rules
A test match is a footballing term used to describe a match that is played at the end of a season between a team that has done badly in a higher league and a team that has done well in a lower league of the same league system. The winner of this match goes onto play in the higher league the following season while the losing side remains in the same league the following season.
Test matches were initially employed by the (English) Football League in 1893 when it was stretched out to two divisions to decide relegation and promotion. In recent years, test matches have been shunned in favour of automatic relegation and promotion as well as in favour of playoffs.