Johnnie Jackson’s AFC Wimbledon face Mat Sadler’s Walsall at Wembley Stadium for a place in League One on Bank Holiday Monday.

This will be Wimbledon’s first time back at the venue since their promotion from League Two in 2016. Meanwhile, Walsall have been stuck in the fourth tier since 2019.

They squandered a 12-point lead and automatic promotion, but rallied to thrash Chesterfield 4-1 in the play-off semi-finals.

Wimbledon secured their final spot with two 1-0 wins over Notts County, thanks to goals from Riley Harbottle and Josh Neufville.

The winners of the final are reported to benefit from more than £2m in extra income from promotion.

HOW MANY TICKETS HAVE BEEN SOLD?

Wimbledon were given an allocation of 30,583 tickets for the West End, the club did indicate the possibility of more if they were to exceed that number.

Walsall were given an allocation of 25,541 tickets for the East End part of Wembley Stadium.

AFC Wimbledon confirmed on Saturday 24th that they had sold 28,000 tickets with the ticket window closing at midnight of the same day.

For Walsall, it’s reported that they have sold 16,683 tickets on the morning of the 24th.

WHO ARE THE BOOKIES FAVOURITES?

Wimbledon – 4/5
Walsall – 10/11

Wimbledon – 8/15
Walsall – 11/8

Wimbledon – 13/8
Walsall – 7/4

Wimbledon – 7/4
Walsall – 15/8

Wimbledon – 8/5
Walsall – 15/8

Wimbledon – 17/10
Walsall – 9/5

WHAT HAVE BOTH CLUBS SAID?

“I think it would probably be the best (promotion) of the lot, to be honest. This is why you get into it and why I wanted to coach and manage.

“I’ve had some successes with promotions as a player and also as a coach, but to get that accolade as a manager would probably top the lot.

“They’ve got no God-given right, but these boys deserve the opportunity to be where they are for the hard work that they’ve put in and the way they’ve bought into the club.

“As you know, it’s a club with rich history, especially around Wembley with the 1988 FA Cup final and the 2016 team that got promoted.

“It’s an opportunity for my boys now to write their own chapter.”

💬 Johnnie’s Play-Off Final Preview: “It’s time to write our own chapter in history.”

📺 Watch the full interview with our manager HERE! 👉 https://t.co/VqxR6vF8tX#AFCW 🟡🔵 pic.twitter.com/vMGpRokTod

— AFC Wimbledon (@AFCWimbledon) May 23, 2025

Jake Reeves said: “When I was out for so long – and it was a dark time – it was always about how I’m not going to let this effect how I see the game.

“I wasn’t going to let it affect my career. There’s been a lot of hard graft to get back into this position, so it’s very rewarding to be going back to Wembley.

“I’ve played at this level for a good number of years now – before Bradford and after as well,” he added. “Other than Dannie’s sense of humour – he was an incredible player! He’d been there, seen it, done it and was a calm head in the dressing room – not just him, because there was a lot of experience in that dressing room. So, I did a lot of learning back then.

“I’ve been lucky and fortunate enough to have a play-off success with Wimbledon and get promoted as well with Stevenage, so I’ve learnt a lot about this league, but play-off games are different – no matter what level you’re at. They’re stand-alone games.

“I think that ultimately the team who is the calmest and can navigate through those sticky periods in games, as everyone does – especially in finals, it then becomes about staying calm when the chaos happens on these unique occasions.

“You can analyse all you want, all throughout the season. We’ve played against Walsall twice already this season, so we know what they’re like, but they might bring up something different. So, it really is about staying as calm as you can.

“I didn’t play in the first game at home against them, but it was another tight contest. They’re a good side and we’re a good side and there’s a reason why both teams have been around the automatic promotion places.

“We know it’s going to be tight. We know all about them and likewise they do about us. So, as I’ve said – staying calm in the chaos.

“It would be huge to deliver League One football back to our fans. One of my reasons for coming back to Wimbledon was to put the Club back to where I had it the last time. It’s my second year back here and I now get an opportunity to do that.

“I know how big and how impactful it can be on the building – let alone the fans. I’ve been lucky enough to achieve it once and to do it twice would be something special.”

“We’re looking forward to it, of course. Last Friday night was great, a great experience for everyone at the club.

“I thought we played very well and it was a really good team performance over the two legs. Now we want to back that up and finish the job.

“Everybody’s eyes are straight on it. There was an incredible outpouring of emotion, but straightaway we are focused on it.

“It never changed [having a job to do] in my message after Friday. We enjoyed it and I really wanted them to.

“The pitch is a vulnerable place, in big moments and games, but we had a day to enjoy it as a really tight-knit group together. But we’re ready to work.”