The competition is contested by the 48 clubs in League One and League Two, along with 16 Category 1 Academy sides - bringing the total number of teams in the competition to 64.
Palace’s are in the Southern section of the tournament, in a regionalised group which helps fans travel to the fixtures. The top two from each group progress to the knockout stages.
Powell’s side will AFC Wimbledon and Stevenage, in addition to Wycombe Wanderers. The group stage will see each side play each other once and all of Palace’s fixtures are away from home.
A key rule added to the EFL Trophy is that there are no draws in the group stage. If the scores are level at full-time there will be a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner of the match and they will be awarded an additional point.
This is Palace’s third season in the EFL Trophy, having previously competed in 2021/22 where they secured a memorable 2-0 victory against Wimbledon - their first ever in the competition.