The 2025-26 Carabao Cup season is heating up, with the fourth round just days away on October 28-29. Sponsored by Carabao Energy Drink, this knockout competition, officially the EFL Cup, brings together all 92 clubs from England’s top four divisions for a thrilling ride to Wembley.
Defending champions Newcastle United are aiming to retain their crown after last year’s dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Liverpool.
At the same time, underdogs like Grimsby Town have already scripted fairy tales by knocking out Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday.
2025-26 Carabao Cup Tournament Format and Entry Rules | EFL Cup
Table of Contents
The 2025–26 Carabao Cup is back, bringing thrilling knockout football across England. From early-round upsets to the road to Wembley, here’s your complete guide to fixtures, results, draws, and all key dates of this season’s EFL Cup.
The Carabao Cup features seven knockout rounds, with single-leg ties until the two-legged semi-finals. No extra time in early rounds—penalties decide draws for high drama.
A new preliminary round was added this year to ease European fixture clashes, splitting early draws geographically (north vs. south).
- Teams Entering:
- Preliminary: 4 League Two sides (e.g., Accrington Stanley, Barnet).
- Round 1: 70 more EFL clubs.
- Round 2: 11 non-European Premier League teams join.
- Round 3: 9 European PL clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc.) enter.
- Winner’s Prize: UEFA Conference League play-off spot for 2026-27.
- Final: March 22, 2026, at Wembley Stadium.
Total matches: 91, with 76 already played and 207 goals scored (2.72 per game).
Key Dates for 2025-26 Carabao Cup
- Preliminary Round: Week of August 4, 2025.
- Round 1: Week of August 11, 2025.
- Round 2: Week of August 25, 2025.
- Round 3: September 15/22, 2025.
- Round 4: October 28-29, 2025.
- Quarter-Finals: December 15, 2025.
- Semi-Finals: January 12 & February 2, 2026 (two legs).
- Final: March 22, 2026.
Broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, with global streaming on EFL platforms.
Results So Far: Upsets and Highlights
It’s been a season of shocks, with lower-league sides thriving. Attendance has topped 782,000 across rounds, averaging 10,290 fans per game.
Preliminary Round (August 4 & July 29, 2025)
- Accrington Stanley 3-1 Oldham Athletic.
- Barnet 2-2 (2-4 pens) Newport County.
- Winners: Accrington Stanley, Newport County.
Round 1 (August 11-13 & 19, 2025)
35 ties, including upsets like Doncaster Rovers 4-0 Middlesbrough and Bromley 1-1 (5-4 pens) Ipswich Town. Postponement: Tranmere vs. Burton due to power outage.
- Notable Winners: Preston North End, Wrexham, Derby County, Swansea City, Southampton, Coventry City.
Round 2 (August 26-27, 2025)
23 matches, headlined by Grimsby Town’s epic 2-2 (12-11 pens) win over Manchester United—the biggest shock yet. Sheffield Wednesday edged Leeds on pens; Wolves beat West Ham 3-2.
- Notable Winners: Grimsby Town, Everton, Fulham, Brentford, Brighton.
Round 3 (September 15-17 & 23-24, 2025)
16 ties saw 11 Premier League teams advance, but upsets continued: Grimsby 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday; Swansea 3-2 Nottingham Forest; Brentford 1-1 (4-2 pens) Aston Villa.
- Notable Winners: Liverpool 2-1 Southampton, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle (4-1 vs. Bradford).
Top scorer so far: Diego Gómez (Brighton) with 5 goals.
EFL Cup Fourth Round Fixtures: October 28-29, 2025
The draw, made by Jamie Redknapp and Michael Brown on September 24, sets up mouthwatering clashes.
All kick-offs at 19:45 GMT unless noted—live on Sky Sports.
| Date | Fixture | Score | Venue | TV Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28 | Grimsby Town vs Brentford | 0-5 | Blundell Park | Sky Sports |
| Oct 28 | Wycombe Wanderers vs Fulham | 1(4)-1(5) | Adams Park | Sky Sports |
| Oct 28 | Wrexham vs Cardiff City | 1-2 | Racecourse Ground | Sky Sports+ |
| Oct 29 | Liverpool vs Crystal Palace | Anfield | Sky Sports Main Event | |
| Oct 29 | Arsenal vs Brighton | Emirates Stadium | Sky Sports | |
| Oct 29 | Newcastle vs Tottenham | St James’ Park | Sky Sports | |
| Oct 29 | Swansea vs Man City | Swansea.com Stadium | Sky Sports | |
| Oct 29 | Wolves vs Chelsea | Molineux | Sky Sports+ |
Grimsby (League Two) vs Brentford is the tie of the round—can the minnows pull off another miracle? Liverpool hosts Palace in a repeat of last season’s semi-final drama.
Quarter-finals
The eight winners from the fourth round will advance to the quarter-finals. Cardiff City, a League One team, is the lowest-ranked side in the draw, which is set to take place on 29 October 2025.
Here is the number of teams still in the tournaments.
- Premier League
- 7 teams out of 20 teams
- Championship
- 1 team out of 24 teams
- League One
- 1 team out of 24 teams
- League Two
- 0 team out of 24 teams
- Total
- 8 teams out of 92 teams
- 16–17 December 2025 – TBC vs TBC
Semi-finals
Four teams advanced from the quarter-finals as winners.
- 12 January 2026
- 2 February 2026
Final
Two winners from the semi-finals.
- 22 March 2026
What’s Next? Quarter-Final Draw and Beyond
The 2025-26 EFL Cup quarter-finals draw will take place on October 30, 2025. With 11 Premier League teams remaining, the competition heats up as the road to Wembley becomes more intense.
Defending champions Newcastle face a challenging clash against Spurs, while underdogs Wrexham and Swansea continue to chase their dreams.
For live scores, check the EFL app or Flashscore. Who’s your pick to lift the trophy? Share in the comments!
Stay updated with all EFL Cup action—bookmark us for draw reactions and predictions.
