National League teams withdraw from National League Cup

Multiple teams have already confirmed they will not be accepting invitations to play in the upcoming season’s National League Cup.

The cup has come under fire from National League teams for its inclusion of Premier League academy teams, a point mentioned by several clubs that opted out of the cup.

Scheduling and costs have also been cited as reasons to swerve the competition.

While the eyes of most football fans are currently cast towards the USA, Canada, and Mexico, which are jointly hosting this year’s World Cup, clubs are making preparations for next season.

Fans have a lot of football to look forward to in the coming weeks, and this has spilled over into other areas of entertainment.

Companies are making the most of the opportunity, too, with special World Cup promotions.

TV and film, podcasts, and other forms of media are heavily focused on the beautiful game, and casino UK websites and apps are offering a range of football-related games like Goal Goal Goal Cash Collect and Football Cash Collect.

However, while most fans want to see their teams play in as many competitions as possible, this desire has to be balanced against fitness and time commitments.  

The National League Cup

The National League Cup was launched in the 1979/80 season but was axed after the 2000/01 season.

It has undergone a few changes and rebirths since then, with its most recent iteration being born in 2024/25.

Since then, the competition has included 16 National League teams and 16 Premier League 2 teams.

The teams are split into 4 groups, consisting of 4 National League sides and 4 Premier League 2 sides.

The National League teams will play home games against each of the four Premier League 2 sides in their group.

The top 2 teams from each group progress to the quarter-final stages.

National League sides withdraw

National League sides have pushed back against the new format, however.

Yeovil Town and Forest Green Rovers both withdrew from the competition this month, pointing to hectic fixture schedules and suggesting they were prioritising league and major knockout competitions over the National League Cup.

Barrow AFC were a little more damning in their assessment, with a club statement reading: “Significant travel and operational costs associated with participation in the National League Cup, coupled with historically low attendances and limited financial return during the early stages of the competition, have been important factors in the Club’s decision-making process.”

They did go on to say that they recognised the higher competition money available in later rounds, but reiterated their desire to plough their footballing efforts into the league.

Eastleigh have also withdrawn, with the club saying they do not receive compensation or protection for their young players and describing the financial reward as “negligible”.

Despite the pushback, one National League side likely to return this season is Boreham Wood, who lifted the trophy last year.

They beat West Ham in the final and became the first National League side to win the competition since its reformation: Leeds 2 having won the inaugural title the year before.

Charlie O'Connell scores!

Boreham Wood win the National League Cup!!

BHW: ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
WHU: ✅✅✅✅✅✅❌

— Enterprise National League (@NL_Enterprise) March 17, 2026