Vertu Trophy: Arsenal, Liverpool discover opponents as U21 PL teams join group stages
Sixteen Premier League U21 teams join Sky Bet League One and League Two clubs in being placed into regionalised groups for 2025/26 Vertu Trophy; watch every Vertu Trophy match live on Sky Sports throughout the season
Thursday 26 June 2025 14:56, UK
Sixteen Premier League U21 teams have joined Sky Bet League One and League Two teams in being placed into groups for the 2025/26 Vertu Trophy.
The competition is regionalised at the opening stage of the competition - and up until the quarter-finals - with eight groups in the northern section and eight in the southern section.
League One and League Two teams were placed into groups on Wednesday, with invited Premier League teams completing the groups when Sky Sports EFL pundits Jobi McAnuff and Curtis Davies made the draw live on Sky Sports News.
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The Premier League U21 teams in the northern section are Everton, Leeds, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
The Premier League U21 teams in the southern section are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham.
The first round of fixtures will take place during the first week of September. The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday April 12.
Every Vertu Trophy match during the 2025/26 season will be available to watch live on Sky Sports.
Full draw for 2025/26 Vertu Trophy group stage
Northern section
Group A: Salford City, Stockport County, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
Group B: Barrow, Blackpool, Tranmere Rovers, Nottingham Forest U21
Group C: Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers, Grimsby Town, Everton U21
Group D: Barnsley, Lincoln City, Notts County, Manchester United U21
Group E: Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, Rotherham United, Manchester City U21
Group F: Harrogate Town, Huddersfield Town, Mansfield Town, Newcastle United U21
Group G: Accrington Stanley, Fleetwood Town, Port Vale, Leeds United U21
Group H: Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Liverpool U21
Southern section
Group A: Cardiff City, Exeter City, Newport County, Arsenal U21
Group B: Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town, Plymouth Argyle, Tottenham Hotspur U21
Group C: Northampton Town, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Chelsea U21
Group D: Milton Keynes Dons, Reading, Swindon Town, West Ham United U21
Group E: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Stevenage, Crystal Palace U21
Group F: Crawley Town, Leyton Orient, Peterborough United, Aston Villa U21
Group G: Colchester United, Gillingham, Wycombe Wanderers, Fulham U21
Group H: Barnet, Cambridge United, Luton Town, Brighton & Hove Albion U21
Vertu Trophy 2025/26 prize money breakdown
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
Who won the Vertu Trophy in 2024/25?
Birmingham were denied a historic league and cup double as Peterborough upset the odds to lift the Vertu Trophy after a 2-0 win at Wembley.
Harley Mills, 19, who started the season on loan at Enfield Town in the National League South, hit an unstoppable free-kick from 30 yards that went in via the underside of the crossbar.
And, on the stroke of half-time, Mills hand a big hand in the second, as his cross from the left was helped on by Ricky-Jade Jones to captain Hector Kyprianou, who slammed home to double the lead, right in front of the opposition fans.
