The EFL Cup is the first opportunity English clubs have to win a major piece of silverware and, while it doesn't have the prestige of other competitions, it remains a much-coveted trophy.
For much of the last decade, the EFL Cup has been won by one of the Premier League big boys, but it still represents a chance for smaller clubs and those in the lower leagues to compete for glory.
Birmingham City, Newcastle United and Swansea City have lifted the trophy in recent times, while Cardiff City, Bradford City and Sunderland are among the teams to have reached the final since the Blues upset Arsenal in 2011.
With a Conference League place on offer to the winner, the EFL Cup retains plenty of prestige, even if a lot of the Premier League clubs opt to rotate their squads for the early rounds, often giving youngsters and fringe players the chance to impress.
Dates
The preliminary round of the 2026/27 EFL Cup campaign commenced on the 1st August 2026, and it will conclude with the final on Sunday 1st February 2027.
The full schedule for the 2026/27 tournament can be found below:
Format
All 92 clubs in the Premier League and the three divisions of the English Football League enter the competition each year.
In the first round, clubs from League Two join every League One club, as well as 22 of the 24 clubs from the Championship, with the two highest ranked teams from the previous season receiving byes into the second round.
The two remaining Championship sides are then joined in entering the competition in the second round by the top-flight sides not involved in European competition.
The third round then sees the Premier League clubs playing European football that season enter the fray.
Matches in all rounds are single-legged, except for the semi-finals, which are played over two legs at the respective teams' home stadiums.
The final was a two-legged affair from 1961 to 1966, but has been a single game ever since, with the most recent edition ending in a 2-0 victory for Manchester City over Arsenal, courtesy of brace from Nico O'Reilly.
Prize money
League Cup winners receive £100k in prize money -- considerably less than the £2m reward for winning the FA Cup -- while the runners-up take home £50k.
It's said that the losing semi-finalists pocket £25k, an insignificant fee for top-flight teams who usually find themselves in the final four.
History
The EFL Cup was first held in 1960/61 as the Football League Cup after being implemented by then Football League Secretary Alan Hardaker and it has been a permanent fixture on the calendar ever since.
Aston Villa were the first-ever winners in 1961, beating Rotherham United 3-2 on aggregate over two legs.
Manchester City are the most recent winners of the competition, winning the competition for a fifth time under Pep Guardiola.
Previous winners
No team have won the EFL Cup on more occasions than English giants Liverpool, adding a 10th success to their illustrious list of honours when defeating Chelsea in extra-time in 2024.
Man City extended their lead as the second most successful team in the competition when beating Arsenal 2-0 last year thanks to a Nico O'Reilly brace.
Click here to read the full list of EFL Cup winners over the years.
