The Football League War Cup was an association football tournament held between 1939 and 1945. It aimed to fill the gap left in English football by the suspension of the FA Cup during the Second World War. Though it was often referred to in contemporary coverage as the "League Cup" or "Football League Cup", it is not to be confused with the later English football competition with the same name, which was formed in 1960 and is currently known as the EFL Cup. As with all wartime football in England, records and statistics from the competition are not considered official. Overview The Football League (War) Cup was formed in 1940 to be a replacement for the FA Cup, which had been suspended for the duration of the conflict. Ties were played over two legs in order to boost revenue for clubs. In the 1941–42 season, 16 clubs from London and South East England did not participate owing to a dispute with the Football League over the formation of a separate London League. Instead they competed in the London War Cup. The winners of the London War Cup faced the winners of the Football League War Cup in a play-off. The London clubs re-joined the Football League in the summer of 1942 and the separate London cup competition was discontinued. To reduce traveling distances for clubs, after 1942 the competition was split into north and south sections, each with its own final. The South Cup had a round-robin group stage comprising four groups of four clubs who would play each other at home and away, with the group winners advancing to the semi-finals. The North Cup had 48 entrants and used a more complicated format. The standings in the North Football League table after ten matches determined the 32 qualifiers for the competition proper. Teams would then progressively knock each other out in two-legged ties that also counted as league matches. The north final was decided over two legs. The south final was a single match held at Wembley Stadium. The North and South champions would then meet in a play-off to decide the competition's overall winner; play-off matches were held at Stamford Bridge. Gate receipts from the play-off matches were donated to King George's Fund for Sailors. Results Finals Notes Northern Final Southern Final Finals details 1939–40 137 games (including replays) were played to get to the final of the