The 2017–18 EFL Trophy, known as the Checkatrade Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 35th season in the history of
the competition, a knock-out tournament for
English football
Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...
clubs in
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
and
League Two of the English football system, and also including 16 Premier League and Championship "
B teams" with
Category One status after the previous season's trial format was extended.
Following the new format introduced in
2016–17, 64 teams entered the competition, including first time entries from the academy teams of
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...
and
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
, who all declined to enter in the previous season.
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
were the reigning champions,
but were eliminated in the group stage on 7 November.
Participating clubs
*48 clubs from
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
and
League Two.
*16 invited
Category One Academy teams.
*Category One teams relegated to League One missed out on having academies participate in the following tournament.
;Notes
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
and
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
declined to participate.
Eligibility criteria for players
*For EFL clubs; a minimum of 5 'First Team' players in the starting 11 as defined under the competition's existing rules.
*For invited clubs – 6 of the starting 11 to be U21 (as at 30 June 2016).
Competition format
Group stage
* Sixteen groups of 4 teams will be organised on a regionalised basis.
* All groups will include one invited club.
* All clubs will play each other once, either home or away (Academies play all group matches away from home).
* Clubs will be awarded 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
* In the event of a drawn game (after 90 minutes), a penalty shootout will be held with the winning team earning an additional point.
* The top two teams will progress to the Knockout Stage.
Northern Section
=Group A
=
=Group B
=
=Group C
=
=Group D
=
=Group E
=
=Group F
=
=Group G
=
=Group H
=
Southern Section
=Group A
=
=Group B
=
=Group C
=
=Group D
=
=Group E
=
=Group F
=
=Group G
=
=Group H
=
Knockout stage
If scores are level after 90 minutes in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, the game will be determined by the taking of
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
.
Round 2
The Round 2 draw was made on 10 November 2017.
The 32 remaining teams were drawn into 16 ties; each group winner will be at home to a runner-up from a different group within their own region.
Northern Section
Southern Section
Round 3
The Round 3 draw was made on 8 December 2017.
Northern Section
Southern Section
Round 4
Eight teams participated in this round with ties originally scheduled to take place in the week commencing 22 January 2018.
Semi-finals
Four teams participated in this round, which consisted of single ties played at the stadium of the club drawn first in each tie.
Final
Match proceeds
After deduction of match expenses, all proceeds were split:
*45% Home club
*45% Away club
*10% to the pool account
Top goalscorers
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 EFL Trophy
EFL Trophy
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL L ...
Trophy
A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, i ...