Wolves under-21s will compete in the National League Cup for the second time after the competition was revived last season.
The Premier League and the National League re-launched the competition last summer, with the 2024/25 edition including National League clubs and Premier League 2 sides for the first time.
The National League Cup is designed to give young players from Premier League and EFL clubs additional opportunities to test themselves against senior opposition, with the aim of further aiding elite player development.
The competition also offers an opportunity for National League clubs to play regular matches against the best U21 teams in England at their own stadia, with the additional exposure intended to improve the playing and spectator experience.
Returning for a second year, the 2025/26 edition will once again include 16 under-21 teams from Premier League 2 face 16 first-teams from clubs participating in the National League. Each of the 32 teams are split into four groups of eight, with four under-21 teams and four National League clubs in each group.
The PL2 sides will only face National League opposition, and the National League clubs will only play the under-21 teams in their group, with the two best-placed teams in each group advancing to a knock-out stage to determine the winner.
After falling short of making it out of the group stage by just one point last season, James Collins’ side have been placed in Group B for the 2025/26 edition, and will travel to face Braintree Town, Brackley Town, Forest Green Rovers and Wealdstone. The other under-21 teams in Group B are Leicester City, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion.
Provisional match dates are as follows:
- Wealdstone vs Wolves U21s | WC 11th August 2025
- Forest Green Rovers vs Wolves U21s | WC 15th September 2025
- Brackley Town vs Wolves U21s | WC 20th October 2025
- Braintree Town vs Wolves U21s | WC 24th November 2025
Final fixture dates for all of Wolves under-21’s National League Cup matches will be confirmed in due course.
