The 2022/23 Papa John’s Trophy group stage draw has been completed, with 16 invited Premier League clubs’ academy sides joining the competition.
The northern and southern section draws had already been made prior to Thursday’s draw, which took place live on Sky Sports News, with 48 teams from Sky Bet League One and League Two divided into 16 groups.
Now, the following U21 teams have been added to those groups: Everton, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Wolves, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Tottenham and West Ham.
The above teams must also adhere to the following team selection rules:
- A minimum of six players in the starting line-up who are aged under 21 on 30 June 2022.
- A maximum of two players on the team sheet who are aged over 21 and have also made 40 or more senior appearances.
The first round of fixtures will take place week commencing August 31. The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday March 19, 2023.
Last season, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea’s U21 teams advanced from the group stage, with the Gunners progressing all the way to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 1-0 by Wigan.
Rotherham lifted the trophy for the second time in their history at Wembley Stadium on April 3 following a 4-2 win over Sutton after extra-time. Paul Warne’s men will not, however, be able to defend their title after they won promotion back to the Sky Bet Championship.
Rotherham will be unable to defend their 2021/22 Papa John’s Trophy title
Full draw for 2022/23 Papa John’s Trophy group stage
Northern section
Group A: Everton U21, Harrogate, Hartlepool, Morecambe
Group B: Bolton, Crewe, Leeds U21, Tranmere
Group C: Port Vale, Shrewsbury, Stockport, Wolves U21
Group D: Accrington, Liverpool U21, Rochdale, Salford
Group E: Barnsley, Doncaster, Lincoln, Newcastle U21
Group F: Derby, Grimsby, Manchester City U21, Mansfield
Group G: Barrow, Carlisle, Fleetwood, Manchester United U21
Group H: Bradford, Burton, Leicester City U21, Sheffield Wednesday
Southern section
Group A: Brighton U21, Charlton, Colchester, Gillingham
Group B: AFC Wimbledon, Aston Villa U21, Crawley, Portsmouth
Group C: Cheltenham, MK Dons, Walsall, West Ham U21
Group D: Peterborough, Stevenage, Tottenham U21, Wycombe
Group E: Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace U21, Plymouth, Swindon
Group F: Exeter, Forest Green, Newport, Southampton U21
Group G: Chelsea U21, Leyton Orient, Oxford, Sutton
Group H: Arsenal U21, Cambridge, Ipswich, Northampton