Premier League Cup

The Premier League Cup, formerly the U21 Premier League Cup, is a knockout football competition organized by the Premier League for England’s under-21 clubs. It was introduced in 2013 and includes Premier League 2 and Professional Development League teams.

The number of Premier League Cup participants has varied over the years: 40 in 2019-20, 36 in 2020-21, 32 from 2022-23 to 2023-24, and returning to 36 in 2024-25. Despite this, the tournament maintains a consistent format featuring group and knockout stages from August to May.

In the first round of the Premier League Cup, teams are divided into groups, with each club playing every other team home and away in a double round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the Premier League Cup knockout stage, consisting of the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final, all played in a single leg. Premier League Cup matches that remain tied after 90 minutes proceed to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.

The Premier League Cup was renamed from the U21 Premier League Cup in 2016, and the age limit increased from under 21 to under 23 before reverting to under 21 in 2022 to align with Premier League 2 guidelines. Each team is allowed five over-age outfield players and one over-age goalkeeper.

Reading won the inaugural Premier League Cup title in the 2013-14 season, defeating Manchester City 4-3 on aggregate in a two-legged final. Swansea became the first team to win the single-leg final format, beating Reading in 2016-17. The Welsh side returned to the final the following season, becoming the first club to reach consecutive finals, though they lost to Aston Villa on penalties in 2017-18.

Premier League Cup participation is not mandatory, and some teams opt not to participate. As a result, the Premier League Cup 2024-25 campaign made history, becoming the first season in which the reigning champion (Fulham) and the runner-up from the previous year (Tottenham) did not participate.