The Papa John's Trophy - formerly EFL Trophy - features clubs from League One and League Two, as well invited academy from the Premier League and Championship
Tuesday 26 October 2021 09:23, UK
The Papa John's Trophy is back for the 2021/22 season - keep track of the teams taking part and all the fixtures and results.
The competition formerly known as the EFL Trophy was won by Sunderland in 2020/21 and is back for the 2021/22 season, featuring clubs from League One and League Two, as well as 16 invited U21 teams from Premier League and Championship clubs with Category One academy status.
A total of 64 teams will compete again this time, bidding to reach the Wembley final on Sunday April 3, 2022.
As well as 48 sides from Leagues One and Two, the following teams have been invited to take part in 2021/22:
EFL clubs must have at least four 'qualifying' outfield players in their line-ups, with players needing to meet these requirements:
The invited U21 teams have been placed into respective Northern and Southern section groups, with one U21 side in each group.
There are 16 groups of four teams, with each side playing each other once in the regionalised group stage. Invited clubs will be the 'away' side in each match in the group stage.
Three points are awarded for a win but if games end in a draw after 90 minutes, each club is awarded one point but a penalty shootout follows, with the winning team earning an additional point.
The eight winners and eight runners-up from each group will progress to the knockout stage. The round of 32 ties will be determined by a draw, with the winner of a group drawn at home against a runner up of a group from the same region but not the same original group.
A round of 16 will take place via an unseeded draw but still on a regionalised basis.
From the quarter-finals onwards, there will be no regionalisation, meaning clubs from the Northern section can face those from the Southern section in the last eight and beyond.
The dates for the knockout stages are to be confirmed but the final is set to take place at Wembley on Sunday April 3, 2022.
Northern Group A: Carlisle, Hartlepool, Morecambe, Everton U21
Northern Group B: Oldham, Salford, Tranmere, Leeds U21
Northern Group C: Wigan, Crewe, Shrewsbury, Wolves U21
Northern Group D: Port Vale, Rochdale, Bolton, Liverpool U21
Northern Group E: Rotherham, Doncaster Rovers, Scunthorpe, Man City U21
Northern Group F: Bradford City, Lincoln, Sunderland, Man Utd U21
Northern Group G: Accrington, Barrow, Fleetwood, Leicester U21
Northern Group H: Sheffield Wednesday, Harrogate, Mansfield, Newcastle U21
Southern Group A: Colchester United, Gillingham, Ipswich, West Ham U21
Southern Group B: AFC Wimbledon, Portsmouth, Sutton United, Crystal Palace U21
Southern Group C: MK Dons, Burton Albion, Wycombe, Aston Villa U21
Southern Group D: Forest Green, Northampton, Walsall, Brighton U21
Southern Group E: Exeter, Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham, Chelsea U21
Southern Group F: Swindon, Newport, Plymouth, Arsenal U21
Southern Group G: Crawley, Charlton, Leyton Orient, Southampton U21
Southern Group H: Oxford United, Cambridge United, Stevenage, Tottenham U21
Keep track of the latest Papa John's group stage fixtures here.
Keep track of the latest Papa John's group stage results here.
