Chesterfield paired with old rivals Mansfield Town in EFL Trophy

Chesterfield will play old foes Mansfield Town in the EFL Trophy.

The Spireites have been placed in Group D for 2026/27 with the Stags and Port Vale and will be joined by a Premier League U21s side at a draw to be made at 2.30pm on Thursday.

SMH Group Stadium, hope of Chesterfield FC. Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images

placeholder image — SMH Group Stadium, hope of Chesterfield FC. Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images

There will be 16 PL teams involved in total from Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs.

The Group Stage is split into 16 regional groups of four teams, eight in the Northern region and eight in the Southern region. The 16 invited under-21 teams will be placed into their respective Northern and Southern regional groups.

The last time Chesterfield played Mansfield was last August when they went out of the Carabao Cup 2-0 at the SMH.

The result meant the Spireites set a new record for League Cup losses – 13 consecutive defeats – a run they need to snap next season. The draw for the Carabao Cup is also on Thursday, Fixture Release day.