The EFL has confirmed the 16 invited sides from Premier League Clubs with Category One Academies that will join Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two Clubs in the 2026/27 EFL Trophy competition.
This season’s under-21 sides hail from Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur.
GROUP STAGE DRAW
The draw for the Group Stages of the 2026/27 EFL Trophy will take place live on Sky Sports News on Thursday 25 June from 2:30pm.
Presented by Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, former Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United midfielder Kevin Nolan will join former Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest defender, Luke Chambers in picking out the balls.
The Group Stage will be split into 16 regional groups of four teams, eight in the Northern region and eight in the Southern region. The 16 invited under-21 teams will be placed into their respective Northern and Southern regional groups, with the 48 EFL Clubs placed into pre-determined Groups prior to the draw.
Consideration has been given to ensure travel time is minimised and recovery time is maximised for players.
The pre-determined groups and the ball numbers for the Group Stages Draw are as follows:
Northern Section
| Group A
Sheffield Wednesday Salford City Accrington Stanley |
Group B
Blackpool Wigan Athletic Crewe Alexandra |
| Group C
Bradford City York City Rotherham United |
Group D
Mansfield Town Chesterfield Port Vale |
|
Group E Stockport County Tranmere Rovers Shrewsbury Town |
Group F Burton Albion Notts County Grimsby Town |
|
Group G Barnsley Oldham Athletic Fleetwood Town |
Group H Huddersfield Town Doncaster Rovers Rochdale |
Ball Numbers
- Aston Villa U21
- Everton U21
- Leeds United U21
- Liverpool U21
- Manchester City U21
- Newcastle United U21
- Nottingham Forest U21
- Sunderland U21
Southern Section
| Group A
Oxford United Cheltenham Town Exeter City |
Group B
Leicester City Walsall Stevenage |
Group C
Reading Bristol Rovers Wycombe Wanderers |
Group D
Luton Town Peterborough United Colchester United |
|
Group E Plymouth Argyle Swindon Town Newport County |
Group F AFC Wimbledon Leyton Orient Barnet |
Group G Cambridge United Gillingham Northampton Town |
Group H Bromley Crawley Town Milton Keynes Dons |
Ball Numbers
- Arsenal U21
- Brentford U21
- Brighton & Hove Albion U21
- Chelsea U21
- Crystal Palace U21
- Fulham U21
- Ipswich Town U21
- Tottenham Hotspur U21
EFL Trophy Group Stage matches will commence in early September, with dates to be confirmed following the EFL’s Fixture Release Day on Thursday 25 June.
2026/27 ROUND DATES
The round dates for the EFL Trophy have been confirmed as the following:
- Group Stage: From early September
- Round of 32: w/c 7 December
- Round of 16: w/c 11 January
- Quarter Finals: w/c 15 February
- Semi Finals: w/c 8 March
- Final: Sunday 11 April
COMPETITION FORMAT
The top two from each group progress to the knockout stages, with EFL Trophy fixtures remaining regionalised until the Quarter-Final stage.
Matches level after 90 minutes will be determined by penalty kicks up to, and including, the Semi-Final stage.
A period of 30 minutes of extra time will be played in the Final should the match be level after 90 minutes. If still level at the end of extra time, the winners shall be determined by penalty kicks.
HOW TO WATCH
The EFL’s record domestic rights deal with broadcaster Sky Sports will see every EFL Trophy match broadcast live on Sky Sports for fans in the UK.
