2025–26 Professional U21 Development League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 August 2025 – 13 April 2026 |
| Matches | 204 |
| Goals | 733 (3.59 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | (13 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester City U21s 8–1 Burnley U21s (9 January 2026) Liverpool U21s 7–0 Arsenal U21s (18 January 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Newcastle United U21s 0–5 Chelsea U21s (22 August 2025) Stoke City U21s 1–6 Manchester City U21s (30 January 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Leicester City U21s 3–6 Tottenham Hotspur U21s (19 September 2025) Manchester City U21s 8–1 Burnley U21s (9 January 2026) Aston Villa U21s 5–4 Ipswich Town U21s (24 January 2026) |
| Longest winning run | Manchester United U21s (7 Games) (18 August 2025 – 25 October 2025) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Fulham U21s (15 August 2025 – 6 February 2026) (13 Games) |
| Longest winless run | Reading U21s (15 August 2025 – 10 January 2026) (9 Games) |
| Longest losing run | Derby County U21s 6 Games (15 August 2025 – 3 October 2025) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 20 February 2026. | |
The 2025–26 Premier League 2 is the 14th season of the Professional Development League system. It continues to use the same format as the previous 2 seasons with a change from places 17 to 24.[1] The sides finishing in the top eight positions of the Professional U21 Development League 2 at the end of the season will progress to a playoff stage against teams 17-24. 29 Category One Academies are competing this season, the most in league history. Three teams joined with Category One status with Birmingham City U21s,[2] Burnley U21s[3] returning after a three season absence and Ipswich Town U21s[4] playing in the Premier League 2 for the very first time.
Premier League 2
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea U21s | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 37 | 22 | +15 | 31 | Qualification to the Elimination Playoffs and Premier League International Cup |
| 2 | Ipswich Town U21s | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 31 | |
| 3 | Manchester United U21s | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 30 | |
| 4 | Fulham U21s | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 22 | +14 | 29 | |
| 5 | Liverpool U21s | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 27 | +12 | 29 | |
| 6 | Southampton U21s | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 29 | |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 26 | |
| 8 | Manchester City U21s | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 25 | |
| 9 | Leicester City U21s | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 30 | +5 | 24 | |
| 10 | Arsenal U21s | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 22 | |
| 11 | West Ham United U21s | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 23 | +6 | 21 | |
| 12 | Crystal Palace U21s | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 21 | |
| 13 | Everton U21s | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 20 | Qualification to the Elimination Playoffs |
| 14 | Brighton & Hove Albion U21s | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 19 | |
| 15 | Stoke City U21s | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 19 | |
| 16 | Middlesbrough U21s | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 18 | |
| 17 | Sunderland U21s | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 18 | Qualification to the PDL Playoffs |
| 18 | Aston Villa U21s | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 18 | |
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 31 | −6 | 18 | |
| 20 | Nottingham Forest U21s | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 17 | |
| 21 | Leeds United U21s | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 25 | −5 | 15 | |
| 22 | Newcastle United U21s | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 26 | −6 | 15 | |
| 23 | Reading U21s | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 15 | |
| 24 | Norwich City U21s | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 13 | |
| 25 | Birmingham City U21s | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 30 | −14 | 12 | |
| 26 | Blackburn Rovers U21s | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 11 | |
| 27 | Burnley U21s | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 17 | 33 | −16 | 8 | |
| 28 | Derby County U21s | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 32 | −18 | 7 | |
| 29 | West Bromwich Albion U21s | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 32 | −21 | 6 |
Matches
Top goalscorers
- As of 20 February 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea U21s | 13 | |
| 2 | Liverpool U21s | 11 | |
| 3 | Liverpool U21s | 10 | |
| 4 | Southampton U21s | 9 | |
| Manchester City U21s | |||
| 6 | Aston Villa U21s | 8 | |
| Everton U21s | |||
| Manchester United U21s | |||
| Fulham U21s | |||
| 10 | Fulham U21s | 7 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur U21s | |||
| Ipswich Town U21s |
Hat-tricks
- As of 6 February 2026
Awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Chelsea U21s | [24] | |
| September | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | [25] | |
| October | Blackburn Rovers U21s | [26] | |
| November | Fulham U21s | [27] | |
| January | Liverpool U21s | [28] |
Professional Development League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 August 2025 – 21 April 2026 |
| Matches | 178 |
| Goals | 681 (3.83 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | (17 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Swansea City U21s 6–0 Huddersfield Town U21s (24 August 2025) Watford U21s 6–0 Colchester United U21s (4 November 2025) Wigan Athletic U21s 7–1 Coventry City U21s (10 February 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Coventry City U21s 0–9 Wigan Athletic U21s (21 October 2025) |
| Highest scoring | Coventry City U21s 0–9 Wigan Athletic U21s (21 October 2025) Watford U21s 5–4 Swansea City U21s (27 October 2025) Barnsley U21s 2–7 Wigan Athletic U21s (18 November 2025) |
| Longest winning run | (8 games) Sheffield United U21s (24 August 2025 – 14 October 2025) |
| Longest unbeaten run | (9 games) Sheffield United U21s (12 August 2025 – 14 October 2025) |
| Longest winless run | (12 games) Crewe Alexandra U21s (1 September 2025 – 20 January 2026) |
| Longest losing run | (5 games) Huddersfield Town U21s (11 August 2025 – 9 September 2025) Sheffield Wednesday U21s (24 October 2025 – 25 November 2025) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 17 February 2026. | |
The Professional Development League, sometimes known as the Professional Development League 2, is Under-21 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category 2 status. The league, previously split regionally into north and south divisions, is now a single table with teams playing a geographically-aligned fixture schedule. The sides finishing in the top eight positions in both regions at the end of the season will progress to a playoff stage against Premier League 2 opposition. Brentford U21s are the defending champions.
20 teams compete in the league this season, two fewer than the previous season. Three teams joined with Category One status with Birmingham City U21s,[29] Burnley U21s[30] returning after a three season absence and six total seasons and founding member Ipswich Town U21s[31] playing in the Premier League 2 for the very first time after 13 seasons. However, Huddersfield Town U21s[32] returned after being granted Category Two academy status after 7 years.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield United U21s | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 42 | Qualification for #PL2/PDL Playoffs |
| 2 | Peterborough United U21s | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 33 | +17 | 39 | |
| 3 | Brentford U21s[a] | 18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 38 | 21 | +17 | 32 | |
| 4 | AFC Bournemouth U21s | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 31 | |
| 5 | Watford U21s | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 28 | |
| 6 | Millwall U21s | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 33 | +2 | 28 | |
| 7 | Swansea City U21s | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 26 | |
| 8 | Hull City U21s | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 31 | +3 | 26 | |
| 9 | Coventry City U21s | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 26 | |
| 10 | Cardiff City U21s | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 26 | +9 | 25 | |
| 11 | Charlton Athletic U21s | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 24 | |
| 12 | Huddersfield Town U21s | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 34 | 35 | −1 | 24 | |
| 13 | Queens Park Rangers U21s | 19 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 42 | −8 | 23 | |
| 14 | Wigan Athletic U21s | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 46 | 40 | +6 | 22 | |
| 15 | Barnsley U21s | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 42 | −8 | 20 | |
| 16 | Bristol City U21s | 19 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 26 | 38 | −12 | 18 | |
| 17 | Colchester United U21s | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 41 | −17 | 18 | |
| 18 | Fleetwood Town U21s | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 29 | −9 | 16 | |
| 19 | Sheffield Wednesday U21s | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 23 | 39 | −16 | 15 | |
| 20 | Crewe Alexandra U21s | 17 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 46 | −26 | 11 |
Notes:
Matches
Top goalscorers
- As of 17 February 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wigan Athletic U21s | 17 | |
| 2 | Sheffield United U21s | 11 | |
| Wigan Athletic U21s | |||
| 4 | Watford U21s | 10 | |
| 5 | Swansea City U21s | 9 | |
| 6 | AFC Bournemouth U21s | 8 | |
| Hull City U21s | |||
| Cardiff City U21s | |||
| 9 | Watford U21s | 7 | |
| Sheffield United U21s | |||
| AFC Bournemouth U21s |
Hat-tricks
- As of 3 February 2026
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jevan Beattie | Sheffield United U21s | Watford U21s | 0–5 (A) | 5 September 2025 | [34] |
| Adam Moseley4 | Wigan Athletic U21s | Swansea City U21s | 5–2 (H) | 16 September 2025 | [35] |
| Louie Marsh | Sheffield United U21s | Barnsley U21s | 5–2 (H) | 14 October 2025 | [36] |
| Adam Moseley4 | Wigan Athletic U21s | Coventry City U21s | 0–9 (A) | 21 October 2025 | [37] |
| Cole Simms | Wigan Athletic U21s | Coventry City U21s | 0–9 (A) | 21 October 2025 | [38] |
| Adam Moseley4 | Wigan Athletic U21s | Barnsley U21s | 2–7 (A) | 17 November 2025 | [39] |
| Jaydon Thomas-Smith | Millwall U21s | Colchester United U21s | 0–6 (A) | 9 January 2026 | [40] |
| Conrad Ambursley | Coventry City U21s | Hull City U21s | 2–4 (A) | 20 January 2026 | [41] |
| George Sebine | Huddersfield Town U21s | Peterborough United U21s | 2–4 (A) | 3 February 2026 | [42] |
| Nickson Okosun | Watford U21s | Queens Park Rangers U21s | 5–0 (H) | 3 February 2026 | [43] |
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
Knock-out stage
Semi-finals
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Professional Development League National Final
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
References
- ^ "Premier League 2: Competition format explained". Premier League. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Birmingham City Academy Awarded Category One Status". Birmingham City FC. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY ACHIEVES ELITE CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Burnley FC. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY AWARDED CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Ipswich Town FC. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Premier League U18 - Top Scorers". Flashscore. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace". Premier League. 17 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Chelsea v Manchester City". Premier League. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace". Premier League. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion". Premier League. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Liverpool v Everton". Premier League. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Chelsea v Crystal Palace". Premier League. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Liverpool v Arsenal". Premier League. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Middlesbrough v Ipswich Town". Premier League. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Reading v Blackburn Rovers". Premier League. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Aston Villa v Ipswich Town". Premier League. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Stoke City v Manchester City". Premier League. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leeds United v Arsenal". Premier League. 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United". Premier League. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Aston Villa v Newcastle United". Premier League. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Reading v Stoke City". Premier League. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Mheuka wins PL2 Player of the Month for August". premierleague.com. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ "Williams-Barnett named PL2 Player of the Month for September". premierleague.com. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Powell named PL2 Player of the Month for October". premierleague.com. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "Fulham's Ali Wahid named PL2 Player of the Month for November". premierleague.com. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "Liverpool's Morrison named PL2 Player of the Month for January". premierleague.com. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "Birmingham City Academy Awarded Category One Status". Birmingham City FC. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY ACHIEVES ELITE CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Burnley FC. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY AWARDED CATEGORY ONE STATUS". Ipswich Town FC. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "ACADEMY UPGRADED TO CATEGORY TWO STATUS". Huddersfield Town AFC. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ "Premier League and Brentford sanction agreement". Premier League. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Watford v Sheffield United". Youth Hawk. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Wigan Athletic v Swansea City". Youth Hawk. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Sheffield United v Barnsley". Youth Hawk. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Coventry City v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Coventry City v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Barnsley v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Colchester United v Millwall". Youth Hawk. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Hull City v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Peterborough United v Huddersfield Town". Youth Hawk. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Watford v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.