The EFL confirmed in a statement 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 2025/26 Vertu Trophy competition.

This season’s under-21 sides consist of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

EFL STATEMENT:

The draw for the Group Stage of the 2025/26 Vertu Trophy will take place live on Sky Sports News on Thursday, 26 June from 2:30 pm.

All 64 teams will enter from Round One and will be split into 16 regional groups of four, 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 ball numbers for the Group Stages Draw are as follows:

Northern Section

Salford City
Stockport County
Wigan Athletic

Barrow
Blackpool
Tranmere Rovers

Bradford City
Doncaster Rovers
Grimsby Town

Barnsley
Lincoln City
Notts County

Bolton Wanderers
Oldham Athletic
Rotherham United

Harrogate Town
Huddersfield Town
Mansfield Town

Accrington Stanley
Fleetwood Town
Port Vale

Burton Albion
Chesterfield
Crewe Alexandra

1. Everton U21
2. Leeds United U21
3. Liverpool U21
4. Manchester City U21
5. Manchester United U21
6. Newcastle United U21
7. Nottingham Forest U21
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers U21

Southern Section

Cardiff City
Exeter City
Newport County

Bristol Rovers
Cheltenham Town
Plymouth Argyle

Northampton Town
Shrewsbury Town
Walsall

Milton Keynes Dons
Reading
Swindon Town

AFC Wimbledon
Bromley
Stevenage

Crawley Town
Leyton Orient
Peterborough United

Colchester United
Gillingham
Wycombe Wanderers

Barnet
Cambridge United
Luton Town

1. Arsenal U21
2. Aston Villa U21
3. Brighton & Hove Albion U21
4. Chelsea U21
5. Crystal Palace U21
6. Fulham U21
7. Tottenham Hotspur U21
8. West Ham United U21

Vertu Trophy Group Stage matches will commence in early September, with dates to be confirmed following the EFL’s Fixture Release Day on Thursday, 26 June.

The top two from each group progress to the knockout stages, with Vertu Trophy fixtures remaining regionalised until the Quarter-Final stage.

Matches level after ninety minutes will be determined by penalty kicks up to the Semi-Final stage.

A period of 30 minutes of extra time will be played in the Final should the match be level after ninety minutes. If still level at the end of extra time, the winners shall be determined by penalty kicks.

The EFL’s record domestic rights deal with broadcaster Sky Sports will see every Vertu Trophy match broadcast live on Sky Sports for fans in the UK.

Prize money

EFL Clubs Participation – £20,000 per Club
Group Stages – £10,000 per win / £5,000 per draw
Round of 32 – £20,000 per win
Round of 16 – £40,000 per win
Quarter Finals – £50,000 per win
Runners Up – £50,000
Winners – £100,000

@derbynutter: #BTeamBoycott

@LeeCarman7: How is this trophy still going? #BTeamBoycott

@brf_1871: Don’t care. #bteamboycott

:
#BTeamBoycott
#BoycottTrophy

: Do you know what, I’d absolutely love us to just grow a good squad this season and have a run at this it would be so up lifting for the boys & fans Embrace this journey #ccfc

: We have a derby next season. Mint #ccfc

: Ahhh fuck off forgot we’ve got to play in these things 🤣🤣🤣 #ccfc

: God I’ve missed League 1. Newport away Ole Ole. #ccfc

: Looks like we’ll have a South Wales Derby this season after all 😂😂 #ccfc

: Worst part about being relegated #pafc

: How depressing 🤣 #pafc

: Almost stopped Leeds winning the Championship just over a month ago. Life comes at you fast man! 😅🤣 #pafc

: It’s weird isn’t it, Cardiff City and Newport County could be a Welsh Cup fixture, but there’s no interest without a European spot. Drawn together in the EFL Trophy, which has no European spot… and there’s loads of interest!

: @LutonTown took 4 points off @CPFC (2-1, 1-1) and 3 from @OfficialBHAFC (4-0) in the @premierleague in 23/24… we are now playing their Under 21s in 25/26 season 😞

: We’ve gone from playing the first team to the U21s in two seasons, embarrassing

: Can’t wait for us to play our youth players and get fined again #ltfc

: They’re not welcomed by us fans! I can’t actually believe they’re going ahead with this for another season. Bring back the old format. L1 & L2 clubs only!