Explaining Premier League 2 – the format
Since the 2023/24 season, Premier League 2 has operated as a single division, made up exclusively of clubs with Category One academies. Initially comprising 26 teams, the league expanded to 29 clubs for the 2025/26 campaign, following the addition of Birmingham City, Burnley and Ipswich Town.
Teams are split into six seeding pots (five teams per pot, with one bye team), based on performances over the previous three seasons. Fixtures are then determined by a draw aligned to these seedings.
Each team plays 20 matches during the regular season, facing clubs within their own pot once and a selection of teams from other pots, either home or away. A combined league table is produced, awarding three points for a win and one for a draw.
At the end of the regular season, the top 16 teams qualify for the elimination play-offs, consisting of a round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. These fixtures are one-off matches, with ties decided by league position seeding.
Teams finishing in the top 16 also qualify for the Premier League International Cup the following season.
For 2025/26, a new competition has been introduced for teams finishing between 17th and 24th, who will enter a cross-category play-off alongside the top eight teams from the Professional Development League (Category Two).
Where Palace U21s stand right now
Palace currently sit 12th in Premier League 2, having collected 14 points from eight matches, level on points with Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The young Eagles have recorded four wins, two draws and two defeats so far this season.
The table remains tightly contested, with just four points separating Palace from third-placed Fulham, while leaders Ipswich Town are only eight points ahead. At the other end of the standings, Leeds United sit 17th on 11 points – the current summit for the new cross-category play-offs – underlining how congested the division remains as the campaign enters its second half.
