All 92 clubs in the Premier League and English Football League entered the season's EFL Cup. Access was distributed across the top 4 leagues of the English football league system.
A total of 70 teams played in the first round: 24 from League Two (tier 4), 24 from League One (tier 3), and 22 from the Championship (tier 2). The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into "northern" and "southern" sections, where teams were drawn against a team from the same section. The draw was made on 27 June 2024 by Frank Sinclair and Gary McAllister.[2]
Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 12,058 Referee: Tom Reeves
Second round
A total of 50 teams played in the second round: the 13 Premier League clubs not involved in European competitions and the two best-ranked EFL Championship clubs (Luton Town and Burnley) entered at this stage along with the 35 winners from the first round. The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into "northern" and "southern" sections, where teams were drawn against a team from the same section. The draw was made on 14 August 2024 by Jermaine Beckford and Curtis Davies.[3]
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled to be hosted by Wimbledon on 24 September, but was postponed and switched to Newcastle due to flooding at Wimbledon's stadium, Plough Lane.[5]
A total of eight teams played in the quarter-finals. For the first time since the 2009–10 season, all eight remaining teams were Premier League sides. The draw was made on 30 October 2024 by Jamie Redknapp and Izzy Christiansen.[7]
