Portsmouth won the competition for the first time, defeating Sunderland in front of an EFL Trophy record attendance in the final.
The total attendance for the tournament was 308,713[1] Of the sixteen invited Category One academies, fourteen competed in the 2017–18 competition; only Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers did not participate.
Knockout Stage The round 2 draw took place on 16 November with ties due to be played from the week beginning 3 December.
[6] The two winners from the semi-finals, Portsmouth and Sunderland, contested the final at Wembley Stadium on 31 March 2019.
Portsmouth won 5–4 on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time to win their first EFL trophy.