The EFL Trophy, currently known as the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, is set to begin soon. Peterborough United will be looking to defend their title after beating Wycombe Wanderers in the final at Wembley Stadium last season. Here is everything you need to know about this year’s competition, including round dates and the format.
Contents
Bristol Street Motors Trophy – Format explained
The Bristol Street Motors Trophy includes all 24 teams in League One and Two, as well as 16 under-21 teams from Category One academies. All 64 groups enter the group stage, which is split into 16 regional groups of four clubs – with eight in the Northern region and eight in the Southern region.
As per the EFL website: “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 top two teams in each group will then advance to the Round of 32, with the group winners seeded and the runners-up unseeded. Both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 are regionalised.
The final will be played at Wembley Stadium – with the biggest crowd in 2019 when over 85,000 people came to watch Portsmouth against Sunderland.
Bristol Street Motors Trophy key dates 2024/25
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Group Stage MD 1 – w/c 19 August/2 September 2024
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Group Stage MD 2 – w/c 9 September/7 October 2024
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Group Stage MD 3 – w/c 11 November 2024
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Round of 32 – TBC
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Round of 16 – TBC
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Quarter Final – TBC
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Semi-Final – TBC
- Bristol Street Motors Trophy Final – TBC
The wait for 2024/25 is nearly over! 😍#EFL | #BristolStreetMotorsTrophy pic.twitter.com/OrszeSB1rx
— Bristol Street Motors Trophy (@BSM_Trophy) August 2, 2024
EFL Trophy 2024/25 group stage draw
The draw for the first round of the competition was carried out on 27 July 2024. Eight northern groups and eight southern groups were drawn by Lee Johnson and Paul Heckingbottom on Sky Sports News. The draw was as follows:
NORTH:
Group A:
- Accrington Stanley
- Everton U21
- Stockport County
- Tranmere Rovers
Group B:
- Port Vale
- Salford City
- Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
- Wrexham
Group C:
- Carlisle United
- Morecambe
- Nottingham Forest U21
- Wigan Athletic
Group D:
- Aston Villa U21
- Barrow
- Bolton Wanderers
- Fleetwood Town
Group E:
- Blackpool
- Crewe Alexandra
- Harrogate Town
- Liverpool U21
Group F:
- Barnsley
- Doncaster Rovers
- Huddersfield Town
- Manchester United U21
Group G:
- Chesterfield
- Grimsby Town
- Lincoln City
- Manchester City U21
Group H:
- Bradford City
- Mansfield Town
- Newcastle United U21
- Rotherham United
SOUTH:
Group A:
- Birmingham City
- Fulham U21
- Shrewsbury Town
- Walsall
Group B:
- AFC Wimbledon
- Brighton & Hove Albion U21
- Crawley Town
- Wycombe Wanderers
Group C:
- Bromley
- Cambridge United
- Charlton Athletic
- Chelsea U21
Group D:
- Crystal Palace U21
- Gillingham
- Peterborough United
- Stevenage
Group E:
- Arsenal U21
- Colchester United
- Leyton Orient
- Milton Keynes Dons
Group F:
- Burton Albion
- Leicester City U21
- Northampton Town
- Notts County
Group G:
- Bristol Rovers
- Exeter City
- Swindon Town
- Tottenham Hotspur U21
Group H:
- Cheltenham Town
- Newport County
- Reading
- West Ham United U21
List of EFL Trophy finals
- 1981-82 – Grimsby Town 3-2 Wimbledon
- 1982-83 – Millwall 3-2 Lincoln City
- 1983-84 – Bournemouth 2-1 Hull City
- 1984-85 – Wigan Athletic 3-1 Brentford
- 1985-86 – Bristol City 3-0 Bolton Wanderers
- 1986-87 – Mansfield Town 1-1 Bristol City (Mansfield Town won 5-4 on penalties)
- 1987-88 – Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Burnley
- 1988-89 – Bolton Wanderers 4-1 Torquay United
- 1989-90 – Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Bristol Rovers
- 1990-91 – Birmingham City 3-2 Tranmere Rovers
- 1991-92 – Stoke City 1-0 Stockport County
- 1992-93 – Port Vale 2-1 Stockport County
- 1993-94 – Swansea City 1-1 Huddersfield Town (Swansea won 3-1 on penalties)
- 1994-95 – Birmingham City 1-0 Carlisle United
- 1995-96 – Rotherham United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
- 1996-97 – Carlisle United 0-0 Colchester United (Carlisle United won 4-3 on penalties)
- 1997-98 – Grimsby Town 2-1 Bournemouth (aet)
- 1998-99 – Wigan Athletic 1-0 Millwall
- 1999-00 – Stoke City 2-1 Bristol City
- 2000-01 – Port Vale 2-1 Brentford
- 2001-02 – Blackpool 4-1 Cambridge United
- 2002-03 – Bristol City 2-0 Carlisle United
- 2003-04 – Blackpool 2-0 Southend United
- 2004-05 – Wrexham 2-0 Southend United (aet)
- 2005-06 – Swansea City 2-1 Carlisle United
- 2006-07 – Doncaster City 3-2 Bristol Rovers (aet)
- 2007-08 – MK Dons 2-0 Grimsby Town
- 2008-09 – Luton Town 3-2 Scunthorpe United (aet)
- 2009-10 – Southampton 4-1 Carlisle United
- 2010-11 – Carlisle United 1-0 Brentford
- 2011-12 – Chesterfield 2-0 Swindon Town
- 2012-13 – Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Southend United
- 2013-14 – Peterborough United 3-1 Chesterfield
- 2014-15 – Bristol City 2-0 Walsall
- 2015-16 – Barnsley 3-2 Oxford United
- 2016-17 – Coventry City 2-1 Oxford United
- 2017-18 – Lincoln City 1-0 Shrewsbury Town
- 2018-19 – Portsmouth 2-2 Sunderland (Portsmouth won 5-4 on penalties)
- 2019-20 – Salford City 0-0 Portsmouth (Salford City won 4-2 on penalties)
- 2020-21 – Sunderland 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
- 2021-22 – Rotherham United 4-2 Sutton United (aet)
- 2022-23 – Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Plymouth Argyle
- 2023-24 – Peterborough United 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers