2023-24 EFL Trophy

The 2023-24 English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship reasons as the Papa John's Trophy, is the eighth season that the competition has invited Category One development teams to participate following a successful trial period. Sixteen development teams will join the 48 club sides from League One and League Two, split into sixteen regionalised groups of four. Development teams are required to field a minimum of six Under-21 players in their starting eleven, while Football League clubs must field a certain number of first team players.

In the event of a group game ending in a draw, there will be a penalty shootout whereby the victors can earn an additional point. Each team will face each other once, either at home or away. Development teams will play all group games away from home. The top two from each group then progress to Round 2, a last-32 knockout round, which remains regionalised with group winners and runners-up meeting. Round 3 is also regionalised before the quarter-final becomes a 'free draw'. The final is due to take place at Wembley Stadium in April 2024.

Teams

There is a minimum of one development team, one club side from League One and one club side from League Two in each group.

Development teams

There are sixteen Category One development teams participating in this season's competition: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Wolves

League One teams

Barnsley, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Bristol Rovers, Burton Albion, Cambridge United, Carlisle United, Charlton Athletic, Cheltenham Town, Derby County, Exeter City, Fleetwood Town, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Peterborough United, Portsmouth, Port Vale, Reading, Rochdale, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage, Wigan Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers

League Two teams

Accrington Stanley, Barrow, Bradford City, Colchester United, Crawley Town, Crewe Alexandra, Doncaster Rovers, Forest Green Rovers, Gillingham, Grimsby Town, Harrogate Town, Hartlepool United, Mansfield Town, Milton Keynes, Morecambe, Newport County, Notts County, Rochdale, Salford City, Stockport County, Sutton United, Swindon Town, Tranmere Rovers, Walsall, Wimbledon, Wrexham

Group Stage

North

Group A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Liverpool Under-21s	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	3
2	Blackpool	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	3
3	Barrow	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
4	Morecambe	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0

Barrow v Blackpool

5 September 2023

Barrow	0-2	Blackpool
		Carey '44 Kouassi '85

Holker Street

Morecambe v Liverpool Under-21s

19 September 2023

Morecambe	0-3	Liverpool Under-21s
		Musialowski '13 Scanlon '28 Clark '39

Globe Arena

Blackpool v Liverpool Under-21s

10 October 2023

Blackpool	v	Liverpool Under-21s

Morecambe v Barrow

10 October 2023

Morecambe	v	Barrow

Barrow v Liverpool Under-21s

7 November 2023

Barrow	v	Liverpool Under-21s

Blackpool v Morecambe

14 November 2023

Blackpool	v	Morecambe

Group B

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Crewe Alexandra	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Port Vale	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Wrexham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Newcastle United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Wrexham v Newcastle United

5 September 2023

Wrexham	1-0	Newcastle United
Dalby 13'

Racecourse Ground

Port Vale v Crewe Alexandra

5 September 2023

Port Vale	1-0	Crewe Alexandra

Vale Park

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group C

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Accrington Stanley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Carlisle United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Harrogate Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Nottingham Forest	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Accrington Stanley v Carlisle United

5 September 2023

Accrington Stanley	1-0	Carlisle United

Wham Stadium

Harrogate Town v Nottingham Forest

5 September 2023

Harrogate Town	2-1	Nottingham Forest
Thomson 56' (pen) O'Connor 82'		Esapa Osong 84'

EnviroVent Stadium

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group D

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Fleetwood Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Tranmere Rovers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Wigan Athletic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Leicester City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fleetwood Town v Tranmere Rovers

5 September 2023

Fleetwood Town	2-0	Tranmere Rovers

Highbury Stadium

Wigan Athletic v Leicester City

19 September 2023

Wigan Athletic	7-1	Leicester City
Magennis 34’ (pen), 46’ Lang 57’ Young 60’ og McHugh 72’ Sze 85’ Stones 90 +5’		Raikhy 30’

DW Stadium

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group E

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Manchester United	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	2
2	Stockport County	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
3	Bolton Wanderers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Salford City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Stockport County v Manchester United

22 August 2023

Stockport County	1-1	Manchester United
Olaofe 90' +13 (pen)		Hugill 64’
	Penalties
	3-5

Edgeley Park

Bolton Wanderers v Salford City

5 September 2023

Bolton Wanderers	3-0	Salford City

University of Bolton Stadium

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group F

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Barnsley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Grimsby Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Bradford City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Manchester City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Grimsby Town v Manchester City

30 August 2023

Grimsby Town	2-2	Manchester City
Clifton 77’ Pyke 90 +1’		Dickson 9’ Ndala 28’
	Penalties
	2-4

Blundell Park

Barnsley v Grimsby Town

5 September 2023

Barnsley	2-0	Grimsby Town

Oakwell

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group G

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Derby County	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Lincoln City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Notts County	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Notts County v Wolverhampton Wanderers

12 September 2023

Notts County	1-2	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Hubner 90 +5’ og		Hesketh 17’ Fraser 55’

Meadow Lane

Derby County v Lincoln City

19 September 2023

Derby County	2-0	Lincoln City

Pride Park

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group H

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Burton Albion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Doncaster Rovers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Mansfield Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Everton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Doncaster Rovers v Everton

19 September 2023

Doncaster Rovers	2-0	Everton
Marsh 57’ Biggins 81’

Keepmoat Stadium

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

South

Group A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Brighton & Hove Albion	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1	3
2	Forest Green Rovers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Shrewsbury Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Walsall	1	0	0	1	2	3	-1	0

Walsall v Brighton & Hove Albion

22 August 2023

Walsall	2-3	Brighton & Hove Albion
McEntee 27’ Knowles 86’		Moran 13’, 33’ Gordon 65’ og

Bescot Stadium

Forest Green Rovers v Shrewsbury Town

5 September 2023

Forest Green Rovers	3-0	Shrewsbury Town

The New Lawn

Shrewsbury Town v Brighton & Hove Albion

19 September 2023

Shrewsbury Town	0-0	Brighton & Hove Albion
	Penalties
	4-1

The Croud Meadow

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group B

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Charlton Athletic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Crawley Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Sutton United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Aston Villa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Crawley Town v Charlton Athletic

5 September 2023

Crawley Town	4-3	Charlton Athletic

Broadfield Stadium

Sutton United v Aston Villa

19 September 2023

Sutton United	2-2	Aston Villa
Kasimu 79’ Beautyman 90 +10’		O'Reilly 6’ (pen) Kellyman 68’
	Penalties
	4-5

Gander Green Lane

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group C

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Wimbledon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Stevenage	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Wycombe Wanderers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Crystal Palace	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Wimbledon v Stevenage

5 September 2023

Wimbledon	1-1	Stevenage
	Penalties
	6-5

Plough Lane

Wycombe Wanderers v Crystal Palace

19 September 2023

Wycombe Wanderers	1-0	Crystal Palace
Leahy 90 +2’

Adams Park

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group D

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Cambridge United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Colchester United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Peterborough United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Tottenham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Peterborough United v Cambridge United

12 September 2023

Peterborough United	2-0	Cambridge United

Weston Home Stadium

Colchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

19 September 2023

Colchester United	0-5	Tottenham Hotspur
		Donley 33’, 56’ Soonsup-Bell 53’, 73’ Lankshear 60’

Jobserve Community Stadium

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group E

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Gillingham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Leyton Orient	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Portsmouth	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Fulham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Portsmouth v Fulham

22 August 2023

Portsmouth	3-3	Fulham
Raggett 17', 51' Devlin 28'		Donnell 1' Godo 39' McCoy-Splatt 73'
	Penalties
	5-4

Fratton Park

Gillingham v Leyton Orient

5 September 2023

Gillingham	2-1	Leyton Orient

Priestfield Stadium

Leyton Orient v Fulham

19 September 2023

Leyton Orient	2-2	Fulham
Galbraith 09’ El Mizouni 90 +6’		Sekularac 45 +2’ O'Neill 60’
	Penalties
	5-4

Brisbane Road

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group F

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Milton Keynes	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	3
2	Oxford United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Northampton Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Chelsea	1	0	0	1	1	4	-3	0

Milton Keynes v Chelsea

29 August 2023

Milton Keynes	4-1	Chelsea
Dennis 9’ Leko 56’ Dean 70’, 79’		Morgan '32

Stadium MK

Northampton Town v Oxford United

5 September 2023

Northampton Town	1-3	Oxford United

Sixfields Stadium

Oxford United v Milton Keynes

19 September 2023

Oxford United	0-1	Milton Keynes

Kassam Stadium

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group G

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Exeter City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Reading	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Swindon Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Arsenal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Swindon Town v Arsenal

22 August 2023

Swindon Town	2-2	Arsenal
Walters 6’ og Uwakwe 34’		Sousa 11’ Gower 82’
	Penalties
	4-5

County Ground

Bristol Rovers v Cheltenham Town

5 September 2023

Bristol Rovers	4-1	Cheltenham Town

Memorial Stadium

Exeter City v Reading

19 September 2023

Exeter City	0-9	Reading

St James Park

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Group H

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Bristol Rovers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Cheltenham Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Newport County	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	West Ham United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Bristol Rovers v West Ham United

19 September 2023

Bristol Rovers	1-3	West Ham United
Finley 24’		Marshall 70’ (pen), 90 +3’ Earthy 78’

Memorial Ground

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

v

	v

Round Two

The last-32 knockout round remains regionalised and pits group winners against runners-up in a one-off tie, with the group winners afforded home advantage. In the event of a draw after 90 minutes, a penalty shootout determines the winner.

Round Three

The 16 winners from the previous knockout round advance to the final regionalised round of the competition.

Top Goalscorers

Player

Club

Goals