Coventry City will face Cheltenham Town, Forest Green and an invited U21 side in the Checkatrade Trophy (EFL Trophy).
The 2017 Trophy winners will will also face one of the following Under-21 sides: Arsenal, Brighton, Chelsea, Fulham, Southampton, Swansea, Tottenham and West Ham, who will be announced on July 18th..
Held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in central London, this season’s Round One draw will see the 16 Invited U21 teams placed into their respective Northern and Southern section groups, with Arsenal the latest side to enter the competition.
The 48 EFL clubs have been placed into pre-determined groups, with consideration given to ensure travel time is minimised for supporters and recovery time is maximised for players.
In addition, if there is a situation where two teams meet in the Group Stages for a second successive season, then the club who was at home in 2017/18 will play away in 2018/19. All EFL clubs will play two of their three matches at home in the Group Stages.
Southampton U21s will be prevented from being drawn with Portsmouth, and Newcastle United U21s will avoid Sunderland in Round One, as the EFL has committed to work in conjunction with the police to avoid high-profile clashes in the Group Stages.
The event, hosted by Sky Sports and talkSPORT presenter Jim White, will also see Accrington Stanley Chairman Andrew Holt, Southampton Technical Director Martin Hunter and England Under 19s Manager Keith Downing talk about their positive experiences in the competition.
The format for this year’s competition is much the same as 2017/18, with only a couple of small changes to the Regulations. Players from EFL clubs who are out on loan in the National League and below are now eligible to feature in the competition, while invited teams have been restricted to fielding two players over the age of 21 and more than 40 first-team appearances.
Former Trophy winner Gregor Robertson will help conduct the draw, which will take place from 1pm with details shared via the EFL’s social media channels and on Twitter via the @CheckatradeTrpy account.
Northern Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Carlisle United | Bury | Accrington Stanley | Crewe Alexandra |
| Morecambe | Fleetwood Town | Blackpool | Shrewsbury Town |
| Sunderland | Rochdale | Macclesfield Town | Tranmere Rovers |
| Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Burton Albion | Barnsley | Doncaster Rovers | Lincoln City |
| Port Vale | Bradford City | Grimsby Town | Mansfield Town |
| Walsall | Oldham Athletic | Notts County | Scunthorpe United |
| Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club |
Invited Clubs:
1. Everton U21
2. Leicester City U21
3. Manchester City U21
4. Middlesbrough U21
5. Newcastle United U21
6. Stoke City U21
7. West Bromwich Albion U21
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
Southern Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Crawley Town | Cambridge United | Newport County | Bristol Rovers |
| Gillingham | Colchester United | Plymouth Argyle | Exeter City |
| Portsmouth | Southend United | Swindon Town | Yeovil Town |
| Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Cheltenham Town | Northampton Town | AFC Wimbledon | Luton Town |
| COVENTRY CITY | Oxford United | Charlton Athletic | Milton Keynes Dons |
| Forest Green Rovers | Wycombe Wanderers | Stevenage | Peterborough United |
| Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club | Invited Club |
Invited Clubs:
1. Arsenal U21
2. Brighton & Hove Albion U21
3. Chelsea U21
4. Fulham U21
5. Southampton U21
6. Swansea City U21
7. Tottenham Hotspur U21
8. West Ham United U21