Arsenal U21s find out Vertu Cup league opponents 

The draw for the group stages of the Vertu Cup has been made: Find out trip of lower League sides Arsenal U21s will face 

The draw for the Vertu trophy has been made. 

Also known as the Football League Trophy, the competition began in 1981 and offers an opportunity for clubs in the third and fourth tiers to have a chance of reaching a Wembley final.

Academy teams were introduced in 2016, with no under-21 side reaching the final to date.

A total of 16 Premier League academy sides will compete alongside 48 clubs from League One and League Two this season.

Arsenal academy been handed three trips to the west and south west for the forthcoming campaign. 

The club's talented Young Guns' U21 team have been drawn against Exeter City, Cardiff City and Newport County in the group stage of the Vertu Trophy 2025-26 - with dates to be confirmed. 

Our first taste of the competition came in 2018-19, which featured a young Bukayo Saka against Cheltenham Town and Forest Green Rovers, making the knockout stages before losing 2-1 at Portsmouth, which included a goal from Saka.

Our best run came in 2021-22 when we got to the quarter-finals before losing 1-0 at Wigan Athletic.

Last terms, we were eliminated in the group stages, finishing third behind Colchester United and Leyton Orient.

After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages, which are held over single legs all the way through to the final.

Vertu is a manufacturer and retailer of luxury handmade mobile phones.