2018–19 EFL Trophy
The 2018–19 EFL Trophy, known as the Checkatrade Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 36th season in the history of the competition, a knock-out tournament for English football clubs in League One and League Two of the English football system, and also including 16 Premier League and Championship "Academy teams" with Category One status.
Lincoln City were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the second round by Accrington Stanley. Portsmouth won the competition for the first time in front of an EFL Trophy record attendance against Sunderland.
Participating clubs
- Forty-eight clubs from League One and League Two
- Sixteen invited Category One Academy teams.
- Category One teams Relegated to League One however will miss out on having academies participating in the following tournament.
Reading and Sunderland's academy sides miss out after participation in the previous two years; Sunderland's first team will compete for the first time since the 1987–88 competition, however, following their relegation to League One. Barnsley and Burton Albion are both returning to the competition after relegation; they last competed in the 2015–16 season when Barnsley won the trophy.
Macclesfield Town are competing for the first time since the 2011–12 edition, following their promotion from the National League. Fellow promoted side Tranmere Rovers are returning after a four year hiatus.
Liverpool and Manchester United both rejected an invitation to compete for the third successive season.
| League One | League Two | Academies | |
| Clubs |
| ||
| Total | 24 | 24 | 16 |
Eligibility criteria for players
;For EFL Clubs- Minimum of four qualifying outfield players in their starting XI. A qualifying outfield player will be one who meets any of the following requirements:
- *Any player who started the previous or following first-team fixture
- *Any player who is in the top 10 players at the club, who have made the most starting appearances in league and domestic cup competitions that season
- *Any player with 40 or more first-team appearances in their career
- *Any player on loan from a Premier League club or any EFL Category One Academy club.
- A club can play any eligible goalkeeper in the competition
- Minimum of six players in the starting line-up who played at under-21 level, as at 30 June 2018.
- Teams may only include two players on the team sheet, aged over 21, who have made forty or more senior appearances, as at 30 June 2018.
- *A senior appearance will be defined as having played in a professional first-team fixture. A non-playing substitute does not count.
Competition format
- Sixteen groups of 4 teams would be organised on a regionalised basis.
- All groups would include one invited club.
- All clubs would play each other once, either home or away.
- Clubs would be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw.
- In the event of a drawn game, a penalty shootout would be held with the winning team earning an additional point.
- The top two teams would progress to the Knockout Stage.
- Round 2 and 3 of the competition would be drawn on a regionalised basis.
- In Round 2, the group winners should be seeded and the group runners-up shall be unseeded in the draw.
- In Round 2, teams who played in the same group as each other in the group stage should keep apart from each other.
- Academy teams from Round 2 to the semi-finals keep apart.
Group stage and Knockout rounds
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
Round 2
The round 2 draw took place on 16 November with ties due to be played from the week beginning 3 December. Teams were drawn in a regionalised format, with the proviso that no teams from the same Group Stage group can meet. To ensure this, group winners from groups A to D were drawn against group runners-up from groups E to H in the same section, and vice versa. Teams listed 1st are at home and won their group in Round 1.If scores are level after 90 minutes in Rounds 2, 3, and 4, the game will be determined by the taking of penalties.