League Cup
Overview
League Cup is a term collectively referring to knockout tournament cup competitions organized by professional football leagues in each country and operated separately from the regular league. Traditionally, the name was given to mean a "league-organized cup" to distinguish it from existing cup competitions such as the FA Cup, and England's EFL Cup (currently the Carabao Cup) is the most widely known. In recent years, sponsor names are often used as the competition name, so it is common to call it by brand names such as "Carabao Cup" or "Levain Cup."
Key details
Concept and characteristics
League cups are generally single tournament formats in which all clubs belonging to the league participate, and higher-tier league clubs are given byes (seeding) in lower rounds. Because matches are single-elimination regardless of regular league standings, upsets are highly possible, and winning grants qualification for European competitions or a trophy. Representatively, the winner of England's EFL Cup receives a spot in the UEFA Conference League play-off. In addition, big clubs with tight schedules tend to use it as a stage for rotation members and youth players.
History of England's EFL Cup
The EFL Cup was founded in 1960 by the English Football League, and Aston Villa became the inaugural winner in 1961 the following year. From 1967, the Wembley Stadium final became regularized, and in the 1960s-70s a two-leg aggregate format, later a single-match final format, took hold. The competition name changed according to sponsors, including the Milk Cup (1981-86), Littlewoods Cup (1986-96), Coca-Cola Cup (1992-98), Worthington Cup (1998-2003), Carling Cup (2003-12), and Capital One Cup (2012-16); from the 2017-18 season, Thai energy drink brand Carabao became title sponsor and it is called the Carabao Cup. Liverpool holds the record for most wins with 10 titles, followed by Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, etc.
Competition format
92 clubs from England's four professional football leagues (Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two) participate. The first and second rounds are played as single matches, the semi-finals are traditionally played as home-and-away two-leg aggregate, and the final is a single match at Wembley Stadium. In case of a draw, extra time and penalties are held, and video review (VAR) is operated only in a limited manner at Premier League stadiums. From the third round, Premier League clubs join, and matchups between so-called "big clubs and lower-league teams" often become a talking point.
League cups around the world
- Scotland: The Scottish League Cup (currently the Premier Sports Cup) has continued since 1946.
- France: The Coupe de la Ligue began in 1994 and was abolished in 2020.
- Japan: The J.League Cup (Levain Cup) was launched in 1992, and J1 clubs participate.
- Korea: The K League League Cup (Adidas Cup, Philip Morris Cup, etc.) operated from 1986 until the late 2000s but was abolished due to schedule congestion and poor commercial performance.
- Women's football: In England, the FA Women's League Cup is operated separately.
Recent trends
In the 2024-25 EFL Cup final, Newcastle United beat Liverpool 2-1, winning their first League Cup since the club's founding and their first major domestic trophy in 70 years since the 1955 FA Cup. Meanwhile, as criticism over schedule congestion grows, discussions continue, centered on Premier League clubs, over the method of League Cup participation, abolishing the two-leg semi-finals, and reorganizing the granting of European competition qualification. The title sponsor contract with Carabao has been extended until the late 2020s, and along with the shift of broadcasting rights to streaming platforms, improving the revenue distribution structure for lower-league clubs is emerging as a major issue.
Related topics
- [[EFL Cup]]
- [[Carabao Cup]]
- [[FA Cup]]
- [[Premier League]]
- [[K League]]