Fixtures
| Date | R | Home vs Away | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/09 18:00 | - |
Tranmere vs Nottm Forest U21
|
View |
| 09/09 18:45 | - |
Mansfield vs Harrogate Town
|
View |
| 09/16 18:00 | - |
Blackpool vs Barrow
|
View |
| 09/16 18:00 | - |
Exeter vs Cardiff
|
View |
| 09/16 18:00 | - |
Milton Keynes Dons vs West Ham U21
|
View |
| 09/16 18:00 | - |
AFC Wimbledon vs Crystal Palace U21
|
View |
| 09/16 18:45 | - |
Crawley Town vs Aston Villa U21
|
View |
| 09/23 18:00 | - |
Plymouth vs Tottenham U21
|
View |
| 09/23 18:00 | - |
Bolton vs Man City U21
|
View |
| 09/23 18:00 | - |
Newport County vs Arsenal U21
|
View |
| 09/23 18:00 | - |
Northampton vs Chelsea U21
|
View |
| 09/23 18:00 | - |
Cambridge Utd vs Brighton U21
|
View |
Results
| Date | R | Home vs Away | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/02 18:45 | - |
[2] Bromley vs Crystal Palace U21
[2]
|
7-6 |
| 09/02 18:45 | - |
Huddersfield vs Newcastle U21
|
6-2 |
| 09/02 18:30 | - |
Luton vs Barnet
|
4-1 |
| 09/02 18:30 | - |
[2] Bradford vs Grimsby
[2] 
|
2-1 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
Doncaster vs Everton U21
|
2-1 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
AFC Wimbledon vs Stevenage
|
1-5 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
Peterborough vs Leyton Orient
|
1-3 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
Burton Albion vs Liverpool U21
|
2-0 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
[1] Shrewsbury vs Walsall
[2] 
|
1-3 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
Gillingham vs Fulham U21
|
4-1 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
Wycombe vs Colchester
|
1-2 |
| 09/02 18:00 | - |
Swindon vs Reading
|
3-2 |
Teams
Peterborough
Oxford Utd
AFC Wimbledon
Bradford
Port Vale
Portsmouth
Accrington Stanley
Cheltenham
Walsall
Lincoln City
Shrewsbury
Exeter
Gillingham
Cambridge Utd
Bolton
Crawley Town
Blackpool
Morecambe
Crewe
Oldham
Carlisle
Salford City
Grimsby
Forest Green
Scunthorpe
Southend
Luton
Yeovil
Harrogate Town
Barrow
Bury
Sutton Utd
Stockport
Wrexham
Sheff Utd
Macclesfield
Swansea U23
Bromley
Brighton U23
Leicester U23
Sunderland U23
Norwich U23
Dag & Red
Southampton U23
Middlesbrough U23
Derby U23
Everton U23
York
Stoke U23
Chelsea U23
Wikipedia - EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier League and the EFL Championship.
Launched in the 1983–84 football season as the Associate Members' Cup, the competition was renamed the Football League Trophy in 1992 after a reorganisation following the formation of the Premier League and again as the current EFL Trophy in 2016 due to The Football League changing its name to the English Football League.
The current competition begins with 16 regional groups, each containing 4 teams and divided between northern and southern sections depending on the clubs' geographic locations. The top two from each group qualify for the knockout stages before the two winners meet in late March or early April in the final at Wembley Stadium. Some Midlands and East Anglian clubs fluctuate between the north and south each season for every draw. Other details have varied over the years, including in some years inviting clubs from the National League, and holding a round-robin group stage before moving into knockout rounds.
The most successful clubs are Bristol City and Peterborough United, who have lifted the trophy three times each. The current winners are Peterborough United, who beat Birmingham City 2–0 in the 2025 final.
History
The competition was created in 1983, and was open to Third and Fourth Division Football League clubs (levels 3 and 4 of the English football pyramid). The competition was introduced to give clubs in the lower divisions of the Football League a more realistic opportunity to play at Wembley. It replaced the Football League Group Cup (known as the Football League Trophy in its final season), in which some (but not all) Third and Fourth Division teams had competed. The first winners of the competition were Bournemouth.
In 1992 the tournament rebranded as the Football League Trophy, coinciding with a reorganisation following the decision of the First Division clubs at the time to form the Premier League.
In 2016 the competition rebranded to the current EFL Trophy after The Football League rebranding as the English Football League. The first season under the new name saw 16 Category One academies of Premier League and EFL Championship clubs join the competition.
In 2023 participating clubs received a £20,000 participation fee, with £10,000 per victory and £5,000 per draw in the group stage, and increasing prizes for the knockout matches up to £100,000 for winning the final.
The EFL Trophy is structured in a series of group stages followed by knockout rounds, culminating in a final held at a prestigious venue, typically Wembley Stadium. The tournament not only showcases emerging talent from youth academies but also offers clubs the chance to enhance their visibility and engage with local communities.
With its unique blend of established clubs and rising stars, the England EFL Trophy is a thrilling competition that captures the spirit of English football, emphasizing the importance of grassroots development while providing exciting matchups and memorable moments for fans across the country.