MK Dons find out first two opponents in EFL Trophy group stage

MK Dons have been drawn to face Bromley and Crawley Town in the group stage of next season’s EFL Trophy.

In a pre-draw for the knockout competition, the Dons will face last season’s League Two champions and the side from Sussex in the competition in the 2026/27 campaign.

The other team in the group will be a Premier League or Championship side’s academy outfit, with the draw for these to be made on TV at 2:30pm tomorrow (25/06) as part of the EFL’s fixture release day that will also confirm the league schedule for next season and will see the Carabao Cup First Round draw.

Specific dates for all of the games will be announced in due course. The format will see the Dons play 2 home games in the group stage, one of which will be against the invited outfit.

The match will be another meeting with the Ravens for the Dons, with MK Dons and Bromley having finished as the top two in League Two last season. Meanwhile, Crawley will be again in League 2 next season, having confirmed they were staying up on the final day of last season.

The draw for the final EFL Trophy team will take place first at 2:30pm on Sky Sports News. 2 hours later, the draw for the Carabao Cup First Round will take place at 4:30pm, also on Sky Sports News.

MK Dons will be ball 18 for the Carabao Cup draw, which is split into regional southern and northern sections for the first round.

Last season saw the Dons make an early exit from both EFL-affiliated competitions. In the Carabao Cup, they were knocked in Round One by Championship side Bristol City, while in the EFL Trophy, the Dons lost all 3 games to finish bottom of their group.