The Football League play-offs for the 1996–97 season were held in May 1997, with the finals taking place at the old Wembley StadiuminLondon. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crystal Palace (First Division) Crewe Alexandra (Second Division) Northampton Town (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 38 (2.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Swansea 3–0 Chester (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | Bristol City 1–2 Brentford (Second Division) |
| Highest scoring | Northampton 3–2 Cardiff (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 64,383 – Crystal PalacevSheffield United (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 5,104 – ChestervSwansea (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 21,403 |
← 1996 1998 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 68 | 51 | +17 | 76 |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 74 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 75 | 52 | +23 | 73 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 71 |
| Crystal Palace | 3–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
Shipperley  68'Freedman 89', 90' |
Smith 90' |
Attendance: 21,053
Referee: Neale Barry
| Sheffield United | 1–1 | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
| Fjørtoft 41' |
Stockwell 78' |
Attendance: 22,312
Referee: Roy Pearson
| Ipswich Town | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Scowcroft 32' Gudmundsson 73' |
Kachura 9' Walker 77' |
Attendance: 21,467
Referee: Terry Heilbron
Ipswich Town 3–3 Sheffield United on aggregate. Sheffield United won on away goals.
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–1 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Atkins 30' Williams 85' |
Hopkin 66' |
Attendance: 26,403
Referee: Clive Wilkes
Crystal Palace won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Hopkin 90' |
Attendance: 64,383
Referee: Neale Barry
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Luton Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 78 |
| 4 | Brentford | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 74 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 73 |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 22 | 07 | 17 | 56 | 47 | 0+9 | 73 |
| Bristol City | 1–2 | Brentford |
|---|---|---|
| Owers 28' |
Smith 13' Taylor 30' |
Attendance: 15,581
| Crewe Alexandra | 2–1 | Luton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers 53' Little 68' |
Oldfield 3' |
Attendance: 5,467
| Brentford | 2–1 | Bristol City |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor 67' Bent 79' |
Barnard 49' |
Attendance: 9,496
Referee: John Kirkby
Brentford won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Luton Town | 2–2 | Crewe Alexandra |
|---|---|---|
| Oldfield 20', 31' |
Little 32' Smith 62' |
Attendance: 8,168
Referee: Roy Pearson
Crewe Alexandra won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Brentford | 0–1 | Crewe Alexandra |
|---|---|---|
| Smith 34' |
Attendance: 34,149
Referee: Uriah Rennie
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 72 |
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 62 | 58 | 0+4 | 71 |
| 6 | Chester City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 70 |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 56 | 54 | 0+2 | 69 |
| Cardiff City | 0–1 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Parrish 77' |
Attendance: 11,369
| Chester City | 0–0 | Swansea City |
|---|---|---|
Attendance: 5,104
| Swansea City | 3–0 | Chester City |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas 39' Torpey 43'Heggs 64' |
Attendance: 10,027
Swansea City won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Northampton Town | 3–2 | Cardiff City |
|---|---|---|
| Sampson 23' Warburton 68'Gayle 77' |
Fowler 36' Haworth 90' |
Attendance: 7,302
Northampton Town won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Northampton Town | 1–0 | Swansea City |
|---|---|---|
| Frain 90' |
Attendance: 46,804
Referee: Terry Heilbron