Welsh League Cup: Plans revealed for Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City, Wrexham and Cymru Premier clubs
Swansea, Wales - 19th September 2023: Swansea City v Cardiff City in the Nathaniel MG Cup at Swansea.com Stadium on the 19th September 2023. (Pic by Lewis Mitchell/FAW)
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) have revealed their plans for a revamped Welsh League Cup, which will include Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham.
It has been suggested that domestic clubs in Wales would be benefit rom a cash injection of £3 million per season if plans to include the four Welsh EFL teams in a revamped Welsh League Cup are approved by the English FA.
The proposal has already received the unanimous backing of the JD Cymru Premier clubs, as well as the Welsh Government.
A statement from the FAW read; “The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has today set out further details of plans to revamp the Welsh League Cup, outlining how it could generate an additional £3million per season to support football at all levels throughout Wales.”
The new 16-team competition that would be expanded to 20 teams following the reformatting of the JD Cymru Premier in the 2026-27 season could kick off next season if given approval.
The aim of the competition is to elevate the profile of Wales’ top flight by presenting the clubs with greater opportunities to play the highest ranked Welsh clubs playing in the English system.
The four EFL clubs would also be obligated to field a strong side in line with the team strength criteria operated in the EFL Trophy.
Under the new proposal the winner of the revamped Welsh League Cup will go into the qualifying rounds of a UEFA club competition.
This will also present opportunities for the Welsh clubs in the English football pyramid to play under the Welsh flag in Europe, measuring themselves against the leading clubs of Europe whilst helping to raise the standards across the whole of the game in Wales”, added the FAW.
Welsh League Cup plans explained
- Knock-out competition of 16 teams, with the winner qualifying for the Europa Conference League
- 12 teams from the Cymru Premier and the four Welsh teams in the EFL would compete for the Cup
- Competition would expand from 16 to 20 when the Cymru Premier expands to 16 teams
- Cymru North and Cymru South clubs along with Merthyr Town would be excluded
- Welsh clubs in the EFL are seeking assurances that the FA will allow them to continue playing their football in England.
- EFL clubs would be expected to play strong teams which would include first-team players
- Plans could come in to effect as early as the 2025/26 season.
A key objective of the FAW strategic plan – Ein Cymru / Our Wales – is to improve the UEFA
European coefficient club ranking.
The reform is seen as an opportunity for Wales increase the chances of better performances in UEFA competitions by a larger group of clubs further increasing the coefficient.
Noel Mooney discusses addition of Swansea City, Cardiff City, Wrexham and Newport County
FAW Chief Executive Noel Mooney said: “This will be a game changer for the development of the game as we work to unlock the full potential of Welsh football.
“It will unite Welsh football, improve the game at all levels, and deliver meaningful societal benefits across Wales making our clubs and communities more sustainable.
“It will generate significant additional revenue through a revamped Welsh League Cup competition with expanded participation of the four highest ranked Welsh clubs that participate in the English football pyramid.
“This will be distributed throughout the JD Cymru Premier, Genero Adran Premier and grassroots facilities across the country.”
“It also represents the spirit of collaboration and cooperation among football associations
across the United Kingdom ahead of the home nations’ joint co-hosting EURO 2028.”
Since 2022 the Cymru Football Foundation has received £17million, whilst the English Football Foundation has received £327million to invest into grassroots facilities.
The potential economic boost to football in Wales could provide much needed assistance in supporting the nations growth both on and off the field.
