2021-22 English Football League

The Football League 2021–22
Season information
Winners	Fulham
Promoted	Fulham Bournemouth Nottingham Forest
Relegated	[Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Season statistics
← 2020-21	2022-23 →

The 2021–22 season was the 123rd season of the English Football League (EFL) and the sixth season under that name after it was renamed from The Football League in 2016. For the ninth season running, the league is sponsored by Sky Betting & Gaming and is therefore known as the Sky Bet EFL.

The EFL is contested through three divisions: the Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League and they are joined by the winner of the Championship playoff. The bottom two teams in League Two are relegated to the National League.

The two-year partnership extension between the league and its official charity Mind is set to expire after this season.

Promotion and relegation

From the Premier League

Relegated to the Championship

• Fulham
• West Bromwich Albion
• Sheffield United

From the Championship

Promoted to the Premier League

• Norwich City
• Watford
• Brentford

Relegated to League One

• Wycombe Wanderers
• Rotherham United
• Sheffield Wednesday

From League One

Promoted to the Championship

• Hull City
• Peterborough United
• Blackpool

Relegated to League Two

• Rochdale
• Northampton Town
• Swindon Town
• Bristol Rovers

From League Two

Promoted to League One

• Cheltenham Town
• Cambridge United
• Bolton Wanderers
• Morecambe

Relegated to the National League

• Southend United
• Grimsby Town

From the National League

Promoted to League Two

• Sutton United
• Hartlepool United

League tables

Sky Bet Championship

Main article: 2021–22 EFL Championship

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Fulham  (C) (P)	46	27	9	10	106	43	+63	90	Promotion to the Premier League
2	Bournemouth  (P)	46	25	13	8	73	40	+33	88
3	Huddersfield Town	47	24	13	10	64	47	+17	85	Qualification to the Championship Play-offs
4	Nottm Forest  (P) (O)	46	23	11	12	63	40	+23	80
5	Sheffield Utd	46	21	12	13	63	45	+18	75
6	Luton Town	46	21	12	13	63	55	+8	75
7	Middlesbrough	46	20	10	16	59	50	+9	70
8	Blackburn Rovers	46	19	12	15	59	50	+9	69
9	Millwall	46	18	15	13	53	45	+8	69
10	West Brom	46	18	13	15	52	45	+7	67
11	Queens Park Rangers	46	19	9	18	60	59	+1	66
12	Coventry City	46	17	13	16	60	59	+1	64
13	Preston North End	46	16	16	14	52	56	−4	64
14	Stoke City	46	17	11	18	57	52	+5	62
15	Swansea City	46	16	13	17	58	68	−10	61
16	Blackpool	46	16	12	18	54	58	−4	60
17	Bristol City	46	15	10	21	62	77	−15	55
18	Cardiff City	46	15	8	23	50	68	−18	53
19	Hull City	46	14	9	23	41	54	−13	51
20	Birmingham City	46	11	14	21	50	75	−25	47
21	Reading	46	13	8	25	54	87	−33	41
22	Peterborough United  (R)	46	9	10	27	43	87	−44	37	Relegation to League One
23	Derby County  (R)	46	14	13	19	43	55	−12	34
24	Barnsley  (R)	46	6	12	28	33	73	−40	30

Source: EFL.com
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round; (Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament

a. Reading were deducted 6 points for breach of profit and sustainability regulations.
b. Derby County were deducted 12 points for entering administration, and a further 9 points for financial irregularities.

Sky Bet League One

Main article: 2021–22 EFL League One

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Wigan Athletic  (C) (P)	46	27	11	8	82	44	+38	92	Promotion to the Championship
2	Rotherham United  (P)	46	27	9	10	70	33	+37	90
3	Milton Keynes Dons	46	26	11	9	78	44	+34	89	Qualification to the League One play-offs
4	Reading	46	24	13	9	78	50	+28	85
5	Sunderland  (P) (O)	46	24	12	10	79	53	+26	84
6	Wycombe Wanderers	46	23	14	9	75	51	+24	83
7	Plymouth Argyle	46	23	11	12	68	48	+20	80
8	Oxford United	46	22	10	14	82	59	+23	76
9	Bolton Wanderers	46	21	10	15	74	57	+17	73
10	Portsmouth	46	20	13	13	68	51	+17	73
11	Ipswich Town	46	18	16	12	67	46	+21	70
12	Accrington Stanley	46	17	10	19	61	80	−19	61
13	Charlton Athletic	46	17	8	21	55	59	−4	59
14	Cambridge United	46	15	13	18	56	74	−18	58
15	Cheltenham Town	46	13	17	16	66	80	−14	56
16	Burton Albion	46	14	11	21	51	67	−16	53
17	Lincoln City	46	14	10	22	55	63	−8	52
18	Shrewsbury Town	46	12	14	20	47	51	−4	50
19	Morecambe	46	10	12	24	57	88	−31	42
20	Fleetwood Town	46	8	16	22	62	82	−20	40
21	Gillingham  (R)	46	8	16	22	35	69	−34	40	Relegation to League Two
22	Doncaster Rovers  (R)	46	10	8	28	37	82	−45	38
23	AFC Wimbledon  (R)	46	6	19	21	49	75	−26	37
24	Crewe Alexandra  (R)	46	7	8	31	37	83	−46	29

Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round; (Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament

Sky Bet League Two

Main article: 2021–22 EFL League Two

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Forest Green Rovers  (C) (P)	46	23	15	8	75	44	+31	84	Promotion to League One
2	Exeter City  (P)	46	23	15	8	65	41	+24	84
3	Bristol Rovers  (P)	46	23	11	12	71	49	+22	80
4	Northampton Town	46	23	11	12	60	38	+22	80	Qualification to the League Two play-offs
5	Port Vale  (P) (O)	46	22	12	12	67	46	+21	78
6	Swindon Town	46	22	11	13	77	54	+23	77
7	Mansfield Town	46	22	11	13	67	52	+15	77
8	Sutton United	46	22	10	14	69	53	+16	76
9	Tranmere Rovers	46	21	12	13	53	40	+13	75
10	Salford City	46	19	13	14	60	46	+14	70
11	Newport County	46	19	12	15	67	58	+9	69
12	Crawley Town	46	17	10	19	56	66	−10	61
13	Leyton Orient	46	14	16	16	62	47	+15	58
14	Bradford City	46	14	16	16	53	55	−2	58
15	Colchester United	46	14	13	19	48	60	−12	55
16	Walsall	46	14	12	20	47	60	−13	54
17	Hartlepool United	46	14	12	20	44	64	−20	54
18	Rochdale	46	12	17	17	51	59	−8	53
19	Harrogate Town	46	14	11	21	64	75	−11	53
20	Carlisle United	46	14	11	21	39	62	−23	53
21	Barrow	46	10	14	22	44	57	−13	44
22	Stevenage	46	11	14	21	45	68	−23	47
23	Oldham Athletic  (R)	46	9	11	26	46	75	−29	38	Relegation to the National League
24	Scunthorpe United  (R)	46	4	14	28	29	90	−61	26

Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round; (Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment	Position in table
Northampton Town	Keith Curle	Sacked	10 February 2021	2020–21 English Football League	Jon Brady	8 May 2021	Pre-season
Barrow	Michael Jolley		21 February 2021		Mark Cooper	28 May 2021
Colchester United	Steve Ball		23 February 2021		Hayden Mullins	13 May 2021
Leyton Orient	Ross Embleton		27 February 2021		Kenny Jackett	21 May 2021
Doncaster Rovers	Darren Moore	Appointed by Sheffield Wednesday	1 March 2021		Richie Wellens	17 May 2021
Sheffield United	Chris Wilder	Sacked	13 March 2021	2020–21 Premier League	Slaviša Jokanović	27 May 2021
Preston North End	Alex Neil		21 March 2021	2020–21 English Football League	Frankie McAvoy	10 May 2021
Forest Green Rovers	Mark Cooper		11 April 2021		Rob Edwards	27 May 2021
Swindon Town	John Sheridan	Resigned	18 April 2021		John McGreal	26 May 2021
Walsall	Brian Dutton	Sacked	10 May 2021	Pre-season	Matthew Taylor	19 May 2021
Bradford City	Mark Trueman Conor Sellars		10 May 2021		Derek Adams	4 June 2021
Tranmere Rovers	Keith Hill	Sacked	11 May 2021	2020–21 English Football League	Micky Mellon	31 May 2021
West Bromwich Albion	Sam Allardyce	Resigned	19 May 2021	2020–21 Premier League	Valérien Ismaël	24 June 2021
Morecambe	Derek Adams		2 June 2021	Pre-season	Stephen Robinson	7 June 2021
Barnsley	Valérien Ismaël	Appointed by West Bromwich Albion	24 June 2021		Markus Schopp	29 June 2021
Swindon Town	John McGreal	Resigned	25 June 2021		Ben Garner	21 July 2021
Bournemouth	Jonathan Woodgate	End of contract	27 June 2021		Scott Parker	28 June 2021
Fulham	Scott Parker	Appointed by Bournemouth	28 June 2021	Marco Silva	1 July 2021
Rochdale	Brian Barry-Murphy	Resigned	30 June 2021	Robbie Stockdale	10 July 2021
Swansea City	Steve Cooper		21 July 2021	Russell Martin	1 August 2021
Milton Keynes Dons	Russell Martin	Appointed by Swansea City	1 August 2021	Liam Manning	13 August 2021	8th
Nottingham Forest	Chris Hughton	Sacked	16 September 2021	24th	Steve Cooper	21 September 2021	24th
Newport County	Michael Flynn	Resigned	1 October 2021	15th	James Rowberry	19 October 2021	13th
Carlisle United	Chris Beech	Sacked	10 October 2021	22nd	Keith Millen	26 October 2021	22nd
Charlton Athletic	Nigel Adkins		21 October 2021		Johnnie Jackson	17 December 2021	11th
Cardiff City	Mick McCarthy	Mutual consent	23 October 2021	21st	Steve Morison	12 November 2021	20th
Scunthorpe United	Neil Cox	Sacked	1 November 2021	24th	Keith Hill	5 November 2021	24th
Barnsley	Markus Schopp		1 November 2021	23rd	Poya Asbaghi	17 November 2021	23rd
Hartlepool United	Dave Challinor	Appointed by Stockport County	1 November 2021	10th	Graeme Lee	1 December 2021	17th
Middlesbrough	Neil Warnock	Mutual consent	6 November 2021	14th	Chris Wilder	7 November 2021	14th
Stevenage	Alex Revell	Sacked	15 November 2021	21st	Paul Tisdale	28 November 2021	21st
Fleetwood Town	Simon Grayson		24 November 2021	22nd	Stephen Crainey	21 December 2021	18th
Oldham Athletic	Keith Curle		24 November 2021		John Sheridan	22 January 2022	24th
Sheffield United	Slaviša Jokanović		25 November 2021	16th	Paul Heckingbottom	25 November 2021	16th
Doncaster Rovers	Richie Wellens		2 December 2021	23rd	Gary McSheffrey	29 December 2021	23rd
Ipswich Town	Paul Cook		4 December 2021	11th	Kieran McKenna	16 December 2021	12th
Preston North End	Frankie McAvoy		6 December 2021	18th	Ryan Lowe	7 December 2021	18th
Plymouth Argyle	Ryan Lowe	Appointed by Preston North End	7 December 2021	4th	Steven Schumacher	7 December 2021	4th
Gillingham	Steve Evans	Mutual consent	9 January 2022	22nd	Neil Harris	31 January 2022	23rd
Colchester United	Hayden Mullins	Sacked	19 January 2022		Wayne Brown	17 May 2022	2022–23 English Football League
Hull City	Grant McCann		25 January 2022	19th	Shota Arveladze	27 January 2022	19th
Sunderland	Lee Johnson		30 January 2022	3rd	Alex Neil	11 February 2022	4th
West Bromwich Albion	Valérien Ismaël		2 February 2022	5th	Steve Bruce	3 February 2022	5th
Walsall	Matthew Taylor		9 February 2022	21st	Michael Flynn	15 February 2022	18th
Bradford City	Derek Adams		15 February 2022	11th	Mark Hughes	24 February 2022	14th
Reading	Veljko Paunović	Mutual consent	19 February 2022	21st	Paul Ince	16 May 2022	2022–23 English Football League
Peterborough United	Darren Ferguson	Resigned	20 February 2022	23rd	Grant McCann	24 February 2022	23rd
Morecambe	Stephen Robinson	Appointed by St Mirren	22 February 2022	21st	Derek Adams	24 February 2022	21st
Leyton Orient	Kenny Jackett	Sacked	23 February 2022	18th	Richie Wellens	9 March 2022	20th
Carlisle United	Keith Millen	Mutual Consent	23 February 2022	23rd	Paul Simpson	23 February 2022	23rd
Stevenage	Paul Tisdale	Sacked	16 March 2022	22nd	Steve Evans	16 March 2022	22nd
Barrow	Mark Cooper	Mutual consent	20 March 2022	21st	Phil Brown	21 March 2022	21st
AFC Wimbledon	Mark Robinson		28 March 2022		Mark Bowen	30 March 2022
Crewe Alexandra	David Artell	Sacked	11 April 2022	24th	Alex Morris	28 April 2022	24th
Barnsley	Poya Asbaghi	Mutual consent	24 April 2022

External links

• Football League website
• BBC Sport