The Jersey Mike's Trophy is a midweek knockout cup competition which includes Clubs from EFL League One and League Two, plus an additional 16 invited U21 sides from Premier League clubs with Category One Academies.

The competition was first established in 1983 and offers Clubs a realistic opportunity of appearing in a showpiece final. Central to the competition is a group stage format with 16 regional groups of four teams.

The groups are made up of one invited Category One side, with the remainder made up of EFL Clubs from either League One or League Two, with fixtures regionalised until the Quarter-Final stage of the competition.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages of the competition, with the Final staged at Wembley Stadium. The competition attracts over 200,000 spectators each season and a cumulative domestic TV audience of almost 400,000.

Clubs and their wider communities have had some of their most memorable moments in the competition, acting as a springboard to success with the likes of Sunderland, Rotherham United and Southampton all lifting the Trophy before gaining promotion

In addition, the Jersey Mike's Trophy provides opportunities for the next generation at both EFL Clubs and invited U21 sides.

Most notably, the 2019 Final between Portsmouth and Sunderland attracted a record crowd of 85,021 at Wembley Stadium. And in 2023, the final between Bolton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle attracted an attendance of 79,389, the second-highest attended Trophy final since the new Wembley opened in 2007/08 and the third highest in the competition’s history.

Peterborough United made history by becoming the first team to win the Trophy in successive seasons with triumphs in 2024 and 2025 over Wycombe Wanderers and Birmingham City, respectively.

In the process, they equalled Bristol City's competition record of three wins. Manager Darren Ferguson also became the first manager to succeed in the competition on three occasions and the first person ever to lift the Trophy four times, having won it as a player with Wrexham.

This season, Luton Town won the competition for the second time with a 3-1 victory over fellow League One side Stockport County at Wembley, with Nahki Wells becoming the oldest player to ever score a brace at the National Stadium while playing for an EFL Club.

About the Jersey Mike's Trophy