The 2025–26 National League Cup, is the 27th season in the history of the competition, and the second since its revival in 2024–25. It is a knock-out tournament between clubs in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, and 16 professional under-21 teams playing in Premier League 2.
A prize fund of £1 million is distributed to non-league clubs in the fifth and sixth tiers, with the intention to provide younger players from the PL2 with senior experience. The relaunch of the competition has otherwise been controversial, with criticism and negativity from non-league clubs and their supporters.
Participating clubs 16 invited clubs from the National League. 16 invited Premier League 2 under-21 teams.
National LeaguePremier League 2ClubsAldershot Town Boreham Wood Boston United Brackley Town Braintree Town FC Halifax Town Forest Green Rovers Gateshead Rochdale Scunthorpe United Solihull Moors Sutton United Tamworth Truro City Wealdstone WokingBlackburn Rovers Brighton & Hove Albion Burnley Everton Fulham Leeds United Leicester City Manchester United Middlesbrough Newcastle United Nottingham Forest Southampton Sunderland West Bromwich Albion West Ham United Wolverhampton WanderersTotal1616
Competition format League phase Four groups of eight teams. All groups will include four National League sides and four academy sides. All National League clubs will play each academy side once, and all academy sides will play each National League side once (academy sides will play all group matches away from home). Clubs will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. Drawn matches will end in a penalty shoot-out with an extra point for the winners. The top two teams in each group will progress to the knockout stage. Knockout stage In Round 2, the group winners will be seeded and the group runners-up will be unseeded in the draw. In Round 2, teams who played in the same group as each other in the group stage will be kept apart.
Broadcasting The National League announced all fixtures would be streamed live and free on the National League YouTube channel.
Group stage The group stage draw was made on 14 July 2025.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Quarter-finals Teams who played in the same group in the group stage are kept apart.
Semi-finals
West Ham United U21 were the only remaining semi-finalist who plays in Premier League 2. The semi-finals were scheduled to be played on 17 February.
Final
Notes
References