2025–26 Professional U21 Development League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 August 2025 – 13 April 2026 |
| Matches | 262 |
| Goals | 958 (3.66 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Shumaira Mheuka (Chelsea U21s) (16 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester City U21s 8–1 Burnley U21s (9 January 2026) Liverpool U21s 7–0 Arsenal U21s (18 January 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Newcastle United U21s 0–5 Chelsea U21s (22 August 2025) Stoke City U21s 1–6 Manchester City U21s (30 January 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Leicester City U21s 3–6 Tottenham Hotspur U21s (19 September 2025) Manchester City U21s 8–1 Burnley U21s (9 January 2026) Aston Villa U21s 5–4 Ipswich Town U21s (24 January 2026) |
| Longest winning run | Manchester United U21s (18 August 2025 – 25 October 2025) Manchester City U21s (30 January 2026 – Present) (7 Games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Fulham U21s (15 August 2025 – 6 February 2026) (13 Games) |
| Longest winless run | Reading U21s (15 August 2025 – 10 January 2026) Burnley U21s (31 October 2025 – 27 February 2026) (9 Games) |
| Longest losing run | Stoke City U21s (23 January 2026 – Present) 7 Games |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 20 March 2026. | |
The 2025–26 Premier League 2 is the 14th season of the Professional Development League system. It continues to use the same format as the previous 2 seasons with a change from places 17 to 24.[1] The sides finishing in the top eight positions of the Professional U21 Development League 2 at the end of the season will progress to a playoff stage against teams 17-24. 29 Category One Academies are competing this season, the most in league history. Three teams joined with Category One status with Birmingham City U21s,[2] Burnley U21s[3] returning after a three season absence and Ipswich Town U21s[4] playing in the Premier League 2 for the very first time.
Premier League 2
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea U21s (Q) | 19 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 51 | 23 | +28 | 43 | Qualification to the Elimination Playoffs and Premier League International Cup |
| 2 | Manchester United U21s (Q) | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 22 | +18 | 40 | |
| 3 | Manchester City U21s (Q) | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 56 | 20 | +36 | 37 | |
| 4 | Southampton U21s (Q) | 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 36 | |
| 5 | Fulham U21s | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 44 | 28 | +16 | 35 | |
| 6 | Liverpool U21s | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 35 | |
| 7 | Ipswich Town U21s | 17 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 38 | 37 | +1 | 34 | |
| 8 | West Ham United U21s | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 30 | |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion U21s | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 29 | |
| 10 | Leicester City U21s | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 28 | |
| 11 | Crystal Palace U21s | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 29 | +5 | 28 | |
| 12 | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 26 | |
| 13 | Arsenal U21s | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 26 | Qualification to the Elimination Playoffs |
| 14 | Middlesbrough U21s | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 24 | |
| 15 | Sunderland U21s | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 24 | |
| 16 | Aston Villa U21s | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 24 | |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest U21s | 19 | 7 | 2 | 10 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 23 | Qualification to the PDL Playoffs |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 43 | −14 | 22 | |
| 19 | Everton U21s | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 31 | −7 | 21 | |
| 20 | Reading U21s | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 21 | |
| 21 | Norwich City U21s | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 39 | −7 | 20 | |
| 22 | Newcastle United U21s | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 33 | −7 | 20 | |
| 23 | Stoke City U21s | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 25 | 39 | −14 | 19 | |
| 24 | Leeds United U21s | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 18 | |
| 25 | West Bromwich Albion U21s | 19 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 26 | 40 | −14 | 18 | |
| 26 | Birmingham City U21s | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 48 | −23 | 16 | |
| 27 | Derby County U21s | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 39 | −17 | 14 | |
| 28 | Burnley U21s | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 22 | 40 | −18 | 12 | |
| 29 | Blackburn Rovers U21s | 17 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 24 | 42 | −18 | 11 |
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Matches
Top goalscorers
- As of 20 March 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shumaira Mheuka | Chelsea U21s | 16 |
| 2 | Kieran Morrison | Liverpool U21s | 14 |
| 3 | Keyrol Figueroa | Liverpool U21s | 11 |
| Nicholas Oyekunle | Southampton U21s | ||
| 5 | Chido Obi | Manchester United U21s | 9 |
| Matthew Warhurst | Manchester City U21s | ||
| 7 | Dani Ángel | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s | 8 |
| Bradley Burrowes | Aston Villa U21s | ||
| Braiden Graham | Everton U21s | ||
| Shea Lacey | Manchester United U21s | ||
| Aaron Loupalo-Bi | Fulham U21s | ||
| Zach Marsh | Crystal Palace U21s | ||
| Tudor Mendel-Idowu | Ipswich Town U21s | ||
| Sean Neave | Newcastle United U21s | ||
| Nehemiah Oriola | Brighton & Hove Albion U21s | ||
| Farhaan Ali Wahid | Fulham U21s |
Hat-tricks
- As of 23 February 2026
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
Awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Shumaira Mheuka | Chelsea U21s | [27] |
| September | Lucá Williams-Barnett | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | [28] |
| October | Brandon Powell | Blackburn Rovers U21s | [29] |
| November | Farhaan Ali Wahid | Fulham U21s | [30] |
| January | Kieran Morrison | Liverpool U21s | [31] |
| February | Joshua Ajala | West Ham United U21s | [32] |
Professional Development League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 August 2025 – 21 April 2026 |
| Matches | 225 |
| Goals | 862 (3.83 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Adam Moseley (Wigan Athletic U21s) (18 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Swansea City U21s 6–0 Huddersfield Town U21s (24 August 2025) Watford U21s 6–0 Colchester United U21s (4 November 2025) Wigan Athletic U21s 7–1 Coventry City U21s (10 February 2026) Charlton Athletic U21s 6–0 Swansea City U21s (24 February 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Coventry City U21s 0–9 Wigan Athletic U21s (21 October 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Sheffield Wednesday U21s 6–8 Huddersfield Town U21s (20 February 2026) |
| Longest winning run | (8 games) Sheffield United U21s (24 August 2025 – 14 October 2025) |
| Longest unbeaten run | (9 games) Sheffield United U21s (12 August 2025 – 14 October 2025) |
| Longest winless run | (12 games) Crewe Alexandra U21s (1 September 2025 – 20 January 2026) |
| Longest losing run | (5 games) Huddersfield Town U21s (11 August 2025 – 9 September 2025) Sheffield Wednesday U21s (24 October 2025 – 25 November 2025) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 20 March 2026. | |
The Professional Development League, sometimes known as the Professional Development League 2, is Under-21 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category 2 status. The league, previously split regionally into north and south divisions, is now a single table with teams playing a geographically-aligned fixture schedule. The sides finishing in the top eight positions in both regions at the end of the season will progress to a playoff stage against Premier League 2 opposition. Brentford U21s are the defending champions.
20 teams compete in the league this season, two fewer than the previous season. Three teams joined with Category One status with Birmingham City U21s,[33] Burnley U21s[34] returning after a three season absence and six total seasons and founding member Ipswich Town U21s[35] playing in the Premier League 2 for the very first time after 13 seasons. However, Huddersfield Town U21s[36] returned after being granted Category Two academy status after 7 years.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentford U21s[a] | 24 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 54 | 30 | +24 | 47 | Qualification for #PL2/PDL Playoffs |
| 2 | Sheffield United U21s | 23 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 28 | +19 | 47 | |
| 3 | Peterborough United U21s | 24 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 43 | |
| 4 | Huddersfield Town U21s | 23 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 37 | |
| 5 | Cardiff City U21s | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 44 | 31 | +13 | 36 | |
| 6 | Watford U21s | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 36 | |
| 7 | AFC Bournemouth U21s | 21 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 35 | |
| 8 | Swansea City U21s | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 33 | |
| 9 | Millwall U21s | 25 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 32 | |
| 10 | Hull City U21s | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 31 | |
| 11 | Charlton Athletic U21s | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 44 | 37 | +7 | 30 | |
| 12 | Wigan Athletic U21s | 23 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 57 | 49 | +8 | 29 | |
| 13 | Coventry City U21s | 21 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 34 | 44 | −10 | 29 | |
| 14 | Queens Park Rangers U21s | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 29 | |
| 15 | Barnsley U21s | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 44 | −6 | 27 | |
| 16 | Bristol City U21s | 23 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 25 | |
| 17 | Colchester United U21s | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 34 | 56 | −22 | 22 | |
| 18 | Fleetwood Town U21s | 23 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 30 | 43 | −13 | 20 | |
| 19 | Sheffield Wednesday U21s | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 37 | 55 | −18 | 20 | |
| 20 | Crewe Alexandra U21s | 22 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 29 | 57 | −28 | 16 |
Notes:
Matches
Top goalscorers
- As of 17 March 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Moseley | Wigan Athletic U21s | 18 |
| 2 | Morgan Bates | Swansea City U21s | 14 |
| 3 | Devlan Moses | Sheffield Wednesday U21s | 13 |
| Cole Simms | Wigan Athletic U21s | ||
| 5 | Jonny Day | AFC Bournemouth U21s | 11 |
| 6 | Louie Marsh | Sheffield United U21s | 10 |
| Amin Nabizada | Watford U21s | ||
| Nickson Okosun | Watford U21s | ||
| Josh Pescatore | Swansea City U21s | ||
| 10 | Jevan Beattie | Sheffield United U21s | 8 |
| Makise Evans | Colchester United U21s | ||
| Ethan Laidlaw | Brentford U21s | ||
| Kaion Lisbie | Colchester United U21s | ||
| Hugh Parker | Hull City U21s | ||
| Troy Perrett | Cardiff City U21s | ||
| Tom Woodward | Swansea City U21s |
Hat-tricks
- As of 10 March 2026
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
Knock-out stage
Semi-finals
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Professional Development League National Final
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
References
- ^ "Premier League 2: Competition format explained". Premier League. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Birmingham City Academy Awarded Category One Status". Birmingham City FC. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY ACHIEVES ELITE CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Burnley FC. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY AWARDED CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Ipswich Town FC. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Premier League U18 - Top Scorers". Flashscore. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace". Premier League. 17 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Chelsea v Manchester City". Premier League. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace". Premier League. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion". Premier League. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Liverpool v Everton". Premier League. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Chelsea v Crystal Palace". Premier League. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Liverpool v Arsenal". Premier League. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Middlesbrough v Ipswich Town". Premier League. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Reading v Blackburn Rovers". Premier League. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Aston Villa v Ipswich Town". Premier League. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Stoke City v Manchester City". Premier League. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leeds United v Arsenal". Premier League. 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United". Premier League. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Aston Villa v Newcastle United". Premier League. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Reading v Stoke City". Premier League. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leicester City v Manchester United". Premier League. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Middlesbrough v Stoke City". Premier League. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: West Bromwich Albion v Birmingham City". Premier League. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Mheuka wins PL2 Player of the Month for August". premierleague.com. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ "Williams-Barnett named PL2 Player of the Month for September". premierleague.com. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Powell named PL2 Player of the Month for October". premierleague.com. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "Fulham's Ali Wahid named PL2 Player of the Month for November". premierleague.com. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Liverpool's Morrison named PL2 Player of the Month for January". premierleague.com. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "West Ham's Ajala named PL2 Player of the Month for February". premierleague.com. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Birmingham City Academy Awarded Category One Status". Birmingham City FC. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY ACHIEVES ELITE CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Burnley FC. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY AWARDED CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Ipswich Town FC. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY UPGRADED TO CATEGORY TWO STATUS". Huddersfield Town AFC. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ "Premier League and Brentford sanction agreement". Premier League. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Watford v Sheffield United". Youth Hawk. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Wigan Athletic v Swansea City". Youth Hawk. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Sheffield United v Barnsley". Youth Hawk. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Coventry City v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Coventry City v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Barnsley v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Colchester United v Millwall". Youth Hawk. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Hull City v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Peterborough United v Huddersfield Town". Youth Hawk. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Watford v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Sheffield Wednesday v Huddersfield Town". Youth Hawk. 20 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Charlton Athletic v Swansea City". Youth Hawk. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Fleetwood Town v Sheffield Wednesday". Youth Hawk. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.