League 1 is the third tier of professional football in England, sitting below the EFL Championship and Premier League. It was established in 2004, replacing the old Third Division. The league consists of 24 teams that compete for promotion to the higher division and to avoid relegation to League 2. Each season, teams play 46 matches, facing each opponent twice, once at home and once away. The top two teams at the end of the season earn automatic promotion, while the teams finishing from third to sixth enter the play-offs for a chance at promotion.