Leeds United's Under-21s will compete in the Vertu Trophy next season. The Whites are among 16 invited Premier League clubs with category one academy status invited to compete in the competition.
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers will also be involved in the tournament. Peterborough United lifted the trophy last year after beating Birmingham City in the final at Wembley.
The English Football League have confirmed the draw for the group stage of the 2025/26 Vertu Trophy will take place live on Sky Sports News tomorrow from 2:30pm. Championship title winners United will be in the hat for the draw and have been assigned ball number two.
The format for the competition consists of 64 teams who enter from round one and will be split into 16 regional groups of four, eight in the northern region and eight in the southern region. The top two from each group progress to the knockout stages of the tournament, with Vertu Trophy fixtures remaining regionalised until the quarter-final stage.
Group stage matches will commence in early September, with dates to be confirmed following the EFL’s fixture release day tomorrow.
Ball numbers in the northern section:
1. Everton U21
2. Leeds United U21
3. Liverpool U21
4. Manchester City U21
5. Manchester United U21
6. Newcastle United U21
7. Nottingham Forest U21
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
Ball numbers in the southern section:
1. Arsenal U21
2. Aston Villa U21
3. Brighton & Hove Albion U21
4. Chelsea U21
5. Crystal Palace U21
6. Fulham U21
7. Tottenham Hotspur U21
8. West Ham United U21
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