Competition Format

The National League Cup is a 32 team competition comprising of 16 PL Category 1 Clubs and 16 National League Clubs. Priority is given to PL Category 1 Academies that do not qualify for the EFL Trophy competition with the remaining places allocated based on finishing places in the PL2 league table from the 2024/25 season.

Group Stages 

The group stages consist of four groups of eight Clubs (four PL2 and four invited National League Clubs per group) and each team will receive four group stage fixtures. These fixtures are National League v PL2 Clubs only with all games being played at National League stadiums. 

Should a fixture be level at the end of 90 minutes, the clubs participate in a penalty shootout for an additional point. The top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

Knockout Stages 

The knockout stages will consist of a Round of 16, Quarter Final, Semi-Final and Final. These are all standalone fixtures that will go directly to penalties should the scores be level at the end of full time.

Roll of Honour

2024/25 Leeds United