The winner of the competition qualifies for the play-off round of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League.
[1] The competition began on 31 July 2021, and the final was played at Wembley Stadium on 27 February 2022 between Chelsea and Liverpool,[2] with Liverpool winning a record ninth title 11–10 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time.
[3] Manchester City were the holders, having won the previous four editions, but they were eliminated by West Ham United on penalties in the fourth round.
The draw was held on 11 August 2021 after the conclusion of the first round tie between Leyton Orient and Queens Park Rangers, live on Sky Sports and it was made by Andy Townsend and Jobi McAnuff at 21:15 BST.
Chelsea, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United entered in this round due to their participation in either the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League, or the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.
Oldham Athletic and Rochdale were the lowest level teams that were still in the competition.
League One side Sunderland were the only team from the third division or lower left in the competition.
This season saw the return of double-legged semi-finals as with the 2019–20 EFL Cup after the 2020–21 EFL Cup semi-finals were played over a single leg due to fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.