Leeds United U21s learn National League Cup schedule after unsuccessful title defence
The National League Cup will pit Leeds United’s young stars against senior, non-league opposition.
Leeds United Under-21s will get a taste of facing senior opposition next season with their National League Cup group confirmed.
The National League Cup pits top-flight and Championship youth teams against senior, non-league opposition to provide useful early experience. Scott Gardner’s side won the inaugural edition of the competition in 2024/2025 but were eliminated at the group stage last season.
Ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, Leeds U21s have been drawn into Group C of the tournament. They will face National League quartet Boreham Wood, Solihull Moors, Tamworth and Hartlepool United.
Leeds are also in the same group as Premier League 2 rivals Everton, Middlesbrough and Newcastle United but will face none of them. The tournament’s format means each U21s side plays only against each of the National League outfits - and always away from home.
Gardner’s side kick-off their National League Cup campaign at Boreham Wood, who finished fourth in the National League last season, on Tuesday August 18. They then travel to Solihull - 14th-place finishers in 2025/26 - on Tuesday September 8.
Tamworth finished 11th last season and host Leeds on Tuesday October 6. The Young Whites then go to Hartlepool, who ended the previous campaign in ninth, on Tuesday November 3.
Should Leeds finish in the top two of Group C after those four games, they would advance to the quarter-finals. At that point, they can start to be drawn against fellow Premier League 2 sides.
In its two years so far, the National League Cup has provided an opportunity for some of Leeds’ most promising youngsters to test themselves against senior opposition. In September last year, Harry Gray scored a hat-trick as Gardner’s side beat Scunthorpe United 3-1.
A number of youngsters will be hoping to emulate that level of performance and carry momentum through from a pre-season alongside the first-team. Jayden Lienou, Callum Mills and Rhys Chadwick were among those to feature during Leeds’ pre-season tour of the USA, which concluded on Sunday.