role.
Barnsley’s goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina departed to Chelsea U21 on a loan transfer in August 2024 and returned back at the end of the loan period in December same year. Another noteworthy acquisition was the attacking midfield Davis Keillor-Dunn, arriving from Mansfield Town. Their left midfield Callum Styles left for West Brom.
Stockport County
Stockport County returned to League One for the first time since the 2009/10 season. Last year they finished League Two at the top of the table. The title and promotion to the EFL Championship may not be in the cards just yet, but the club qualifies for League One play-offs. However, it is still early to let their guard down, as Reading F.C. goes toe to toe with them and might knock them off to a lower position.
Stockport County entered the 2024/25 season with their head coach Dave Challinor who was with the team since their National League days.
Central midfield Lewis Fiorini was Stockport’s most interesting arrival and departure of the season. He joined the club in July 2024 from Man City U21, but left on a loan for Dundee United where he will stay until May 2025.
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