The UK currently continues to operate under strict lockdown rules and so does the 2019/20 football season with over a month having now passed since a ball was last kicked in the top four divisions in English football.
But with the likelihood of football not resuming for quite some time, Football Manager has teamed up with the EFL and Mind - the division’s charity partner - to try and bring a smile to the faces of football supporters during this period without the nation’s favourite sport, with the launch of the EFL Football Manager Cup.
But what exactly is the EFL Football Manager Cup all about?
Here, we have broken down some of the key questions that you may be asking yourself about this competition and have given you all the answers that you need.
What is the EFL Football Manager Cup?
The EFL Football Manager Cup is a newly-formed Football Manager tournament that will take place over the next month.
A total of 54 clubs from across the EFL, including the likes of Leeds United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, will be represented by virtual managers, which include professional footballers, backroom staff and even some well-known names to the Football Manager community.
How will the competition work and what is the schedule?
The competition, which will get underway on Monday, April 20, will be played across six different rounds, including the final itself which will determine the winner of the EFL Football Manager Cup.
The first round draw took place before the first round matches are played out between Monday, April 20, and Thursday, April 23. However, it should be noted that 10 teams have been handed a first-round bye and progress to the second round of the competition without playing a first-round fixture.
This was determined by random during the first round draw and has been implemented to ensure 32 teams take part in the second phase of the tournament.
The second round will take place in the week commencing April 27 before the third round will take centre stage the following week.
The quarter-finals will be played out between May 11 and May 14 before the two semi-finals will be played out on Saturday, May 16.
The final will be contested on Sunday, May 17.
What are the rules of the tournament?
The competition consists of four simple rules, which are as follows;
Matches are to be played on FM20 Touch Versus mode and teams must play as themselves.
It is a straight knockout tournament, with all ties consisting of one game. Each tie will go to extra time and penalties, if required, to determine a winner.
The ‘home’ team of each tie will host the match.
Suspensions and injury issues will not carry over to the next round.
What is the first round draw?
As outlined above, there are a total of 54 teams participating in this tournament, with the virtual managers being made up of professional footballers, backroom staff or well-known faces to the Football Manager community.
Here is the complete list of first-round ties:
Derby County V Swansea City
Crewe Alexandra V Wycombe Wanderers
Lincoln City V Stoke City
West Brom V Coventry City
Forest Green Rovers V Macclesfield Town
Charlton Athletic V Colchester United
Portsmouth V Plymouth Argyle
Port Vale V Ipswich Town
Bristol Rovers V Bristol City
Peterborough United V QPR
AFC Wimbledon V Walsall
Mansfield Town V Northampton Town
Wigan Athletic V Rotherham United
Middlesbrough V Rochdale
Leeds United V Nottingham Forest
Leyton Orient V Tranmere Rovers
Scunthorpe United V Carlisle United
Huddersfield Town V Oldham Athletic
Doncaster Rovers V Fulham
Birmingham City V Swindon Town
Southend United V Bradford City
Preston North End V Crawley Town
Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Brentford, Exeter City, Luton Town, MK Dons, Newport County, Shrewsbury Town and Salford City have all been handed a bye to round two.
Can I watch the competition?
Yes, you can. After each round is completed, Football Manager will upload highlights to their YouTube channel for you to catch up on all of the action.
As well as that, Football Manager have also confirmed that there will be a full written round-up on their website following the conclusion of each round of fixtures.
