Top 8 EFL League Two sides who may shock you in 2026/27 | OneFootball

Who are some of the potential underdogs ready to prosper in the fourth tier this coming season?

Another League Two season is on the horizon, and if the battle at both ends of the table is as exciting as it was in 2025-26, then we're going to be in for some year.

The battle to win automatic promotion, a play-off spot and to survive relegation last season all went down to the final day, and with the gap between the fourth tier and the National League seemingly shrinking with every passing year, the division is likely going to be even more competitive.

Whilst some clubs have started their incoming transfer business, others are being patient, and it's hard to gauge how a squad is going to look until business is fully wrapped up in early September.

However, FLW takes a look at EIGHT teams ahead of the upcoming League Two season that could spring a positive surprise with where they finish...

Once upon a time, Oldham Athletic were founder members of the Premier League in 1992, and whilst their stay in the top flight was brief, they have always historically been a club that sat in the EFL system.

The Latics set an unwanted record though in 2022 by becoming the first Premier League club to be relegated into non-league, which was a culmination of bad ownership via Abdallah Lemsagam.

Thankfully, not long after, local businessman Frank Rothwell came along to save the Greater Manchester outfit, and he has been the best thing for the club in a long time, with their three-year stint in the National League ultimately becoming necessary in the end for raising spirits, and eventually climbing back into League Two courtesy of their 2025 play-offs win.

Consolidation in the fourth tier in 2025-26 would have been a solid return, but under experienced manager Micky Mellon, Oldham pushed higher and eventually ended up finishing 10th in the standings - having been two places higher in early April.

Whilst it wasn't to be last season, Oldham's early transfer business for the summer of 2026 all feels positive - Manny Monthe has signed permanently, Ollie Norburn will add tons of experience to Mellon's midfield after winning promotion with Notts County, whilst right-back Gus Scott-Morriss - who has scored 32 goals and notched nine assists in his last two National League seasons with Southend United - is an unknown, yet exciting quantity.

With an average attendance of 7,538 at Boundary Park last season, fans have flocked back to watch Athletic in action, and with more additions, they could be a team that challenges for automatic promotion against the odds.

As mentioned, the gulf in quality between League Two and the National League has been ever-shrinking, with Wrexham recently achieving back-to-back promotions through the division, Barnet and Oldham both challenging for last season's play-offs but just falling short, Chesterfield being in the play-offs for two years straight after they returned to the EFL, and Bromley of course taking just two seasons to reach League One.

Therefore, it would be no surprise if York City were to put a big run together in 2026-27 to not just push for the top seven, but to even push for automatic promotion and the League Two title.

There's been plenty of recent spending at the Minstermen under the Uggla's ownership, with the signing of Josh Stones from Wigan Athletic last season for a reported £350,000 turning a number of heads.

In the end, City's promotion was only confirmed on the final day of 2025-26 in a pulsating encounter at Spotland with nearest challengers Rochdale, whose stoppage time goal to put them 1-0 up looked like it was going to consign Stuart Maynard's side to the play-offs - only for Stones' last-gasp equaliser to send York up automatically instead.

An average attendance of 6,649 in non-league is certainly strong, and there's the potential to get more through the door in the 8,500-capacity York Community Stadium - the scope is there for York to fight for a second-straight promotion, especially with some ambitious recruits, although losing centre-back Malachi Fagan-Walcott in an expected seven-figure deal with Hearts is an early blow.

6 ? ? Tranmere Rovers

For the longest part of 2025-26, Tranmere Rovers fans would have been seriously worried about dropping back into the National League - a far cry away from the second tier days in the 1990's.

In truth, since their seventh-placed finish in 2020-21, it's been a slow, consistent downward slope for the Prenton Park outfit, going from the play-offs, to mid-table, and then to the relegation battle, with finishes of 20th and 21st in the last two seasons.

Will 2026-27 be a new beginning though? Pete Wild's short time in charge of Rovers ended after keeping the club in League Two, and he has been replaced by Darrell Clarke, who knows how to win promotion from the division - albeit his latest stint at Bristol Rovers wasn't a good one at all for his résumé.

If Clarke can get an extra tune out of the current Tranmere squad though, as well as add some League Two experience and perhaps dip into the loan market, then Rovers may be in a better position to be looking up the table next year, rather than down.

With Shrewsbury Town drifting closer to the relegation zone last January, a decision was made to sack Michael Appleton, and he was quickly replaced in the Croud Meadow dugout by Brackley Town boss Gavin Cowan.

The 45-year-old played sporadically for Salop between 2005 and 2007, but after his non-league playing days were over, Cowan headed to AFC Telford United as manager before then joining Brackley in 2023, taking them into the National League two years later, and was then tasked with keeping Shrewsbury in the EFL.

After failing to win his first two games in charge, Cowan then got an almighty tune out of the squad as they went on a five-match winning streak, climbing all the way up to 17th in the standings, and although form was patchy at best after that, with just 11 points out of a possible last 36 picked up, survival was comfortably achieved.

Cowan now has a job of adding League Two quality to current squad members like Sam Clucas, Taylor Perry and Sam Stubbs, but if he can do that and create a squad on paper that is ahead of last season's, then who knows where the Germany-born manager could take the Shropshire outfit.

4 ? ? Bristol Rovers

Action Images

We're expecting Bristol Rovers to enjoy something of a resurgence in League Two following a turbulent couple of years at the Memorial Stadium.

Renewed energy is now abuzz in the blue-and-white quarters of Bristol after a strong finish to the season, which saw the Gas win nine of their final ten matches to end up in 14th place.

It was hardly the sort of finish that Gasheads really expected after suffering relegation from League Two the season prior, but with the hotly-anticipated return of Darrell Clarke having desperately flattered to deceive, they were able to steady the ship and build the foundations for more tangible success next time around under Steve Evans.

The ex-Rotherham United boss has already stated that promotion is the aim, even if that view may not be widely shared outside of BS7. Much hinges upon the ever-approaching summer transfer window, in which Rovers will be looking to replace electric Tottenham Hotspur loanee Yusuf Ahkamrich while potentially collecting healthy fees for the likes of Fabrizio Cavegn and wantaway midfielder Isaac Hutchinson.

At his disposal, Evans has an experienced League Two squad with multiple previous promotion-winners at his disposal and the Scotsman's resourceful ability to get the very best out of what's in his hands could see the Pirates kick on towards promotion contention.

Having last tasted promotion under Joey Barton in the most dramatic of circumstances four years ago, there's every chance that Rovers will be competing at the right end of the table next season.

3 ? ? Colchester United

Colchester United have been a mainstay in League Two over the last decade, and Danny Cowley will be hoping to finally take the Essex-based side back to English football's third-tier following two successive mid-table finishes.

With a consortium including ex-Chelsea and England captain John Terry closing in on a takeover at the JobServe Community Stadium, supporters will be hoping that new life can be breathed into the club. That, of course, could translate to additional backing for Cowley, which the popular boss will need if he is to bridge the gap and propel the U's into any potential promotion conversations.

Colchester finished the previous season in 12th place, twelve points shy of Grimsby Town in the division's final play-off spot. However, there is potential for Cowley's side to trend upwards, having married up defensive solidity with a touch of X-Factor in the final third throughout 25/26.

Young frontman Samson Tovide is a real handful up top, and was supported by Harry Anderson and Jack Payne both recording double-digit returns for league goals behind him. The true star of the show, however, is tricky winger Kyreece Lisbie, who has earned plentiful interest elsewhere after finding the back of the net on 11 occasions in his first-ever season in the Football League.

The mercurial 22-year-old could well move on to pastures new before August, and replacing his quality would represent a tall order. If he stays, mind you, expect Colchester to be a force to be reckoned with in 26/27, and the U's will fancy their chances of finally breaking into the top-seven.

2 ? ? Swindon Town

Swindon Town hardly fit the description of a "dark horse", having enjoyed red-hot form during the first-half of last season under Ian Holloway before losing their way rather dramatically - though increased competition at this level next time out should not discount the Robins from a serious second crack at promotion.

Town's fall from grace in the final months of the season was stark. Holloway's men found themselves positioned in second place as late as February, but won just two of their last 13 matches to fall out of the top-seven picture entirely and finish in ninth.

There's a very different feel around the County Ground right now, and Swindon's chances of plotting a fresh promotion bid have already been dealt a blow with the departure of impressive defender Will Wright at the end of his contract.

The Robins have still taken serious strides on the pitch in recent seasons, however, emerging from mid-table mediocrity to title contenders for large parts of the campaign just gone.

Whereas some feel like that was about as good as it can get for Swindon, we're expecting them to actually prove something of a surprise package by being right up there in the race for a top-three berth once more - if Holloway can retain the services of 23-goal talisman Aaron Drinan while strengthening in a few key areas and ensuring that his side holds its nerve when it matters most.

1 ? ? Rochdale

Rochdale's return to League Two after a three-year absence could really go one of two ways, but we're not prepared to write off Ian Watson's newly-inherited side from pulling off a surprise or two.

The 40-year-old has freshly arrived in the Spotland dugout off the back of just one senior managerial campaign with National League North outfit South Shields, who reached the play-off final under his leadership.

Replacing Jimmy McNulty is, of course, going to prove easier said than done, and the Scotsman's departure to Stockport County just a month after taking Rochdale back to the Football League by defeating Boreham Wood at Wembley has handed the Greater Manchester outfit a first hurdle.

Can they overcome it? Well, Kyron Gordon's own decision to join McNulty at Edgeley Park hardly helps matters, and there's no denying that Dale are heading up to League Two in a much more compromising and unpredictable position than the aforementioned York.

Under Watson, Rochdale are an unknown entity and the jury is out - but that's where it could benefit them most, as opponents won't know what to expect, and they've also got some real firepower through the likes of top scorer Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, Devante Rodney and the evergreen Ian Henderson.

As aforementioned, the gap between the fourth and fifth-tier tends to be rather minimal these days and Rochdale themselves accumulated 106 points over a 46-game season.

That, of course, would've been enough to guarantee the league title in most seasons, and while that feat was achieved under a previous manager, this is a squad capable of mixing it in League Two - make no mistake about it - and there's no reason why Dale can't re-establish themselves next term.