History of the English Football League Cup’s previous names, winners and records

Though not seen as the trophy to win in England, the EFL Cup (or Carabao Cup) still retains plenty of prestige.

It was introduced in 1960 in an attempt to boost falling attendances and revenue in English football, particularly with most stadiums now equipped with floodlights to host evening matches (hey, it’s over 60 years later, turns out it was a half-decent idea).

But why is it currently called the Carabao Cup? What was it called before? Which teams have won the trophy before? We have all your questions covered…

In 2016, Thai energy drink Carabao signed a deal to sponsor the EFL Cup from the 2017/18 season until 2020. This has since been extended until 2024.

The EFL have historically opted to sell the naming rights of the competition as a title sponsor. In contrast, the FA Cup has kept its name but features a sponsor in the title.

Football League Cup

Milk Cup

Littlewoods Challenge Cup

Rumbelows Cup

Coca-Cola Cup

Worthington Cup

Carling Cup

Capital One Cup

EFL Cup

Liverpool (9 times, holders)

Manchester City (8 times)

Aston Villa (5 times)

Chelsea (5 times)

Manchester United (5 times)

Tottenham Hotspur (4 times)

Nottingham Forest (4 times)

Leicester City (3 times)

Arsenal (2 times)

Norwich City (2 times)

Birmingham City (2 times)

Wolverhampton Wanderers (2 times)

West Bromwich Albion (1 time)

Middlesbrough (1 time)

Queens Park Rangers (1 time)

Leeds United (1 time)

Stoke City (1 time)

Luton Town (1 time)

Sheffield Wednesday (1 time)

Swindon Town (1 time)

Oxford United (1 time)

Blackburn Rovers (1 time)

Swansea City (1 time)

Goals: 35
Appearances: 62
Goal-to-game ratio: 0.56
Clubs: West Ham United, Everton, Leicester City, Norwich City
Years active: 1982-2001
EFL Cup wins: 1

Goals: 38
Appearances: 50
Goal-to-game ratio: 0.76
Clubs: Crystal Palace, Arsenal, West Ham United
Years active: 1986-1999
EFL Cup wins: 1

Goals: 44
Appearances: 62
Goal-to-game ratio: 0.73
Clubs: Newport County, Oxford United, Liverpool, Tranmere Rovers
Years active: 1978-1998
EFL Cup wins: 1

Goals: 49
Appearances: 82
Goal-to-game ratio: 0.60
Clubs: Liverpool, Leeds United, Newcastle United,
Years active: 1980-1998
EFL Cup wins: 5

Goals: 49
Appearances: 60
Goal-to-game ratio: 0.82
Clubs: West Ham United, Stoke City
Years active: 1961-1975
EFL Cup wins: 0