Football League postponements surge as call‑ups hit three lowest clubs

The Football League’s new postponement rules have backfired, with a wave of fixtures cancelled after international call‑ups. FOOTBALL writer MATT Barlow reported on 24 September 2026 that 16 of the next 24 League One matches and five League Two games are now off, including the Port Vale‑Northampton clash.

The new postponement criteria have left the three lowest‑ranked sides in the EFL without a match this month. Both clubs sit at the bottom of the league tables, and their fixtures have joined a growing list of cancellations across the divisions.

League One hit hard

In League One, 16 of the next 24 fixtures have been called off to accommodate senior and youth internationals. The rule now requires a club to prove that at least three players will feature in senior, Under‑21, Under‑20 or Under‑19 matches and that those players have featured before the 75th minute in at least 50 percent of league games or in four of the previous five first‑team outings. By contrast, last season the threshold was a 25 percent appearance rate or three of the last five games, and it applied only to the Under‑21, Under‑20 and Under‑19 levels.

League One leaders Bradford City are missing two goalkeepers, with Jon McCracken called up to the Scotland squad and Zac Hadi selected by Iraq Under‑23s. Deputy keeper Cameron Dawson remains available, allowing Bradford’s trip to Reading on Saturday 3 October to proceed as scheduled. However, the visitors from Barnsley have withdrawn, citing the international duties of Patrick Kelly (Northern Ireland), Tyrese Noslin (Curacao), Jonathan Bland (Wales Under‑21) and Makenzie Kirk (Northern Ireland Under‑21).

Reading, whose opponent Wycombe will also be without first‑choice keeper Conor Hazard due to Northern Ireland duties, have chosen to keep their home game on the calendar. Leam Richardson explained, “Football is a squad game, and we have confidence in the players available to us, while keeping the fixture in place also helps us avoid adding another game to an already busy schedule.” He added, “It’s better for the supporters too. Saturday afternoon is the ideal time to play football whenever circumstances allow, so we were pleased to keep this one in place.”

League Two and lower‑tier clubs

Five League Two matches are also postponed over the next two weekends, the most notable being Port Vale against Northampton, who sit 22nd and 23rd in the table and are ranked 90th and 91st overall. The goalkeeper protocol permits a postponement only when both the first and second choice keepers are called up, a rule that has already affected clubs such as Crawley Town. Crawley are missing winger Dion Pereira (Antigua and Barbuda), left‑back Jonny Russell (Northern Ireland Under‑21) and 19‑year‑old goalkeeper Nicholas Michalski, on loan from Blackburn, who has been first choice since veteran Vito Mannone’s injury in August.

In September of the previous season, eight of twelve League One fixtures went ahead despite international breaks, while the October break saw seven of twelve matches played and only one League Two game cancelled. This season’s stricter rules were introduced to curb such congestion and protect the financial health of clubs. Former Premier League sides Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday now compete in League One, bringing larger academies and attracting loan talent from the top flight.

For third‑tier clubs, Saturday afternoon fixtures generate higher attendances and revenue than mid‑week rearrangements, making cancellations financially painful. Managers must therefore weigh the risk of fielding depleted squads against the qualification rules that influence selection and substitution decisions.