The League Cup was first played in 1960/1961 and Aston Villa were the inaugural winners, beating Rotherham United in the final over two legs.
As the name suggests, the cup competition features the 92 teams from England's Football League.
Known by a series of different names for sponsorship reasons over the years, the EFL Cup is the first piece of major silverware to be decided, with a one-off final played either in late February or March.
Ahead of the 2025 final, here is a look at some of the managers who won the cup competition, including a few who lifted the trophy on a number of occasions...
Ray Harford (Luton Town)
Ray Harford led Luton Town to League Cup glory in 1988, with the Hatters stunning Arsenal in a 3-2 win at Wembley.
Brian Stein scored twice for Luton, including a late winner, with Danny Wilson also on target. With Harford in charge, the Hatters also reached the 1989 final, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest. The 1988 League Cup remains the club's only major honour.
Steve McClaren (Middlesbrough)
Steve McClaren led Middlesbrough to their first major trophy as Joseph-Dsir Job and Bolo Zenden scored in a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2004.
And in 2005/06, McClaren's Boro side went all the way to the final of the UEFA Cup, ultimately losing 4-0 to Sevilla in Eindhoven.
Alex McLeish (Birmingham City)
Birmingham City stunned Arsenal with a 2-1 victory over the Gunners in the 2011 League Cup final at Wembley.
Nikola igi and Obafemi Martins scored the goals as the Blues won the trophy for a second time. It was a first major trophy in English football for manager Alex McLeish, who had previously won silverware in Scotland with Hibernian and Rangers. Gil Merrick, a former Birmingham player, was in charge as the Blues beat city rivals Aston Villa 2-1 over two legs in the 1963 League Cup final.
Michael Laudrup (Swansea City)
Swansea City beat League Two side Bradford City 5-0 in the 2013 League Cup final at Wembley, becoming the first non-English side to ever win the competition.
It was also the club's first major honour and manager Michael Laudrup led the Welsh outfit to ninth place in the Premier League that season, but the Dane was sacked in February 2014 following a poor run of results.
Graeme Souness (Blackburn Rovers)
Graeme Souness won the League Cup four times as a Liverpool player in the early 1980s and the Scot was in charge as Blackburn Rovers claimed the trophy in 2002.
Goals from Matt Jansen and Andy Cole gave Blackburn a 2-1 win over Tottenham in Cardiff in what turned out to be the last trophy in Souness' managerial career.
Brian Little (Aston Villa)
Aston Villa won the League Cup for a fifth time in 1996, beating Leeds United 3-0 in the final at Wembley, thanks to goals from Savo Miloevi, Ian Taylor and Dwight Yorke.
Brian Little was in charge and the former striker was also in the Villa sides which won the League Cup in 1975 and 1977.
Juande Ramos (Tottenham)
Juande Ramos' time at Tottenham may have been fairly brief, but the Spaniard was the last manager to lead the north London club to a trophy.
Spurs beat Chelsea 2-1 after extra time at Wembley to win the League Cup in February 2008, but Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane both left in the summer and Ramos soon departed after a terrible start to the 2008/09 season.
Mauric Evans (Oxford United)
Oxford United beat Queens Park Rangers 3-0 at Wembley to win the League Cup (known as the Milk Cup at the time) in April 1986.
In a typically modest gesture, manager Maurice Evans sent long-serving club physio Ken Fish up in his place to collect his winners' medal. The trophy remains Oxford's only major honour.
Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
Erik ten Hag's troubled tenure at Manchester United drew plenty of criticism, but the Dutchman's time in charge at Old Trafford did yield two trophies.
The first of those was the League Cup in 2023 as United beat Newcastle 2-0 in the final at Wembley to claim a first piece of silverware since 2017, when Jos Mourinho was in charge.
Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)
A four-time League Cup winner as a Liverpool player, Kenny Dalglish missed out on the trophy in his time as manager of the Reds in the 1980s, with the Anfield club beaten by Arsenal in the 1987 final.
But the legendary Scot did get his hands on the League Cup in a short second spell in charge as Liverpool beat Cardiff City on penalties in the 2012 final after the game finished 1-1 and 2-2 after extra time.
Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City)
Manuel Pellegrini was in charge in 2013/14 as Manchester City won the Premier League for the first time and that season, the Chilean also led the Sky Blues to the first of two League Cup triumphs during his tenure.
Pellegrini's City beat Sunderland 3-1 in the 2014 final, claiming the trophy again two years later with victory on penalties against Liverpool following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
Bill Nicholson (Tottenham)
Tottenham were one of the clubs that did not compete in the early editions of the League Cup, but Spurs did win the competition twice in the early 1970s.
With the great Bill Nicholson in charge, Tottenham beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the 1971 final and defeated Norwich City by a single goal two years later.
Grard Houllier (Liverpool)
Grard Houllier's Liverpool completed a cup treble in 2000/01, starting with the League Cup as the Reds beat Birmingham City on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Wembley.
Two years later, Houllier was in charge as Liverpool defeated Manchester United 2-0 to win the competition again. The League Cups were the Frenchman's first and last trophies with the Anfield club. Roy Evans, who had briefly worked alongside Houllier at the end of his tenure, also won the League Cup in 1995 as the Reds beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the final.
Ron Atkinson (Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa)
Ron Atkinson won the League Cup twice during his managerial career, leading Sheffield Wednesday to the trophy in 1991 and steering Aston Villa to victory three years later.
Atkinson, a former Manchester United manager, beat the Red Devils in both finals. His Wednesday side edged out Sir Alex Ferguson's side by a single goal in 1991, with Villa 3-1 winners in the 1994 showpiece.
Joe Mercer (Aston Villa, Manchester City)
Aston Villa won the inaugural League Cup, with Aston Villa overturning a 2-0 first-leg defeat to beat second-tier Rotherham United 3-2 on aggregate. Joe Mercer was the manager and two years later, his Villa side lost the final to local rivals Birmingham City 3-1 over two matches.
In 1970, Mercer led Manchester City to a first League Cup as the Sky Blues beat West Brom 2-1 after extra time at Wembley.
Martin O'Neill (Leicester City)
Martin O'Neill led Leicester City to two League Cup final wins and was also a runner-up with the Foxes during his five years at Filbert Street.
O'Neill's side beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in a replay to win the trophy in 1997 and were 2-1 winners against Tranmere Rovers in the 2000 final. The previous year, Leicester lost out to a late goal in a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham at Wembley.
Ron Saunders (Aston Villa)
Ron Saunders was in charge as Aston Villa won the League Cup in 1975 and again two years later.
Villa beat Norwich City 1-0 at Wembley in the 1975 final, but needed three matches to defeat Everton two years later, eventually winning 3-2 at Old Trafford after a 0-0 draw at Wembley and a 1-1 tie at Hillsborough. Previously, Saunders had finished as a runner-up as his Norwich side lost to Tottenham in the 1973 final.
Jrgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Jrgen Klopp won two League Cups during his time at Liverpool, with the Reds victorious in the 2022 and 2024 finals.
Having lost out on penalties in the 2016 final to Manchester City, Klopp's Liverpool defeated Chelsea in a shootout in 2022 and beat the Blues late in extra time in the 2024 showpiece, which turned out to be the German's last trophy as Reds manager.
George Graham (Arsenal, Tottenham)
Arsenal's first-ever League Cup win came in 1987, with George Graham in charge, as the Gunners beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley.
Six years later, Graham oversaw a 2-1 win for Arsenal against Sheffield Wednesday, with the Gunners also beating the Owls in the FA Cup final a few weeks later. Graham's side lost the 1988 final to Luton Town and in 1999, the Scot led Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham to the trophy, with Spurs 1-0 winners over Leicester City.
Bob Paisley (Liverpool)
Bob Paisley led Liverpool to six First Division titles and three European Cups in a hugely successful spell in charge at Anfield in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Paisley also oversaw three consecutive League Cup wins between 1981 and 1983, beating West Ham in a replay in the first of those finals, before extra-time victories against Tottenham and Manchester United. Paisley's Liverpool lost out to Nottingham Forest in a replay in the 1978 final. After Paisley's departure, the Reds won the League Cup again in 1984, beating city rivals Everton 1-0 in a replay at Maine Road after a goalless draw at Wembley.
Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)
The League Cup was not high on Alex Ferguson's list of priorities during much of his time at Manchester United, but the Scot did describe it as "a pot worth winning" and he won it four times.
United beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the 1992 final, thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the 2006 showpiece, defeated Tottenham on penalties after a a goalless game in 2009 and edged out Aston Villa 2-1 in 2010. Ferguson's side also lost three finals, going down 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in 1991, 3-1 to Aston Villa in 1994 and 2-0 to Liverpool in 2003.
Brian Clough (Nottingham Forest)
Brian Clough enjoyed huge success at Nottingham Forest, winning a First Division title in 1978 and then two European Cups.
The legendary manager also led Forest to four League Cup titles, beating Liverpool after a replay in 1978, before a 3-2 win against Southampton in 1979, a 3-1 success versus Luton Town in 1989 and a 1-0 triumph over Oldham Athletic in 1990. Clough's side lost two finals, with Forest beaten 1-0 by Wolves in 1980 and going down to Manchester United by the same scoreline in the 1992 showpiece.
Jos Mourinho (Chelsea, Manchester United)
The League Cup was Jos Mourinho's first trophy in English football, with Chelsea 3-2 winners against Liverpool in the 2005 final.
The Portuguese went on to win it again as the Blues beat Arsenal 2-1 in the 2007 final and for a third time in his second spell at the club with a 2-0 victory against Tottenham in 2015. Two years later, he won it for a fourth time as Manchester United defeated Southampton 3-2 at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Pep Guardiola has won it all in his time at Manchester City and the Catalan led the Sky Blues to four League Cups in a row between 2018 and 2021.
City beat Arsenal 3-0 in the 2018 final in what was Guardiola's first trophy at City, defeated Chelsea 4-3 on penalties after a goalless game in 2019, edged out Aston Villa in a 2-1 win in 2020 and made it four in a row with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham in 2021.
