Premier League 2 is the Premier League's competition for players aged 21 or under from clubs with Category One academies. In 2026/27, 31 clubs take part, each club plays 20 matches, and the top 16 move into single-match play-offs.
What Premier League 2 is for
PL2 sits within the Professional Development Phase, which runs from Under-17 to Under-21. Its purpose is to give academy players an experience that is closer to first-team football than standard youth competition.
Eligibility is simple on age: players cannot be older than 21. On the club side, the competition is for Category One academies.
How the 2026/27 format works
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Clubs | 31, all with Category One academies |
| Age limit | 21 |
| Regular season | 20 matches, 10 home and 10 away |
| Play-offs | Top 16, from round of 16 to final, all single matches |
| 17th to 24th | Cross-category play-off with leading Professional Development League clubs |
| Extra reward | Top 16 invited to the next Premier League International Cup |
All regular-season results feed into one league table. The fixture draw is not a full round-robin: clubs are split into three groups by their results over the previous three seasons, and each club plays six to eight clubs from each group.
| Group | Places over the previous three seasons | Opponents each club plays from it |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 1st to 10th | six to eight |
| Middle | 11th to 21st | six to eight |
| Bottom | 22nd to 31st | six to eight |
How the competition changed
The league used to be called the Under-21 Premier League. It became Premier League 2 in 2016/17.
From 2016 to 2023, the competition had 2 divisions for Category One academy clubs, with promotion and relegation. Since 2023/24, it has run as a single division instead.
The single-division era began with 26 clubs. It expanded to 29 in 2025/26 with Birmingham City, Burnley and Ipswich Town, then to 31 in 2026/27 with AFC Bournemouth and Brentford.
Recent champions and the monthly award
| Season | Champions | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Single division |
| 2024/25 | Manchester City | Single division |
| 2023/24 | Tottenham Hotspur | Single division |
| 2022/23 | Manchester City | Division 1 |
| 2021/22 | Manchester City | Division 1 |
| 2020/21 | Manchester City | Division 1 |
The title list shows the shift from the old Division 1 era into the current single-division model. Manchester City appear across both formats, while Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion are champions from the newer structure.
The PL2 Player of the Month follows a separate process. PL2 coaches nominate an opposing player in each match, and the Premier League Football Development Panel makes the final decision.
FAQ
How old are Premier League 2 players?
Players cannot be older than 21. The competition is part of the Professional Development Phase, which covers the age groups from Under-17 to Under-21.
What does Premier League 2 Division 1 mean?
That term refers to the old structure. From 2016 to 2023, PL2 had 2 divisions with promotion and relegation; from 2023/24 onward, the competition has used a single division.
Do all clubs play each other in Premier League 2?
No. Each club plays 20 regular-season matches, and the schedule is drawn through grouped bands based on results from previous seasons, while all results still go into one overall table.
What do clubs get for finishing in the top 16?
The top 16 qualify for the knockout play-offs, starting at the round of 16. They are also invited to the next Premier League International Cup, so the regular-season finish carries a second reward beyond the title race.