 The match took place at Ashton Gate Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 2020–21 National League | ||||||
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| After extra time Hartlepool United won 5–4 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 20 June 2021 | ||||||
| Venue | Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol | ||||||
| Referee | Simon Mather | ||||||
| Attendance | 6,606 | ||||||
| Weather | Partially cloudy, 17 °C (63 °F) | ||||||
The 2021 National League play-off final, known as the Vanarama National League Promotion Final for sponsorship reasons, was an association football match played on 20 June 2021 at the Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol between Torquay United and Hartlepool United. It determined the second and final team to gain promotion from the National League, English football's fifth tier, to EFL League Two. The team that finished first in the 2020–21 National League gained automatic promotion to League Two, while the teams placed from second to seventh participated in the play-offs. Sutton United gained the only automatic promotion spot to League Two. The winners of the semi-finals competed for the final promotion spot for the 2021–22 EFL League Two. The losing play-off quarter-finalists were Chesterfield and Bromley. In the following round, Notts County and Stockport County were eliminated in the semi-finals.
The game, which was refereed by Simon Mather, was played on a partially cloudy day in front of a reduced crowd of 6,606. Hartlepool took the lead in the 35th minute through Luke Armstrong. Hartlepool managed to hold on to their lead until the 95th minute when Torquay's goalkeeper Lucas Covolan headed in an equaliser. The match remained 1–1 after extra time, meaning that penalties would determine the outcome of the game. Hartlepool won 5–4 on penalties after a miss by Torquay's Matt Buse, meaning that Hartlepool earned promotion to the 2021–22 EFL League Two. In previous years, Wembley Stadium had often been the venue for the National League play-off final, however, Ashton Gate was used instead to avoid clashes with UEFA Euro 2020 matches held at Wembley. Furthermore, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the stadium's capacity for the match was reduced from 27,000 by approximately 75% to allow social distancing measures.