EFL Trophy

32 invited teams from the four levels of the football league were split into eight regional groups of four teams each, with three round-robin games played by each side. The eight group winners qualified for the quarter-finals, and the knockout stages were played as a single leg, with the game going to extra time and penalties if necessary. The final was played on the home ground of one of the two teams.[9]

The 48 clubs of the Third and Fourth Divisions were split into North and South sections of 24 teams each. The first round had 12 knockout ties in each section, and the second had six. In each section, the two second-round losers with the 'narrowest' defeats were reprieved and joined the six other clubs in the regional quarter-finals.[10]

For the 1985–86 edition, 8 three-team groups were introduced in each of the two sections. Teams played one home and one away game and the group winners proceeded to the regional knockout stages.[11] This was modified in the following season, with two teams qualifying from each group, resulting in an additional 'round of 16' knockout stage in each section.[12]

For a number of seasons in the early to mid-1990s, the competition ran with seven 3-team groups, two teams in each section receiving a bye into the knockout stages. This was a direct result of the folding of Aldershot and Maidstone United necessitating a reorganisation of the competition to accommodate fewer than 48 teams in the tournament.[13]

The group phase was abolished for the 1996–97 edition. The regional sections were retained and 8 teams in each section received a bye to the second round.

For the 2000–01 season, 8 teams in level 5 (step 1) of the football pyramid were invited to participate in the tournament, resulting in 12 ties in each of the north/south sections in the first round, with only four teams in each section receiving a bye into the second round. The number of invitees increased to 12 from 2002–03, resulting in 14 first-round ties, and two teams in each regional section gaining a bye into the second round.

The teams invited by season are as follows:[14]

• 2000–01: Chester City, Doncaster Rovers, Dover Athletic, Hereford United, Morecambe, Rushden & Diamonds, Scarborough, Yeovil Town
• 2001–02: Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge, Doncaster Rovers, Leigh RMI, Scarborough, Southport, Stevenage Borough, Yeovil Town
• 2002–03: Chester City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Doncaster Rovers, Halifax Town, Hereford United, Leigh RMI, Morecambe, Scarborough, Southport, Stevenage Borough, Woking, Yeovil Town
• 2003–04: Barnet, Chester City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Exeter City, Forest Green Rovers, Halifax Town, Hereford United, Morecambe, Scarborough, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage Borough, Telford United
• 2004–05: Accrington Stanley, Aldershot Town, Barnet, Carlisle United, Dagenham & Redbridge, Exeter City, Hereford United, Morecambe, Scarborough, Stevenage Borough, Woking, York City
• 2005–06: Accrington Stanley, Aldershot Town, Cambridge United, Crawley Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, Exeter City, Halifax Town, Hereford United, Kidderminster Harriers, Morecambe, Stevenage Borough, Woking

For the 2006–07 tournament onward, the invitations were abolished. This resulted in the format reverting to 8 first-round teams in each section, and 8 sides receiving byes to the second round.[15]

64 teams enter from Round One; all 48 teams from levels three and four of the football pyramid (League One and League Two), along with 16 category 1 Premier League and EFL Championship academy/under-21 sides. 16 regional groups of four teams split evenly 8 northern and 8 southern. Each of the groups contains one academy team. The top two from each group progress to the knockout stages; the first two rounds of which remain regionalised before becoming an open draw from the quarter-finals onwards.[16]

During the group phase, if the scores are level at the end of the match, then penalties are taken immediately without recourse to extra time. The winning team is awarded 2 points and the losing team 1 point.[16] During the knock-out phase, up to but not including the final, if the scores are level at the end of the match the winner is decided by penalties. In the final, if the scores are equal after 90 minutes an extra 30 minutes are played and if still equal the winner is then decided by penalties.[16]

The following academy teams have competed:

• Current (2023–24): Arsenal (since 2018–19), Aston Villa (since 2019–20), Brighton & Hove Albion (since 2016–17), Chelsea (since 2016–17), Crystal Palace (since 2021–22), Everton (2016–17 to 2019–20 and since 2021–22), Fulham (2017–18 to 2020–21 and since 2023–24), Leicester City (since 2016–17), Liverpool (since 2019–20), Manchester City (since 2017–18), Manchester United (since 2019–20), Newcastle United (since 2017–18), Nottingham Forest (since 2023–24), Tottenham Hotspur (2017–18 to 2019–20 and since 2021–22), West Ham United (since 2016–17), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2016–17 and since 2018–19)

• Former: Blackburn Rovers (2016–17), Derby County (2016–17), Norwich City (2016–17, 2019–20 to 2020–21), Leeds United (2021–22 to 2022–23), Middlesbrough (2016–17 to 2018–19), Reading (2016–17 and 2017–18), Southampton (2016–17 to 2022–23), Stoke City (2016–17 to 2018–19), Sunderland (2016–17 and 2017–18), Swansea City (2016–17 to 2018–19), West Bromwich Albion (2016–17 to 2018–19 and 2020–21)

The final of the EFL Trophy is currently held at Wembley Stadium in London, the English national football stadium. The final in 1984 was due to be played at the then Wembley Stadium, but owing to damage caused to the pitch during the Horse of the Year Show, it was moved to Boothferry Park in Hull.[17] The Football League Group Cup finals were played at Blundell Park in 1982 and Sincil Bank in 1983. From 2001 to 2007, during the rebuilding of the former Wembley, the Football League Trophy finals were played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Source: NapIt[22] (Only until 2010)

The overall record attendance for the final is 85,021, set at the Wembley Stadium in 2019 by Portsmouth and Sunderland. The record attendance for the final at the original Wembley Stadium was 80,841, set in the 1988 final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley.[23] The record attendance for the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was 59,024, set in the 2007 final between Bristol Rovers and Doncaster Rovers.[24] The 2020 and 2021 finals were played with no fans present, but clubs raised money for charity by selling supporters virtual tickets.[25]

The highest attendance for any game apart from the final came on 5 February 2013 for the Northern Area final, when Coventry City lost to Crewe Alexandra 3–0 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry (they later won the away leg 2–0, going down 3–2 on aggregate), in front of a crowd of 31,054.[26]

The lowest attendance in the history of the competition (excluding those affected by pandemic restrictions) came during the 2018–19 season when just 202 attended a Middlesbrough academy team's 1–0 victory against Burton Albion in November 2018 at Burton's Pirelli Stadium.[27][28]