Global InformationEFL Trophy information
 Current logo | |
| Organising body | English Football League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 (as the Football League Group Cup) |
| Region |
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| Number of teams | 64 |
| Current champions | Peterborough United (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Bristol City (3 titles) |
 2023–24 EFL Trophy | |
The English Football League Trophy, currently known as Bristol Street Motors Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in levels three and four of the English football pyramid (EFL League One and EFL League Two), with the addition of 16 under-21 teams from Premier League and EFL Championship clubs since the 2016–17 season.[1]
Launched in the 1981–82 football season as the Football League Group Cup, it was a replacement for the Anglo-Scottish Cup, which had been discontinued after the withdrawal of Scottish League clubs.[2] It reconstituted as Associate Members' Cup during the 1983–84 season. The competition was renamed the Football League Trophy in 1992 after a reorganisation following the formation of the Premier League and again as the current EFL Trophy in 2016 due to The Football League changing its name to the English Football League.[1]
The current competition begins with 16 regional groups, each containing 4 teams and divided between northern and southern sections depending on the clubs' geographic locations. The top two from each group qualify for the knockout stages before the two winners meet in late March or early April in the final at Wembley Stadium. Some Midlands and East Anglian clubs fluctuate between the north and south each season for every draw. Other details have varied over the years, including in some years inviting clubs from the National League, and holding a round-robin group stage prior to moving into knockout rounds.
The current champions are Peterborough United, who beat Wycombe Wanderers 2–1 in the 2024 final. The most successful club is Bristol City, who have lifted the trophy three times, in 1986, 2003 and 2015, and were finalists in 1987 and 2000.
- ^ a b "Premier League trial for the Trophy". English Football League. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ "List of Texaco/Anglo-Scottish/Football League Group Cup Finals at RSSSF". Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2023.