The EFL can confirm 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 hail from 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.
GROUP STAGE DRAW
The draw for the Group Stages of the 2025/26 Vertu Trophy will take place live on Sky Sports News on Thursday 26 June from 2:30pm.
All 64 teams will enter from Round One and will be split into 16 regional groups of four teams, 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
Group A Salford City Stockport County Wigan Athletic | Group B Barrow Blackpool Tranmere Rovers | Group C Bradford City Doncaster Rovers Grimsby Town | Group D Barnsley Lincoln City Notts County |
Group E Bolton Wanderers Oldham Athletic Rotherham United | Group F Harrogate Town Huddersfield Town Mansfield Town | Group G Accrington Stanley Fleetwood Town Port Vale | Group H Burton Albion Chesterfield Crewe Alexandra |
Ball Numbers
- Everton U21
- Leeds United U21
- Liverpool U21
- Manchester City U21
- Manchester United U21
- Newcastle United U21
- Nottingham Forest U21
- Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
Southern Section
Group A Cardiff City Exeter City Newport County | Group B Bristol Rovers Cheltenham Town Plymouth Argyle | Group C Northampton Town Shrewsbury Town Walsall | Group D Milton Keynes Dons Reading Swindon Town |
Group E AFC Wimbledon Bromley Stevenage | Group F Crawley Town Leyton Orient Peterborough United | Group G Colchester United Gillingham Wycombe Wanderers | Group H Barnet Cambridge United Luton Town |
Ball Numbers
- Arsenal U21
- Aston Villa U21
- Brighton & Hove Albion U21
- Chelsea U21
- Crystal Palace U21
- Fulham U21
- Tottenham Hotspur U21
- 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.
COMPETITION FORMAT
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.
HOW TO WATCH
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 |
