Sunderland U21s return to the competition their senior side won five years ago next season

Sunderland U21s will return to the EFL Trophy next season, it has been confirmed.

The club have not fielded a youth team in the competition since the 2016/17 campaign, when the club were relegated from the Premier League. After suffering another relegation from the Championship the following season, the club then had to field a senior team in the tournament during its four years in the third tier. They reached the final in 2018/19 before losing to Portsmouth, and won the competition during the COVID-impacted 2020/21 campaign with a behind-closed-doors win over Tranmere Rovers at Wembley.

While the inclusion of Premier League academy teams remains hugely controversial with fans of EFL clubs in particular, Sunderland's return is a further indication of how quickly their stock has risen in recent times. The top 16 teams in the Premier League who also boast a Category One academy are invited to field a team in the competition, with Sunderland qualifying as a result of their seventh-place finish last time out. Bournemouth and Manchester United are not entering a team this year, with the former having a Category Two academy and the latter opting not to take up their invite. As such, Spurs will field a team despite finish 17th last season while Ipswich Town will also enter a team as the highest-placed promoted team.

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The draw for the group stages will be made on Sky Sports News at 2.30pm this Thursday. The group stages are regionalised, with Sunderland set to be placed in one of eight groups where the senior teams have already been drawn. As part of the new TV deal that came into place during Sunderland's final season in the Championship, all games in the competition are available to view on Sky Sports. The competition begins in early September. The top two teams from each group progress to the knockout rounds, which are regionalised up until the quarter final. There will be no extra time until the final, with penalty kicks used after 90 minutes in all previous knockout rounds.

While the inclusion of academy teams has continued to be the subject of fierce debate, Sunderland believe the opportunity to compete against league teams is an invaluable experience for their youngsters.

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