The magic of the EFL Cup Final: Why it is part of English football culture
Whilst many fans argue that the EFL Cup is the least prestigious cup out of the main three, the others being the English Premier League and FA Cup, every club that competes in the competition will have a target to win it.
Most fans recognise the final as the EFL Cup Final, however it is also known as the Carabao Cup final due to advertising rights. The final is the two teams that have managed to progress all the way without defeat, the winner collects the EFL Cup trophy and also qualifies for the UEFA Europa League.
Depending on the finalists, the atmosphere in the stadium can be electric, with more tickets to fans from the clubs made available compared to the FA Cup. Tickets for the EFL Cup Final are often sold-out every season with only a limited amount becoming available for neutral fans.
Fans enjoy the EFL Cup competition as in the earlier rounds as it is a good opportunity for managers and teams to field players that need some game time and for the youngsters that are still developing the game to play. Fans attend the games to see the new players from the youth setup play in a competitive match and become interested in the developing and emerging talent.
Several of the top-flight teams play an entire team based with players from the youth set up, some of which include players making their debut for the first team. Arsenal are known play their academy team until the semi-final stages.
The first final of the EFL Cup took place in 1960, the best teams in English Football have all lifted the trophy including Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.
The most successful team in the competition’s history is Liverpool, who have lifted the trophy a record nine times followed by Manchester City (8 times) and Aston Villa (5 times).
With the English Football League Cup Final the first major event on the calendar of the year, tens of thousands of fans travel to Wembley Stadium with the hope of watching their respective team lifting the trophy.
The fans of both teams enjoy the game and watching their team in EFL Cup and the Final itself, is it a prestigious trophy a major final. For many teams that have won the trophy, they have gone on to win major honours as a result of getting this first trophy in the cabinet for the season.
The League Cup Final takes place in February, always at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London and always in front of 80,000 plus fans. This trophy is part of English football culture and for those fans that play down the importance of the trophy are mainly fans of the teams that are not in the stadium.