This Sunday will see the English football season’s first piece of major silverware decided, as Arsenal and Manchester City battle it out in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.
Both sides have lifted the trophy before, and they’re among 24 different winners in the competition’s 66-year history.
But who are the most decorated EFL Cup clubs of all time and who else has enjoyed notable success? Let’s take a look.
Which Club Has Won the Most EFL Cups?
Liverpool have won the EFL Cup a record 10 times, getting their hands on the trophy for the first time in 1981 and most recently in 2024.
Only two other clubs have lifted the EFL Cup than five times: Manchester City (8) and Manchester United (6).
Following them are Chelsea and Aston Villa, both with five EFL Cups to their name.
Here’s the full list of 24 EFL Cup winners:
Club | EFL Cups Won | Most Recent EFL Cup Win |
Liverpool | 10 | 2024 |
Manchester City | 8 | 2021 |
Manchester United | 6 | 2023 |
Chelsea | 5 | 2015 |
Aston Villa | 5 | 1996 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 2008 |
Nottingham Forest | 4 | 1990 |
Leicester City | 3 | 2000 |
Birmingham City | 2 | 2011 |
Arsenal | 2 | 1993 |
Norwich City | 2 | 1985 |
Wolves | 2 | 1980 |
Newcastle United | 1 | 2025 |
Swansea City | 1 | 2013 |
Middlesbrough | 1 | 2004 |
Blackburn Rovers | 1 | 2002 |
Sheffield Wednesday | 1 | 1991 |
Luton Town | 1 | 1988 |
Oxford United | 1 | 1986 |
Stoke City | 1 | 1972 |
Swindon Town | 1 | 1969 |
Leeds United | 1 | 1968 |
QPR | 1 | 1967 |
West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 1966 |
Who Won the First EFL Cup?
The inaugural EFL Cup final of 1961 was a two-legged affair (as each of the first six EFL Cup finals were) between Second Division Rotherham United and First Division Aston Villa.
Rotherham won the first leg 2-0 at home but went on to lose 3-0 away in the second leg, as Villa were crowned the very first EFL Cup winners.
Intriguingly, due to fixture congestion, the final didn’t actually take place until after the start of the 1961/62 season.
Which Club Has Won the Most Successive EFL Cups?
Two clubs have won a record four EFL Cups on the spin: Liverpool and Manchester City.
Having first won it in 1981, the Reds retained the trophy until 1984, while Man City lifted it every year from 2018 to 2021 under Pep Guardiola.
Nottingham Forest and Manchester United are the only other sides to retain the EFL Cup at all, Forest doing so on two separate occasions.
Has a Club from Outside the Top Division Ever Won the EFL Cup?
Five clubs from outside the top division have won the EFL Cup: three from the second tier and two from the third tier.
Second Division Norwich City were the first side to achieve the feat, beating Fourth Division Rochdale 4-0 on aggregate in the 1962 final.
QPR were the first of two Third Division outfits to win the EFL Cup, defeating First Division West Bromwich Albion in 1967 – before Swindon Town pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history in 1969, stunning an Arsenal side who finished fourth in the top flight that season.
Aston Villa won an all-Second Division clash against Norwich in 1975 – which remains the only major Wembley cup final not to feature a top-flight team – with Sheffield Wednesday the most recent second-tier winners of the EFL Cup when they upset Man United in 1991.
Which Club Has Lost the Most EFL Cup finals?
Arsenal hold the unwanted record of losing the most EFL Cup finals with six – the most recent of which came in 2018 against their opponents this time around: Man City.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have each lost five EFL Cup finals, with Man United and Aston Villa losing four apiece.
Five clubs have lost two finals without ever winning the competition: West Ham United, Everton, Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and Southampton.
Six sides have suffered defeat in their only EFL Cup final appearance: Rotherham, Rochdale, Oldham Athletic, Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Cardiff City and Bradford City.
