Ball IQEvery EFL Cup (League Cup) Winner by Season
66 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · from the Ball IQ football team
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.
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.
| 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 |
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