AFC Wimbledon

Next season’s EFL Trophy will have extra Under-21 teams from Premier League clubs with Liverpool and Manchester United both represented in the competition.

The EFL today announced the invited Category One academy sides for the 2019/20 campaign and they will take on teams from League One and League Two next season.

AFC Wimbledon reached the last-16 of the competition in 2018/19, The Dons just edged out 2-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (Anthony Hartigan is shown in possession during that match).

League One Portsmouth won the competition last season, beating Sunderland at Wembley in March, and they will be joined by teams from the top-six clubs in the Premier League with Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United all represented.

The format, which sees 16 invited teams joined by the 48 Clubs in League One and League Two, continues to provide EFL Clubs with a platform for some of the country’s finest young talent to experience first-team football, alongside an opportunity to create additional revenue.

Invited teams are selected based on the club’s final league position at the end of the 2018/19 season, with the first 16 with Category One Academy status invited to take part.

The Round One Group Stage draw will take place in July, with the first round of fixtures scheduled to take place week commencing Monday 2 September.

The full list of invited Under-21 sides is as follows:

EFL Executive Chair, Debbie Jevans, said: “The EFL Trophy continues to grow and we are delighted to welcome Liverpool and Manchester United U21s to the competition.

“The recent feedback received from Clubs and coaches has been very positive with the current format continuing to offer greater revenue for our Clubs and competitive first team football for young talent.”