That, is an excellent question. Before getting to the actual response, I think it is necessary to understand the background of the FA Cup, and the EFL Cup.

​

Conceived by then FA secretary C.W. Alcock, and established in 1871, the Football Association Challenge Cup is the oldest (football) knockout cup competition of its type in the world. Keep in mind, 1871 was back when professionalism wasn't a thing, the Football League didn't EXIST (you'd have to wait 17 years for that), the crossbar in its modern form hadn't yet been invented, and the offside rule was different to what we have today. (the number of players required between the goal and the attacking player receiving a ball was changed from 3 to 2 in 1925, which immediately led to a dramatic increase in goal scoring from 4700 in 1924-25, to 6373 goals in 1925-26. The offside rule as we know it today wasn't implemented until 1990)

The first final was played between the Royal Engineers and the Wanders at the Oval in front of a few thousand fans. The latter won by a single, decisive goal. (1-0) In 1883, Blackburn Olympic became the first non-amateur team to win the trophy. In 1901, Tottenham Hotspurs, then of the Southern League, became the last non league team to take the cup. Over the years, as the popularity of the game increased and professionalism became more and more widespread, the FA Cup gradually turned into one of the highlights of the football season. The 1913 Final managed to attract 120,081 spectators to the Crystal Palace. A decade later, in 1923, the venue of the final was moved to the newly built Wembley, known as the Empire Stadium. I suppose that it can be argued that after that, no significant changes took place to the general format of the competition - Other than, of course, the development of tactics, a qualification spot for European Competitions, and more recently, a move to New Wembley. The 2001-2006 Finals were held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, because Old Wembley had been demolished and the new stadium wasn't ready yet. Not going to elaborate further as that would infringe the 20-year rule, but mostly because nobody would want to hear me babble on and on about the evolution of English football between the years 1871-1998. As such, I will be moving on.

​

The English Football League Cup as it's known today, much like the FA Cup, is a knockout competition, although it only includes the 92 (professional) members of the English Football League. (those interested in the structure of the league system in England can scroll to the bottom, or use Google) It was first competed for back in the 1960/61 season, and is the brainchild of then-League secretary Alan Hardaker. Fun fact - the final's Man of the Match award bears his name. It wasn't originally his idea, however. In fact, a League Cup was first suggested by Stanley Rous (international referee; sixth president of FIFA, 1961-1974; and secretary of the Football Association from 1934-1962) as a consolation for those who had been eliminated from the FA Cup. It was Hardaker who actually implemented though.

​

The trophy was personally paid for by Joe Richards, league President at that time. He was proud of the competition, and had his name engraved on the trophy. Interestingly, the League Cup was meant to be an interim step, as described by Richards himself, on the League's way to reorganization.(which, unfortunately, did not come until much, much later. But that is another story for another time) The League Cup also came at a time when attendances were dwindling, the tensions between the League and the Football Association were high (conflicts over the division of profits between the parties involved) , and most stadiums were equipped with floodlights. (very important, because it allowed matches to take place in the evening. Early iterations of the League Cup had its matches arranged for mid-week evening kickoff times to avoid interfering with the league games)

​

Originally, big clubs didn't care for the League Cup whatsoever, often declining to enter as their schedules were already crowded, and viewed the competition of little value and importance. Their attitudes quickly changed when in 1965, UEFA agreed to provide the winners of the League Cup with a spot in what was then the Inter-City Fairs Cup after Hardaker had threatened a boycott of English clubs from European competitions. There was one condition, however, which was that only clubs in the First Division (top level of English football back then, inaugural season of the Premier League was played out in 1992-93) would be eligible for European qualification. As a result, Queen's Park Rangers and Swindon Town, winners of the 1966-67 and 1968-69 editions respectively, did not participate in European competitions, seeing how they were in the Second Division. Even after the promises of a ticket to Europe, some clubs still declined to enter - Manchester United in 1968-69, and Everton in 1970-71, the latter because they wanted to focus on their efforts in the European Cup. Entry was made compulsory in 1971-72.

​

The format of the League Cup has changed very little in its 58-year history, with one exception - in 1967-68, the final was switched from a home-and-away two match series to a single game played at Wembley, which may have also contributed to the competition's increase in standings among the top clubs. (the honor of playing at Wembley and whatnot)

​

The EFL Cup has never been on the same level as the FA Cup, with neither being viewed as a priority by most top-flight clubs. The prize pools of 100,000 pounds and 2 million pounds for the League Cup and FA Cup respectively are minuscule, almost non-existent compared to the tens of millions clubs get from TV broadcasting deals. However, they will always be a way for clubs of lower-prestige level to earn some extra cash and boost their reputation. Although success in either competitions hasn't really ever been at the top of the list for most Premier League managers, famous moments, goals, and giant killings such as Ryan Giggs' majestic solo strike against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi finals, Steven Gerrard's 30-yard screamer against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final, Alan Sutherland's injury-time winner for Arsenal in the 1979 Final against Manchester United, Wigan Athletic's 1-0 defeat of Manchester City in the League Cup final in 2013, Hereford's shock victory over Newcastle United in 1972, and Leicester City's ignominious defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in 2001 will never be forgotten.

​

Notes:

English League system - I was going to put this in the main post, but decided against it.

Today, there are 4 tiers of professional football in England (Premier League, Championship, League 1, League 2) , including 92 clubs. Below that is the National League, the fifth level, and the sixth level of English football is split into a Southern League and a Northern League. Anyway, every league mentioned encompasses 24 clubs, with the exception of the Premier League, which has 20.

​

English Playoff System

Unlike North American sports, there are consequences to playing poorly, as every season, the 3 clubs ranked bottom on the league table are relegated to the level below, and an equal number promoted from the latter, thus encouraging competition. The teams ranked first and second are promoted automatically, while those stuck in 3rd to 6th will have to battle it out for the last promotion spot. Obviously, this doesn't apply to Premier League clubs, who instead will compete for Champions League and Europa League qualifications

​

Additional Footnotes

It is interesting how the Championship Playoff Final is the sports contest with the most cash at stake in the world. The winner will receive millions in sponsorship deals and TV money, while the loser will have to wait another year to try its chance at promotion again, and potentially facing financial collapse in the process.

​

The Football League Cup was renamed the English Football League Cup following the Football League's attempts to re-brand itself as the English Football League in 2016

​

​

Bibliography:

Richard Cox, Dave Russell, Wray Vamplew, Encyclopedia of British Football, ISBN 0 7146 8230 6

​

​

​

​

​