The EFL Trophy has long been a crucial piece of silverware for League One and League Two clubs in England, offering them a rare chance of glory. While the lower league clubs compete in both the FA Cup and League Cup, they rarely reach the latter stages, let alone taste ultimate success, with those competitions dominated by the Premier League's ‘Big Six'.
Founded in its modern format for the 1983/84 season, when the competition was restricted to sides in the English third and fourth divisions, the EFL Trophy's original purpose was to offer ‘smaller' clubs the chance of a Wembley final and cup glory.
However, in the last few seasons, the inclusion of Premier League Under-21s sides has caused a stir, with some clubs and their fans feeling that their inclusion undermines and devalues the competition.
As a result, EFL Trophy attendances have dramatically fallen, with several instances of supporter boycotts of these games. Attitudes towards the competition are divided, with some fan bases split down the middle, leading to significant tensions. Low attendance may also discourage sponsors who provide the competing teams with valuable income.
But, is it true that EFL Trophy attendances have declined? Or is it more to do with team performance? Well, Football Ground Guide takes an objective look here…
EFL Trophy 2025/26 format
The group stage of the EFL Trophy during the 2025/26 season had 16 regional groups, each with four teams. As well as there being a mixture of League One and League Two clubs, each group featured one Premier League Under-21 side.
Each team played three matches, one against each team in the group. The top two teams in each group proceeded to the next stage, the round of 32, and competed in a single-elimination knockout format. The knockout games were also regionalised until the quarter-finals, from which extra time or penalty shootouts apply if there is no clear winner in regular time.
The EFL Trophy finals are held at Wembley Stadium, usually in April. In 2025, the final was played on April 13, a match that Peterborough won 2-0 against Birmingham.
The group-stage draw for the 2025/26 EFL League Trophy is complete. For sponsorship reasons, the competition will remain known as the Vertu Trophy.
🏆 2025/26 Groups confirmed ✅#EFL | #VertuTrophy https://t.co/vJYDhrvgB1
— Vertu Trophy (@VertuTrophy) June 26, 2025
EFL Trophy attendance figures in 2025-26
Up until the quarter-final stage of the competition, only one match generated an attendance of more than 5,000. That was the all-Welsh affair between Cardiff City and Newport County, which saw 8,505 attend the Cardiff City Stadium to see Newport pull off a shock 1-0 win.
Does anyone get big crowds for EFL Trophy games?
Poor attendances is a theme throughout the competition, which has naturally lost out through seeing teams such as Portsmouth, Birmingham City and Wrexham earn promotion to the Championship in recent seasons.
During 2024-25, the average attendance through the entirety of the competition reached 2,617 per match. In 2025-26, it is 1,676 per game, albeit with a Wembley showpiece still to come.
The prospect of watching an Academy team doesn’t draw fans of those lower league clubs, and this has been proven in recent campaigns.
Burton Albion and Newport County have also had low attendances. Burton welcomed in only 473 to watch their match against Everton U-21s during the 2023/24 campaign, while Rodney Parade had just 800 in to watch Newport against West Ham's U-21s.
Even this season, Burton attracted only 973 for a showdown with Liverpool Under-21s.
What was the highest EFL Trophy attendance in 2024/25?
The highest attendance was recorded during the EFL Trophy Final at Wembley, when 42 252 spectators turned up to watch Peterborough and Birmingham take on each other.
Why are fans protesting at EFL Trophy games?
Fans and clubs remain upset at the inclusion of the Premier League and Championship, citing the games as a waste of time and resources. They complain that these fixtures are not competitive matches but merely glorified training sessions for the 16 Academy teams invited to participate.
What is the highest-ever EFL Trophy attendance?
The 2019 EFL Trophy final between Portsmouth and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium saw a record attendance of 85,021.
With Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Northampton Town, Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle the five remaining teams in the competition, a lower-than-average Wembley attendance is expected for this year's final.
Who is the EFL Trophy sponsor now?
Due to sponsorship obligations, the EFL Trophy has had numerous names throughout the years. Formerly known as the Papa John Trophy and Bristol Street Motor Trophy, it is now known as the Vertu Trophy.