2024–25 National League Cup
football tournament season
The 2024–25 National League Cup is the 26th season in the history of the competition, and the first since its revival. It is a knock-out tournament involving 16 clubs in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, and 16 professional under-21 teams playing in Premier League 2.
A prize fund of £1 million is distributed to non-league clubs in the fifth and sixth tiers, with the intention to provide younger players from the PL2 with senior experience. The relaunch of the competition has otherwise been controversial, with criticism and negativity from non-league clubs and their supporters.
Participating clubs
16 invited clubs from the National League.
16 invited Premier League 2 under-21 teams.
Competition format
League phase
Four groups of eight teams.
All groups will include four National League sides and four academy sides.
All National League clubs will play each academy side once, and all academy sides will play each National League side once (academy sides will play all group matches away from home).
Clubs will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw.
“2024–25 National League Cup” enters the record as football tournament season. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what National, League and football can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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