The EFL Trophy is a knockout cup competition in English football organised by and named after the English Football League. The competition was first played in 1981–82 as the Football League Group Cup where it was open to 32 teams from all four levels of the football league. The current format of only being open to clubs in levels three and four of the football pyramid began in 1983–84. It is currently open to the 48 members of League One and League Two with 16 category one academy teams from clubs in the Premier League and Championship being invited.[1] The first final was played at Blundell Park in 1982 before moving to Sincil Bank in 1983. In 1984 the final 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. The first final to be played at Wembley Stadium was in 1985. From 2001 to 2007 while Wembley was rebuilt, it was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. In 2008 the finals returned to the new Wembley.
| Founded | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Region |  England Wales |
| Number of teams | 48 |
| Current champions | Peterborough United (2nd title) |
| Most successful team(s) | Bristol City (3 titles) |
Finals
editKey
| Match went to extra time | |
| Match decided by a penalty shoot-out after extra time | |
| Match decided by golden goal | |
| Club played in tier 4 at the time | |
| Club played in tier 2 at the time, which was disallowed from the 1983-84 season onwards | |
| Bold | Club was promoted to the second-tier of English football |
| Italics | Club was relegated to the fifth-tier of English football |
^1 Final delayed from the original date of 4 April 2020 to 13 March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[5][6]
Results by team
editTeams in bold compete outside EFL Leagues One and Two as of 2023–24 season and thus do not compete in the EFL Trophy (some Premier League and Championship teams may enter their reserve/academic/youth teams, but none has made a final so far and a win by any such team will not count as a full-team club record).
| Team[7][4] | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol City | 3 | 2 | 1986, 2003, 2015 | 1987, 2000 |
| Carlisle United | 2 | 4 | 1997, 2011 | 1995, 2003, 2006, 2010 |
| Grimsby Town | 2 | 1 | 1982, 1998 | 2008 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2 | 1 | 1989, 2023 | 1986 |
| Birmingham City | 2 | 0 | 1991, 1995 | — |
| Blackpool | 2 | 0 | 2002, 2004 | — |
| Peterborough United | 2 | 0 | 2014, 2024 | — |
| Port Vale | 2 | 0 | 1993, 2001 | — |
| Rotherham United | 2 | 0 | 1996, 2022 | — |
| Stoke City | 2 | 0 | 1992, 2000 | — |
| Swansea City | 2 | 0 | 1994, 2006 | — |
| Wigan Athletic | 2 | 0 | 1985, 1999 | — |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1 | 2 | 1990 | 1991, 2021 |
| Bournemouth | 1 | 1 | 1984 | 1998 |
| Chesterfield | 1 | 1 | 2012 | 2014 |
| Lincoln City | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 1983 |
| Millwall | 1 | 1 | 1983 | 1999 |
| Portsmouth | 1 | 1 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Sunderland | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 2019 |
| Barnsley | 1 | 0 | 2016 | — |
| Coventry City | 1 | 0 | 2017 | — |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1 | 0 | 2013 | — |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1 | 0 | 2007 | — |
| Luton Town | 1 | 0 | 2009 | — |
| Mansfield Town | 1 | 0 | 1987 | — |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 1 | 0 | 2008 | — |
| Salford City | 1 | 0 | 2020 | — |
| Southampton | 1 | 0 | 2010 | — |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 | 0 | 1988 | — |
| Wrexham | 1 | 0 | 2005 | — |
| Brentford | 0 | 3 | — | 1985, 2001, 2011 |
| Southend United | 0 | 3 | — | 2004, 2005, 2013 |
| Bristol Rovers | 0 | 2 | — | 1990, 2007 |
| Oxford United | 0 | 2 | — | 2016, 2017 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 0 | 2 | — | 1996, 2018 |
| Stockport County | 0 | 2 | — | 1992, 1993 |
| Burnley | 0 | 1 | — | 1988 |
| Cambridge United | 0 | 1 | — | 2002 |
| Colchester United | 0 | 1 | — | 1997 |
| Huddersfield Town | 0 | 1 | — | 1994 |
| Hull City | 0 | 1 | — | 1984 |
| Scunthorpe United | 0 | 1 | — | 2009 |
| Sutton United | 0 | 1 | — | 2022 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 0 | 1 | — | 2023 |
| Torquay United | 0 | 1 | — | 1989 |
| Wimbledon | 0 | 1 | — | 1982 |
| Walsall | 0 | 1 | — | 2015 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 1 | — | 2024 |
References
editGeneral
Specific
- ^ "PREMIER LEAGUE TRIAL FOR THE TROPHY". The Football League. 10 June 2016.
- ^ "Football League Group Cup Summary (1981–1983)". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Football League Trophy Summary (1983–2016)". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Previous Finals". EFL. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "EFL statement: Leasing.com Trophy Final". www.efl.com.
- ^ Allen, Neil (16 September 2020). "Pompey's EFL Trophy Wembley final against Salford City put back to 2021". The News. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "Bristol Street Motors Trophy Roll of Honour". EFL. Retrieved 30 January 2024.