2026 EFL Trophy final
| Event | 2025–26 EFL Trophy | ||||||
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| Date | 12 April 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Attendance | 49,517 | ||||||
The 2026 EFL Trophy final, known as the Vertu Trophy final for sponsorship reasons, was an association football match that was played on 12 April 2026 at Wembley Stadium, London, England. It was played between League One teams Luton Town and Stockport County. The match decided the winners of the 2025–26 EFL Trophy, a knock-out tournament comprising clubs from League One and League Two of the English Football League (EFL), as well as 16 Category One academy sides representing Premier League and Championship clubs.[1] Luton won their second title, having first won the competition in 2009. Stockport finished as runners-up for the third time, having done so in 1992 and 1993. Both clubs are nicknamed "The Hatters".[2]
The match was televised live on Sky Sports Football and was available for streaming via Sky Go.[3] Highlights were shown on free-to-air channel ITV4 later that evening.[4] A national radio broadcast was provided by Talksport 2,[3] with local stations BBC Three Counties Radio and BBC Radio Manchester also having their own match commentaries.[5][6]
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Luton Town | Round | Stockport County | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Barnet | 4–1 (H) | Matchday 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 | 5–3 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cambridge United | 1–3 (A) | Matchday 2 | Salford City | 1–3 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | 3–1 (H) | Matchday 3 | Wigan Athletic | 1–1 (6–5 p) (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern section Group H
Source: EFL |
Final standings | Northern section Group A
Source: EFL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exeter City | 4–0 (H) | Round of 32 | Crewe Alexandra | 1–1 (4–1 p) (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Swindon Town | 1–2 (H)[a] | Round of 16 | Harrogate Town | 2–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 (H) | Quarter-final | Port Vale | 4–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northampton Town | 2–1 (H) | Semi-final | Doncaster Rovers | 1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- ^ Swindon Town defeated Luton Town in the last 16, eliminating them from the competition. However as a result of Swindon fielding two ineligible players in the tie, Luton were fully reinstated in the Quarter-finals after Swindon have been withdrawn from the competition.[7][8]
Match
Details
| Luton Town | 3–1 | Stockport County |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Sidibeh 11' |
Assistant Referees: Marc Wilson, Joe Simpson
Luton Town
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Stockport County
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References
- ^ "2026 Vertu Trophy Final". www.wembleystadium.com.
- ^ Edgar, Bill (7 April 2026). "Hatters meet Hatters in a Final that proves football nicknames aren't always unique". EFL.com. English Football League. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ a b Holmes, Ned (10 April 2026). "What channel is Luton v Stockport EFL Trophy final on? TV coverage, live stream and kick-off time". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Vertu Trophy Final Highlights". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Three Counties Sport - Luton Town v Stockport County (12/04/2026)". BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Manchester Total Sport: Commentary - Luton Town v Stockport County". BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "EFL statement: Swindon Town Football Club". efl.com.
- ^ "Swindon expelled from Trophy and Luton reinstated". bbc.com.