Ball IQEvery EFL Cup (League Cup) Winner by Season
66 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · hand-checked by Ball IQ
The EFL Cup is England's second domestic knockout competition, born in 1960 as a midweek tournament for Football League clubs. Aston Villa lifted the first trophy in 1961, edging Rotherham United over a two-legged final — a format the cup kept until 1966, when it switched to the familiar single showpiece match.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-61 | Aston Villa | Rotherham United | 3-2 (agg) |
| 1961-62 | Norwich City | Rochdale | 4-0 (agg) |
| 1962-63 | Birmingham City | Aston Villa | 3-1 (agg) |
| 1963-64 | Leicester City | Stoke City | 4-3 (agg) |
| 1964-65 | Chelsea | Leicester City | 3-2 (agg) |
| 1965-66 | West Bromwich Albion | West Ham United | 5-3 (agg) |
| 1966-67 | Queens Park Rangers | West Bromwich Albion | 3-2 |
| 1967-68 | Leeds United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 1968-69 | Swindon Town | Arsenal | 3-1 (a.e.t.) |
| 1969-70 | Manchester City | West Bromwich Albion | 2-1 (a.e.t.) |
| 1970-71 | Tottenham Hotspur | Aston Villa | 2-0 |
| 1971-72 | Stoke City | Chelsea | 2-1 |
| 1972-73 | Tottenham Hotspur | Norwich City | 1-0 |
| 1973-74 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Manchester City | 2-1 |
| 1974-75 | Aston Villa | Norwich City | 1-0 |
| 1975-76 | Manchester City | Newcastle United | 2-1 |
| 1976-77 | Aston Villa | Everton | 3-2 (2nd replay) |
| 1977-78 | Nottingham Forest | Liverpool | 1-0 (replay) |
| 1978-79 | Nottingham Forest | Southampton | 3-2 |
| 1979-80 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Nottingham Forest | 1-0 |
| 1980-81 | Liverpool | West Ham United | 2-1 (replay) |
| 1981-82 | Liverpool | Tottenham Hotspur | 3-1 (a.e.t.) |
| 1982-83 | Liverpool | Manchester United | 2-1 (a.e.t.) |
| 1983-84 | Liverpool | Everton | 1-0 (replay) |
| 1984-85 | Norwich City | Sunderland | 1-0 |
| 1985-86 | Oxford United | Queens Park Rangers | 3-0 |
| 1986-87 | Arsenal | Liverpool | 2-1 |
| 1987-88 | Luton Town | Arsenal | 3-2 |
| 1988-89 | Nottingham Forest | Luton Town | 3-1 |
| 1989-90 | Nottingham Forest | Oldham Athletic | 1-0 |
| 1990-91 | Sheffield Wednesday | Manchester United | 1-0 |
| 1991-92 | Manchester United | Nottingham Forest | 1-0 |
| 1992-93 | Arsenal | Sheffield Wednesday | 2-1 |
| 1993-94 | Aston Villa | Manchester United | 3-1 |
| 1994-95 | Liverpool | Bolton Wanderers | 2-1 |
| 1995-96 | Aston Villa | Leeds United | 3-0 |
| 1996-97 | Leicester City | Middlesbrough | 1-0 (replay, a.e.t.) |
| 1997-98 | Chelsea | Middlesbrough | 2-0 (a.e.t.) |
| 1998-99 | Tottenham Hotspur | Leicester City | 1-0 |
| 1999-2000 | Leicester City | Tranmere Rovers | 2-1 |
| 2000-01 | Liverpool | Birmingham City | 1-1 (5-4 pens) |
| 2001-02 | Blackburn Rovers | Tottenham Hotspur | 2-1 |
| 2002-03 | Liverpool | Manchester United | 2-0 |
| 2003-04 | Middlesbrough | Bolton Wanderers | 2-1 |
| 2004-05 | Chelsea | Liverpool | 3-2 (a.e.t.) |
| 2005-06 | Manchester United | Wigan Athletic | 4-0 |
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | Arsenal | 2-1 |
| 2007-08 | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea | 2-1 (a.e.t.) |
| 2008-09 | Manchester United | Tottenham Hotspur | 0-0 (4-1 pens) |
| 2009-10 | Manchester United | Aston Villa | 2-1 |
| 2010-11 | Birmingham City | Arsenal | 2-1 |
| 2011-12 | Liverpool | Cardiff City | 2-2 (3-2 pens) |
| 2012-13 | Swansea City | Bradford City | 5-0 |
| 2013-14 | Manchester City | Sunderland | 3-1 |
| 2014-15 | Chelsea | Tottenham Hotspur | 2-0 |
| 2015-16 | Manchester City | Liverpool | 1-1 (3-1 pens) |
| 2016-17 | Manchester United | Southampton | 3-2 |
| 2017-18 | Manchester City | Arsenal | 3-0 |
| 2018-19 | Manchester City | Chelsea | 0-0 (4-3 pens) |
| 2019-20 | Manchester City | Aston Villa | 2-1 |
| 2020-21 | Manchester City | Tottenham Hotspur | 1-0 |
| 2021-22 | Liverpool | Chelsea | 0-0 (11-10 pens) |
| 2022-23 | Manchester United | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
| 2023-24 | Liverpool | Chelsea | 1-0 (a.e.t.) |
| 2024-25 | Newcastle United | Liverpool | 2-1 |
| 2025-26 | Manchester City | Arsenal | 2-0 |
Few competitions have changed their name as often. Sponsorship has rebadged the same trophy as the Milk Cup, Littlewoods Cup, Rumbelows Cup, Coca-Cola Cup, Worthington Cup, Carling Cup, Capital One Cup and, since 2017, the Carabao Cup. Through every rebrand the prize has stayed the same: silverware, a strong run of cup nights, and in most eras a place in European competition for the winner.
Liverpool are the record holders, and Manchester City have dominated the modern era, but the League Cup has always left room for surprises — Swindon Town, Oxford United, Luton Town and Bradford City have all reached finals. The table below lists every champion by season, with the runner-up and final score for each edition through 2025-26.
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