EFL Trophy

We have all known the EFL Trophy as the Papa Johns Trophy for the last 3 years but with Papa Johns opting out of their partnership with the EFL, it is no longer the Papa Johns Trophy but for the time being, it will be EFL Trophy.

What is the history of this competition and which teams participate in it?

History of the EFL Trophy

After the discontinuation of the Anglo-Scottish Cup, the EFL Trophy was introduced as the Football League Group Cup in the 1981/82 season. The trophy went through a number of name changes through the years.

In the 1983/84 season, it was known as the Associate Member’s Cup, then it was known as the Football League Trophy in 1992 after the formation of the Premier League. Currently, it is known as the EFL Trophy.

Competition’s Format

Like the name of the competition, the format has gone through a number of changes through the years. The current format has 16 regional groups. Each group contains four teams. The groups are divided according to the team’s geographic location.

The top 2 teams of each group qualify for the knockout rounds. The final two teams after the knockout phase, face each other in the final of the competition.

In the group stage, if the match draws then penalties are taken to determine the winner. The winning team gets two points and the loser gets one point.

Teams

64 teams take part in the EFL Trophy. When the competition began in 1981/82, top-division teams were also invited to take part in it. After changes in the competition through the years, only the teams from League One and League Two participate in the competition presently.

In addition to the League One and Two clubs, the academies of the Premier League teams also take part in the competition.

It is a good way to let teams in the lower leagues win a trophy as winning the League Cup or the FA Cup against the big teams is incredibly tough and almost impossible. It gives the fanbases of lower-league clubs something to cheer about.

Venue

All the ties are played at the respective stadiums of the teams involved in the competition except the final. The final of the EFL trophy takes place at the Wembley Stadium.

Winners

Bolton Wanderers are the current holders of the EFL Trophy. Bolton has won the competition twice. Bristol City has 3 EFL Trophies, most by any team in the competition.

They are followed by Bolton, Grimsby, Wigan, Stoke, Birmingham City, Swansea, Carlisle, and Rotherham who have all won the competition two times.