The 2026 National League season is shaping up to be a thrilling contest. The league table is the single best indicator of form, but it only tells part of the story — momentum, injuries, and head-to-heads matter too.
It is the 11th season of the Vanarama National League and the 22nd season of the 3rd Division and the 47th season overall of the National League System.
The National League is linked to the FA Cup through the National League System (NLS). Teams from the National League join the tournament at the Fourth Round Qualifying, the last stage before the main competition begins.
National League 2025–26: Promotions and Relegations Confirmed
The English football pyramid has officially confirmed the latest promotion and relegation movements involving the National League, National League North, and National League South ahead of the 2025–26 season.
Promoted to the National League
From National League North
- Brackley Town
- Scunthorpe United
From National League South
- Truro City
- Boreham Wood
Relegated to the National League (From League Two)
- Carlisle United
- Morecambe
Promoted from the National League to League Two
- Barnet
- Oldham Athletic
Relegated from the National League
To National League North
- AFC Fylde
To National League South
- Dagenham & Redbridge
- Maidenhead United
- Ebbsfleet United
2026 National League Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochdale | 29 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 56 | 19 | +37 | 73 |
| 2 | York City | 31 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 81 | 31 | +50 | 71 |
| 3 | Carlisle United | 31 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 62 |
| 4 | Boreham Wood | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 58 | 36 | +22 | 59 |
| 5 | Scunthorpe United | 29 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 52 | 33 | +19 | 59 |
| 6 | Forest Green Rovers | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 54 | 35 | +19 | 58 |
| 7 | FC Halifax Town | 31 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 48 | 43 | +5 | 48 |
| 8 | Southend United | 28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 46 |
| 9 | Hartlepool United | 32 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 35 | 33 | +2 | 45 |
| 10 | Solihull Moors | 31 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 41 |
| 11 | Woking | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 40 | 33 | +7 | 38 |
| 12 | Tamworth | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 36 | 50 | −14 | 37 |
| 13 | Wealdstone | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 36 | 44 | −8 | 36 |
| 14 | Boston United | 32 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 37 | 46 | −9 | 36 |
| 15 | Eastleigh | 31 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 35 |
| 16 | Yeovil Town | 29 | 10 | 4 | 15 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 34 |
| 17 | Altrincham | 32 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 36 | 48 | −12 | 34 |
| 18 | Brackley Town | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 33 |
| 19 | Aldershot Town | 29 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 52 | 57 | −5 | 32 |
| 20 | Sutton United | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 39 | 50 | −11 | 29 |
| 21 | Braintree Town | 31 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 22 | 45 | −23 | 29 |
| 22 | Truro City | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 29 | 53 | −24 | 24 |
| 23 | Morecambe | 31 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 23 |
| 24 | Gateshead | 28 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 30 | 66 | −36 | 19 |
Top Goal Scorers
| Rank | Player (Country) | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ollie Pearce (England) | York City | 27 |
| 2 | Emmanuel Dieseruvwe (England) | Rochdale | 16 |
| 3 | Will Harris (England) | FC Halifax Town | 15 |
| Matt Rush (England) | Boreham Wood | ||
| 5 | Regan Linney (England) | Carlisle United | 13 |
| 6 | Callum Roberts (England) | Scunthorpe United | 12 |
| 7 | Aaron Blair (England) | Eastleigh | 11 |
| Alex Newby (England) | York City | ||
| Danny Whitehall (England) | Scunthorpe United |
National League North
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Shields | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 66 | 25 | +41 | 67 |
| 2 | AFC Fylde | 29 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 67 | 33 | +34 | 63 |
| 3 | Merthyr Town | 32 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 68 | 55 | +13 | 57 |
| 4 | Kidderminster Harriers | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 52 |
| 5 | Radcliffe | 31 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 59 | 50 | +9 | 49 |
| 6 | Macclesfield | 28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 48 |
| 7 | AFC Telford United | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 61 | 42 | +19 | 47 |
| 8 | Darlington | 29 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 47 |
| 9 | Scarborough Athletic | 31 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 46 |
| 10 | Curzon Ashton | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 42 |
| 11 | Marine | 29 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 36 | 44 | −8 | 42 |
| 12 | Buxton | 29 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 41 |
| 13 | Chorley | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 41 |
| 14 | Chester | 32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 44 | 50 | −6 | 41 |
| 15 | Worksop Town | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 40 | 54 | −14 | 38 |
| 16 | Spennymoor Town | 28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 50 | −13 | 37 |
| 17 | King’s Lynn Town | 31 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 38 | 41 | −3 | 35 |
| 18 | Bedford Town | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 48 | 55 | −7 | 33 |
| 19 | Peterborough Sports | 31 | 9 | 6 | 16 | 38 | 57 | −19 | 33 |
| 20 | Southport | 31 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 31 |
| 21 | Oxford City | 31 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 28 |
| 22 | Alfreton Town | 27 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 49 | −24 | 26 |
| 23 | Hereford | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 41 | −14 | 22 |
| 24 | Leamington | 28 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 46 | −24 | 19 |
National League South
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torquay United | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 58 | 34 | +24 | 56 |
| 2 | Dorking Wanderers | 29 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 52 | 34 | +18 | 56 |
| 3 | Hornchurch | 28 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 50 | 37 | +13 | 53 |
| 4 | Worthing | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 66 | 37 | +29 | 52 |
| 5 | Ebbsfleet United | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 31 | +9 | 50 |
| 6 | Weston-super-Mare | 28 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 49 |
| 7 | Hemel Hempstead Town | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 49 |
| 8 | Maidenhead United | 29 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 42 | 28 | +14 | 45 |
| 9 | Horsham | 30 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 40 | 33 | +7 | 44 |
| 10 | Maidstone United | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 44 |
| 11 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 31 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 43 |
| 12 | Chesham United | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 33 | 29 | +4 | 43 |
| 13 | Chelmsford City | 27 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 42 |
| 14 | Slough Town | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 48 | 49 | −1 | 40 |
| 15 | AFC Totton | 27 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 39 |
| 16 | Dover Athletic | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 38 |
| 17 | Tonbridge Angels | 31 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 42 | 47 | −5 | 35 |
| 18 | Salisbury | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 28 | 42 | −14 | 35 |
| 19 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 34 | 48 | −14 | 32 |
| 20 | Bath City | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 28 | 34 | −6 | 29 |
| 21 | Farnborough | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 37 | 55 | −18 | 29 |
| 22 | Eastbourne Borough | 31 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 38 | 58 | −20 | 25 |
| 23 | Enfield Town | 29 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 51 | −19 | 23 |
| 24 | Chippenham Town | 31 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 59 | −27 | 23 |
2025–26 FA Cup Connection
In the 2025–26 season, National League teams followed this schedule to qualify for the main draw:
| Round | Date | National League System Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Second Round Qualifying | 13 Sept 2025 | National League North & South (Tier 6) enter |
| Fourth Round Qualifying | 11 Oct 2025 | National League (Tier 5) enter |