A look at next season’s third tier line-up after it was confirmed at Wembley this week.

OXFORD UNITED. 22nd in Championship. 155 miles from Oakwell. Reds record: P:29. W:15. D:6. L:8.

The Us are the least financially stricken of the three clubs dropping out of the Championship, although they did record a loss of £17.5million in their most recent accounts and have by far the smallest crowds.

Having gained promotion to the second tier in 2024 – winning in the play-off final against Bolton who defeated Barnsley in the semi – they finished 17th last season before going down this year.

Their current manager is Matt Bloomfield who was previously at Wycombe and Luton while their squad contains former Barnsley defender Michal Helik.

The Reds have won four of six meetings since 1999.

LEICESTER CITY. 23rd in Championship. 82 miles. P:111. W:27. D:32. L:52.

Ten years after winning the Premier League, the Foxes find themselves in the third tier amid financial turmoil.

They recorded a loss of more than £70million for the 2024/25 season, when they were relegated from the Premier League, before they suffered a second successive relegation from the Championship having been docked six points for breaching spending rules.

Their wagebill for last season was thought to be just under £50million, including £90,000 per week for England midfielder Harry Winks who started the 2019 Champions League final.

Major changes to the squad are expected throughout the summer as they look to cut costs where possible.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY. 24th in Championship. 12 miles. P:80. W:25. D:17. L:38.

The Reds have not met their local rivals since the heart-breaking and controversial League One play-off final at Wembley in 2023.

The Owls were taken over last month by a US consortium led by David Storch, ending a period of administration after Dejphon Chansiri’s controversial tenure.

The EFL waived a potential points deduction for the coming season after being docked 18 saw them finish on zero in the 2025/26 campaign.

Their current squad is a mixture of some players with plenty of Championship and international experience and many youth team graduates.

STOCKPORT COUNTY. 3rd. 37 miles. P:97. W:32. D:34. L:31.

When Daniel Stendel’s Barnsley were gaining promotion from the third tier in 2019, Stockport were winning the sixth division in English football – the National League North – after six years at that level.

They then won the National League in 2022 and League Two in 2024 but have lost in the League One play-offs in each of the last two seasons after finishing third.

After securing a place in this year’s play-offs at Oakwell on the final day, they beat Stevenage in the semi-final then lost 4-1 to Bolton in the final.

BRADFORD CITY. 4th. 31 miles. P:112. W:41. D:33. L:38.

The Bantams’ excellent first season back in the third tier after promotion ended in a play-off semi-final loss to Bolton Wanderers.

The two 2-2 draws between Bradford and Barnsley last season were memorable, with Reyes Cleary netting a remarkable 70-yard strike at Valley Parade then Leo Farrell levelling deep in injury-time at Oakwell last month.

City had the second oldest squad in the division so may have to freshen it up to continue their forward momentum under Graham Alexander.

They collected 50 points at home last season, the best after the top two.

STEVENAGE. 6th, 147 miles. P:6. W:2. L:4.

Barnsley may be hoping they are not scheduled to visit the Hertfordshire club in the winter months after two late postponements there due to the weather in the last three seasons.

Boro lost in the semi-finals to Stockport County, having been one of the surprise packages of the division.

They are the club, along with champions Lincoln, who most overperformed Barnsley based on budget.

The Reds would say Stevenage are in a worse long-term position as their squad is older and lacking in ‘assets’. The coming season may show us who has the right approach.

LUTON TOWN. 7th. 144 miles. P:67. W:29. D:10. L:28.

The Hatters pipped Daniel Stendel’s Barnsley to the League One title in 2019 then were the first team to win in the league at Oakwell against them early in the next season.

Six seasons on, Luton were the only away side who failed to score at Oakwell in any game in the campaign that has just finished – being thrashed 5-0 in November.

Having just missed out on the play-offs on the final day, after a strong end to the season under Jack Wilshere, they may be among the favourites for promotion.

They still have ex-Reds Mads Andersen and Devante Cole while they are in discussions with Jordan Clark.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE. 8th. 302 miles. P:71. W:20. D:19. L:32

The trip to Home Park will be the longest of Barnsley’s season, this time by almost 100 miles, after Exeter City were relegated and Cardiff City promoted.

It is a ground that will hold fond memories for Daniel Stendel after his side won 3-0 on Easter Monday in 2019 to put them in a strong position for promotion.

But the Pilgrims won exactly seven years on by the same scoreline this year as they finished the campaign strongly and just missed out on the play-offs.

Despite having the furthest to travel, they collected the second most away points and scored the most goals on the road.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN. 9th. 19 miles. P:84. W:30. D:16. L:38.

Huddersfield had been the only club in the division without a manager following the exit of Liam Manning due to personal reasons.

But they made caretaker Martin Drury their tenth permanent boss in four years.

The Terriers are thought to have had one of the bigger budgets in the division, and a large squad full of proven players for the level and above, but have finished well outside of the play-offs in both seasons since dropping down from the Championship.

Stendel allegedly tried to join Huddersfield in the autumn of 2019, just before his sacking, according to then co-chairman Paul Conway.

MANSFIELD TOWN. 10th. 40 miles. P:39. W:14. D:12. L:13

Nigel Clough, who took charge of the Stags in 2020, is the longest-serving manager in the EFL, following the relegation of Simon Weaver’s Harrogate Town from League Two.

With Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City, the only boss in the top four divisions who has been in his job longer is Mikel Arteta who just won the Premier League with Arsenal.

Mansfield lost just one of their last 15 games and finished tenth which is their highest position in the pyramid since 1987.

The Stags – who came from 2-0 down twice to take four points off Barnsley – have signed Jon Russell after his Reds release.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS, 11th, 171 miles. P:16. W:7. D:5. L:4.

Michael Duff is the only Barnsley head coach who has come close to getting them out of League One since Stendel seven years ago.

Duff, now in charge of Wycombe, was also the last Reds boss to truly imprint a clear identity on the team and create a strong connection with the fans.

He won 13 out of 14 home league games before they won 24 of the next 71.

Duff is unbeaten against the Reds in five meetings, winning four.

Adams Park was where Stendel’s Barnsley lost and fell out of the play-offs in December 2018 before going on a 20-game unbeaten run.

READING. 12th. 190 miles. P:86. W:29: D:25. L:32.

The optimism around the Royals’ ground when Barnsley visited on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign, after their hated former owner Dai Yongge sold the club, has not been matched by their performances since.

They were in the top six with six games to play but took just two further points and finished 12th.

Manager Leam Richardson – the brother of Barnsley Women’s FC manager Craige – has been under pressure, facing criticism over his style of play.

BLACKPOOL. 13th. 89 miles. P:112. W:48. D:25. L:39.

The Seasiders were in the relegation zone, three points off safety and 11 behind Barnsley, in mid-March having taken nine points from 14 games at the start of 2026.

But they won seven of their last nine games to finish well clear of the drop zone and above the Reds.

They arguably should never have been near a relegation fight with a decent budget and a manager in Ian Evatt who took Bolton into the play-offs twice before taking over at Blackpool last autumn.

DONCASTER ROVERS. 14th. 19 miles. P:79. W:26. D:24. L:29.

Barnsley did not finish as the top South Yorkshire team in the third tier as they were pipped on the final day by Doncaster.

Donny’s win at Oakwell in March was followed by Conor Hourihane’s infamous comments of ‘it will be the same next season’ and ‘I get what I’m given.’

Rovers were the first club to announce a new signing this summer, bringing in Ireland youth international winger Leon Ayinde from Ipswich Town.

They have also re-signed former player James Husband.

They released 40-year-old striker Billy Sharp.

WIGAN ATHLETIC. 16th. 62 miles. P:23. W:6. D:10. L:7

One of many clubs looking to kick on to better things next season after ending a tough campaign in good fashion. The Latics looked in serious danger of being relegated in March before they sacked Ryan Lowe and brought back Gary Caldwell, whose previous club Exeter went down instead.

The Latics have still never lost a league match at Oakwell. They scored the fewest goals in the division outside the teams who were relegated.

BURTON ALBION. 17th. 65 miles. P:17. W:8. D:6. L:3.

Gary Bowyer is perhaps doing one of the most underrated managerial jobs in League One.

The veteran boss, despite his club having the lowest crowds in the division with fewer than four thousand on average, achieved a great escape last year then kept them up slightly more comfortably this time.

They may feel they dropped several points against the Reds – having been 2-0 up at Oakwell but losing then conceding a leveller at home, with David McGoldrick netting late on both times.

The Pirelli Stadium was where Daniel Stendel’s 20-game unbeaten run ended in 2019.

PETERBOROUGH UNITED. 18th. 100 miles. P:49. W:21. D:8. L:20.

The Posh were eighth in February but only won one of their last 15 games, and none of their final nine.

They only secured their safety in the final week of the season with a 0-0 draw at Mansfield.

The Reds kept more clean sheets at London Road than at home, winning 1-0 in both the league and FA Cup.

They are unbeaten there in seven trips – a run that started with a 4-0 success under Stendel – and have not lost home or away to the Posh in six meetings.

The two clubs will meet for a 50th time in 2026/27.

AFC WIMBLEDON. 19th. 185 miles. P:4. W:1. D:2. L:1

The Dons took four points off Barnsley last season, becoming the first team to beat them in August then drawing 3-3 at Oakwell in February having come from 2-0 down to lead.

They finished four points and two places clear of the relegation zone in their first season after promotion.

After taking just one point from nine games, which drew them into the relegation fight, they secured their safety with a 1-0 win at Wigan in their penultimate match.

Their 19th-placed finish in the third tier is their third highest ever after taking over from the old Wimbledon.

LEYTON ORIENT. 20th, 183 miles. P:61. W:26. D:11. L:24

The Os went from the play-off final last year to avoiding relegation on the final day of the season which has just finished.

They were one of two teams the Reds did the double over last season, winning 3-2 at home in December then 3-1 away in February thanks to a David McGoldrick hat-trick.

Despite their lowly league position, they had the top-scorer in the division in 23-goal Dominic Ballard who is thought to be of serious interest to Championship clubs.

BROMLEY. 1st in League 2. 204 miles.

Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground is the only one in League One for next season that Barnsley have never played at.

The Reds have never met the London club who, having only turned professional in 2015, were promoted to the EFL for the first time in their history in 2024 then made it two in three years by winning the title.

They have former Barnsley player Will Hondermarck who played 41 of the 45 games last season.

After Plymouth, this will be the Reds’ longest trip of the season.

MK DONS. 2nd in League 2. 131 miles. P:10: W:3. D:4. L:3.

Barnsley will meet MK for the first time since, when already confirmed in the play-offs, they came from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 and essentially send the hosts down in 2023.

MK lost in the play-offs the following year then finished 19th but, under new Kuwaiti owners and with former Derby and Rotherham manager Paul Warne in charge, they took automatic promotion.

They are widely thought to have a strong budget for League One.

Their squad contains ex-Reds Gethin Jones and Dan Crowley while their average age at times last season was older than 30.

CAMBRIDGE UNITED. 3rd in League 2. 135 miles. P:27. W:12. D:9. L:6.

The Us came straight back up after relegation last year, clinching the third automatic promotion spot on the final day.

They caused issues for the Reds during their last spell in the third tier, winning 2-0 at Oakwell, with Mael de Gevigney passing past his own goalkeeper, in March 2024 before drawing 1-1 twice the following season when they were being relegated.

They are likely to be among the bookmakers favourites for relegation again but have a new set-up with Neil Harris in his second spell as manager and his predecessor Mark Bonner director of football.

NOTTS COUNTY. 5th in League 2. 55 miles. P:68. W:27. D:21. L:20.

The Magpies won the League Two play-off final on Monday, beating Salford City 3-0 at Wembley.

They are managed by former Barnsley assistant boss Martin Paterson who took over a year ago.

They last played at Oakwell in the FA Cup when Daniel Stendel was manager in 2018 and were relegated that season into non-league football where they stayed for four seasons before two promotions in their next four.

They are back in the third tier for the first time since 2015.

Barnsley visited Meadow Lane in the EFL Trophy last season, losing 2-1.