A total of 24 teams are split regionally into north and south leagues.
The U18 Professional Development League 2 season is the seventh campaign of post-EPPP Under-18 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category 2 status.
The sides finishing in the top two positions in both regions at the end of the season will progress to a knockout stage to determine the overall league champion.
Huddersfield Town U18s[1] dropped out of the league at the end of the 2017-18 campaign as part of their academy restructuring process.
Dagenham & Redbridge U18s and York City U18s would not return for this season.