League One prize money is reported to be around £2 million for each club per season and 888sport look into the full breakdown of financial figures in 2026/27.
That figure is boosted by Premier League money flowing into the EFL, mainly through basic awards and solidarity payments, which helps keep the third tier afloat even as the financial gap above and below it stays stubbornly wide.
It is a clear step up from League Two, but it still looks modest next to the Championship, where clubs receive far more once the central distributions and top-flight safety nets are added.
Headline 2026/27 figures
League One clubs are expected to receive around £2 million in total central payments for 2026/27. That money is built from two parts: the EFL basic award and Premier League solidarity payments.
The basic award is the EFL’s own centrally shared distribution, while solidarity money comes from the Premier League as part of the wider revenue flow across the pyramid.
The latest available breakdown shows League One solidarity payments at £806,850 per club, with the Championship on £5.379 million, and League Two on £408,315.
The BBC’s updated club-payment guide says League One clubs receive about £2 million each season, which fits with a basic award layered on top of that solidarity amount.
For a overall view of League 1 prize money 2026/27, the safest way to frame the figure is as an estimate, because the exact split can move with each broadcast cycle and any changes to redistribution.
What the EFL basic award means
The EFL basic award is the central payment every club receives from league broadcast revenue before merit-based extras are considered. It is not a winnings pool in the gambling sense, and it is not tied to league position in the way the Premier League’s prize money is.
In League One, it is best understood as the guaranteed base that forms the core of how much League One clubs earn from central distributions.
Promotion value
Promotion is where the money jumps sharply. A League One club that goes up to the Championship can expect a major income lift, with promoted sides moving from roughly £2 million in League One prize money to at least about £11 million in Championship prize money the following season.
That gap is why promotion matters so much: the financial reset is immediate, and it changes almost everything from wage planning to recruitment and infrastructure. The Championship’s central funding is far ahead of League One because it combines a much larger basic award with much higher Premier League solidarity money.
This perfectly showcases how the pyramid is structured, with each step up creating a meaningful rise in guaranteed income rather than a marginal one. For clubs chasing promotion, the prize is not only the trophy lift or the status bump: it’s the jump in revenue that follows.
Play-off finals
The play-offs bring their own financial upside before the final whistle at Wembley. Clubs earn extra matchday income from bigger crowds, more tickets sold, and the broadcasting interest that comes with the knockout format.
Even before the final, the play-off run can be worth a noticeable amount because each home tie gives clubs a chance to draw a larger gate than a standard league fixture. The final itself is the headline event, and that is where the commercial value spikes again.
Wembley creates a premium ticketing environment, while the broadcast audience lifts the profile of every club involved.[1] For League One sides, a play-off place can be worth more than the table position suggests once gate receipts and TV income are counted together.
TV money at this level
Broadcast income is now a much bigger part of the League One model than it used to be. The EFL’s current five-year domestic deal is worth £895 million in rights fees plus £40 million in marketing benefits, with the league receiving around £187 million a season to spread across its clubs.
That deal underpins the central payments that feed into League One prize money, and it has helped raise guaranteed income across the division. League One still sits a long way behind the Championship in overall broadcast value, but the newer rights structure has widened access.
Sky Sports+ has made it possible to show far more EFL matches than before, including a heavy share of League One fixtures.
That gives clubs more exposure and opens the door to more commercial value around match coverage, though the biggest benefit still comes through the pooled central distribution rather than from clubs selling their own live domestic streams.
Clubs can still use streaming and audio offerings in certain markets, especially internationally, but domestic video rights now sit inside the league-wide package.
That means the key broadcast revenue at this level comes through the collective deal, not through a club-by-club scramble for subscription income.
It is a cleaner system than the old patchwork, even if the total remains small compared with the Championship and tiny beside the Premier League.
How it compares
Premier League prize money sits in a different universe financially. Its clubs receive central distributions that are far beyond anything in the EFL, and even the Championship’s package is only a fraction of that scale.
League One and League Two prize money sums are much closer to each other, which is why the jump into the Championship matters so much for a promoted club.
- Premier League - At least £100 million
- Championship - Around £11 million
- League One - Around £2 million
- League Two - Around £1.5 million
That gulf is the real story behind League One prize money. The third tier is well supported compared with League Two, but the Premier League and Championship sit on a totally different financial planet.
For clubs trying to build sustainably, the numbers are helpful rather than transformational, and that distinction matters when budgets are drawn up in the summer.
FAQ
What’s the split between prize money and solidarity payments in League One?
League One clubs receive a combination of the EFL basic award and Premier League solidarity payments.
The latest public breakdown shows League One solidarity at £806,850 per club, with the rest of the estimated £2 million total made up by the basic award and wider central broadcasting distribution.
How much League One prize money can clubs expect in 2026/27?
The best estimate for 2026/27 is around £2 million per club.
That is the headline figure most readers will care about when asking how much League One clubs earn, but it should be treated as an estimate because central payments are shaped by the current broadcast cycle and redistribution formula.
What is an EFL basic award in League One?
The EFL basic award is the guaranteed share of central broadcast money paid to each club before merit-based payments are added.
In League One, it forms the core of the league’s distribution model and is one of the main reasons the total central payment sits near £2 million rather than much lower.
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