The EFL Cup, often referred to simply as the League Cup, is a football knockout tournament played each year by all English football teams ranked in the top leagues in the country (English Premier League, English Championship, League 1 and League 2).

The League Cup is one of the top three domestic tournaments in England, alongside the FA Cup and the Premier League. The competition’s first edition was played back in the 1960-1961 season, with Aston Villa being the first club to win it.

The tournament is divided into seven rounds, being played mostly with a single-leg format until the semi-final stage of the competition. Top-tier teams are handed byes to enter the tournament in the latter stages to facilitate their road to the final, which also gives lower-tier teams a chance to build their hopes up in the early rounds.

A total of 92 teams from the Premier League and English Football League are permitted to enter. English top-flight clubs involved in European competitions (the UCL and UEL) enter in the third round. There they are joined by the 25 winners from round two. Due to congested scheduling, England’s elites tend to field more youthful squads in the earlier rounds for rotation. This habit can lead to upset defeats, a phenomenon also known as giant killings. One instance of this was in 2014-2015 when Man United were knocked out of the competition in the second round by MK Dons, losing 4-0 to the then third-tier side.

The champions are awarded a slot in the following UEFA Europa League season. This makes England one of only two countries to offer European berth to the winners of their second cup competition. This privilege has helped the competition remain popular as it offers clubs another route into Europe. As a result, fans loyally keep up with the action through either live streaming options, on-demand services, or regular TV broadcasting.

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