Never Played at Wembley: Which Teams Missed Out?
Meredith Reinger
2025-05-25 19:31:06
Count answers: 7
Crawley are one of just two EFL teams to have never played at the famous stadium. Once Crawley line up at Wembley that will leave just one other EFL club as the odd one out - Accrington Stanley. The League Two minnows have come close to the hallowed turf previously, but lost in the play-off semi-final to Stevenage in 2011 before AFC Wimbledon in 2016.
Delmer Abbott
2025-05-13 01:22:50
Count answers: 3
Out of all the 91 clubs in the top four leagues of English football, he mentioned 8 teams left who have never played at the new Wembley. We list the 8 league teams who have never played at the new Wembley and it’s fair to say some have come very close to getting there. Find out who are those clubs to have never played at the national stadium, which opened back in 2007, below…
Accrington got to Wembley when they lost the League Two playoff semi finals in the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons. Blackburn won the League Cup in 2001/2002 season, but at the time, Wembley was getting renovated. Currently inside the League Two playoff spots, Colchester United could they finally get to the new Wembley?
Crawley have reached the Quarter Finals of the FA Trophy (2007/08) and area quarter-finals of the Checkatrade Trophy (2014/15). Ever since Wembley was built, Ipswich have been stuck in the Championship but could be about to change at they might be on their way down to League One soon. Nottingham Forest have come close to getting to Wembley on numerous occasions.
Oldham are hoping to secure a playoff place come the end of the 2018/19 season. Port Vale won the Football League Trophy in 2001 but there was no Wembley so like all finals at that time was played at the Millennium Stadium.
Precious O'Kon
2025-05-05 18:39:33
Count answers: 6
Cornwall only entered the Challenge Cup for the first time last year, knocked out at the first attempt by community outfit Rochdale Mayfield. Doncaster, founded in 1951, have never won a major honour and have never appeared in a Challenge Cup final. Midlands have only been known as that since 2021, previously recognised as the Coventry Bears, which they were formed as in 1998. North East outfit Thunder, formed in 1999 as ‘Gateshead Thunder’ following the merger between the original club and Hull Sharks (now FC) have not got close to Wembley since.
Round 5 was the furthest Crusaders got in the Challenge Cup during their stint as a Super League outfit, beaten 35-34 by Catalans Dragons in 2010. 1929 was when Challenge Cup finals began to be played at Wembley, which is why Oldham, founded in 1876, are – perhaps surprisingly – on this list. Formed in 1871, Rochdale‘s situation is similar to Oldham’s. Swinton are three-time Challenge Cup winners, and ended as runners-up in the competition on two other occasions, but just like Oldham, all five of their final appearances came away from the capital.
Unless something changes anytime soon, it’s literally impossible for Toulouse to get to Wembley because they don’t compete in either the Challenge Cup or 1895 Cup by choice. Whitehaven round off this list of the unfortunate 10 clubs to have never played at Wembley, but the story could have been a different one had they hung on in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup against Leeds back in 1957.
Sim Kessler
2025-04-28 04:59:56
Count answers: 3
Blackburn Rovers, however, are one of five top 92 sides who have never played at the ground. Accrington, Colchester, Crawley and Ipswich, alongside former Premier League winners Blackburn, have never played at the ground.
Emerald Brakus
2025-04-25 00:37:12
Count answers: 5
Only four current Football League clubs have never made it to Wembley and they are Accrington Stanley, Crawley Town, Hartlepool United and Walsall. But that might change soon, because Walsall are on the verge of making their first visit to the home of English football this season, having won the first leg of their Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Northern Area semi-final 2-0 away at Preston North End. Will’s Bristol City are their likely opponents in the final, assuming that they can push home a 4-2 advantage from the first leg of their semi against Gillingham.
Faye Leuschke
2025-04-14 02:02:47
Count answers: 4
Blackburn are the highest-ranked team never to make it to the 'new' Wembley. Although Rovers have been English champions three times, won six FA Cups and one League Cup, those successes came well before the new Wembley opened, with the last trip coming in 1995's Charity Shield. Ipswich came closest when they lost in the 2014/15 Championship play-off semi-finals.
Accrington have come a whisker away from Wembley three times, reaching the League Two play-off semi-finals in 2011 and 2016 but losing both ties, to Stevenage and AFC Wimbledon respectively, before their semi-final defeat to Bolton Wanderers in the 2023 EFL Trophy. Colchester fans haven’t had much to celebrate since being relegated from the Championship in 2008. They were a game away from Wembley when they reached the play-off semi-finals in 2019/20, but lost to Exeter City.
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