The 2020–21 EFL Trophy, known as the Leasing.com Trophy before 28 October 2020 and later the Papa John's Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 40th season in the history of the competition, a knock-out tournament for English football clubs in League One and League Two of the English football system, and also including 16 Premier League and Championship "Academy teams" with Category One status.
Sunderland won the trophy for the first time after beating Tranmere Rovers 1–0 in the final.
Four Premier League clubs with Category One academies did not participate: Burnley and Crystal Palace, both in their first full season of Category One status, and Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, who both played in the previous year's competition but declined to participate in this one.
A fifth Premier League club's academy, Sheffield United, did not have Category One status.
As a result, the academy of Championship-side Norwich City was invited instead.