The 2026-27 Carabao Cup (EFL Cup) is underway, with clubs from across the English football pyramid competing for one of the country’s major domestic trophies. The competition began with the preliminary round in July before moving into the first and second rounds, with the next stage taking place in September.
Manchester City enter the campaign as defending champions after beating Arsenal 2–0 in the 2026 Carabao Cup final at Wembley. This season’s competition again features clubs from the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two, with the knockout format continuing all the way through to the final.
The 2026-27 Cup Round Two takes place across August 25–27, with high-profile fixtures including Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United, Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic, Chelsea vs Luton Town and Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon.
Nine Premier League clubs competing in European football this season — Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Sunderland and Crystal Palace — enter the competition in the third round, giving the tournament another major boost in quality and attention.
The competition then moves through the third, fourth, and fifth rounds before the semi-finals and Wembley final. The 2027 Carabao Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, March 21, 2027.
This guide covers everything you need to know about the 2026-27 Carabao Cup, including the teams, current fixtures and results, competition format, key dates, draw, qualifying rounds, semi-final schedule and the road to the final.
2026-27 Carabao Cup (EFL Cup) Teams, Format & Schedule
| Phase | Clubs Entering This Round | Clubs Advancing from Previous Round | Games | Week Commencing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round (4 clubs) | 4 EFL League Two clubs | — | 2 | 27 July 2026 |
| First Round (70 clubs) |
20 EFL League Two clubs 24 EFL League One clubs 24 EFL Championship clubs | 2 winners from preliminary round | 35 | 3 August 2026 |
| Second Round (46 clubs) | 11 Premier League clubs not involved in European competition | 35 winners from first round | 23 | 24 August 2026 |
| Third Round (32 clubs) | 9 Premier League clubs involved in European competition | 23 winners from second round | 16 | 7–14 September 2026 |
| Fourth Round (16 clubs) | — | 16 winners from third round | 8 | 26 October 2026 |
| Quarter-finals (8 clubs) | 8 winners from fourth round | 4 | 14 December 2026 | |
| Semi-finals (4 clubs) | 4 winners from quarter-finals | 4 (two-legged) | 11 January & 1 February 2027 | |
| Final (2 clubs) | 2 winners from semi-finals | 1 | 21 March 2027 |
EFL Cup Preliminary round Schedule
The 2026-27 Carabao Cup preliminary round featured four clubs from EFL League Two. The round was introduced this season to bring two additional teams into the competition before the first round. The ties were played in early August, with the winners advancing to the first round.
- Tranmere Rovers 2–2 Rochdale
- Rochdale won 2–1 on penalties
- Date: August 1, 2026
- Venue: Prenton Park
- York City 0–2 Crawley Town
- Date: August 3, 2026
- Venue: LNER Community Stadium
Teams advancing to the First Round: Rochdale and Crawley Town.
EFL Cup First Round Schedule
The 2026-27 Carabao Cup First Round featured 70 clubs: 24 from the Championship, 24 from League One, 20 from League Two, plus the two winners from the Preliminary Round. The 35 ties were drawn on a Northern and Southern regional basis to reduce travel.
The Preliminary Round winners, Rochdale and Crawley Town, also joined the First Round. Rochdale were drawn away to Bradford City, while Crawley Town travelled to face Watford.
- Premier League: 20 / 20
- Championship: 24 / 24
- League One: 24 / 24
- League Two: 22 / 24
- Total: 90 / 92
Northern Section
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–0 Port Vale — August 7
- Middlesbrough 1–0 Wrexham — August 7
- Barnsley 1–1 Wigan Athletic — Barnsley won 6–5 on penalties, August 8
- Bradford City 2–0 Rochdale — August 8
- Burnley 1–1 Notts County — Burnley won 4–3 on penalties, August 8
- Burton Albion 1–2 Blackburn Rovers — August 8
- Crewe Alexandra 2–1 Accrington Stanley — August 8
- Derby County 1–2 Lincoln City — August 8
- Fleetwood Town 1–0 Chesterfield — August 8
- Grimsby Town 1–3 Blackpool — August 8
- Preston North End 1–1 Huddersfield Town — Preston won 4–3 on penalties, August 8
- Salford City 1–1 Shrewsbury Town — Shrewsbury won 4–3 on penalties, August 8
- Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Bolton Wanderers — August 8
- Stockport County 1–1 Doncaster Rovers — Doncaster won 5–4 on penalties, August 8
- Stoke City 2–0 Oldham Athletic — August 8
- Rotherham United 1–4 West Bromwich Albion — August 8
- Mansfield Town 0–3 Sheffield United — August 9
Southern Section
- Bristol City 0–1 Walsall — August 6
- Wycombe Wanderers 1–2 Stevenage — August 7
- Cambridge United 2–1 Barnet — August 8
- Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Millwall — Millwall won 2–0 on penalties, August 8
- AFC Wimbledon 1–1 Newport County — AFC Wimbledon won 5–4 on penalties, August 8
- Bristol Rovers 0–1 Peterborough United — August 8
- Bromley 1–1 Reading — Reading won 5–4 on penalties, August 8
- Cardiff City 3–2 Swindon Town — August 8
- Gillingham 0–3 Luton Town — August 8
- Leicester City 1–0 Northampton Town — August 8
- Leyton Orient 2–0 Oxford United — August 8
- Norwich City 4–1 Milton Keynes Dons — August 8
- Swansea City 0–1 Birmingham City — August 8
- Watford 1–0 Crawley Town — August 8
- West Ham United 3–1 Portsmouth — August 8
- Cheltenham Town 1–3 Charlton Athletic — August 8
- Colchester United 0–2 Southampton — August 8
- Plymouth Argyle 2–0 Exeter City — August 10
EFL Cup Second Round Schedule
The 2026-27 Cup Second Round features 46 clubs, including 11 Premier League teams not involved in European competition and the 35 winners from the First Round. The ties are being played during the week commencing August 24, 2026, with 23 teams advancing to the Third Round.
- Premier League: 20 / 20
- Championship: 17 / 24
- League One: 14 / 24
- League Two: 4 / 24
- Total: 55 / 92
Northern Section
- Doncaster Rovers 1–3 Middlesbrough — August 25
- Barnsley 3–2 Crewe Alexandra — August 25
- Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Sheffield United — August 25
- Blackpool 1–4 Lincoln City — August 25
- Fleetwood Town 4–0 Shrewsbury Town — August 25
- Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers — August 25
- Stoke City 1–1 Hull City — Hull City won 5–4 on penalties, August 25
- Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds United — August 25
- Bradford City vs Burnley — August 26
- Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion — August 26
- Preston North End vs Everton — August 26
Southern Section
- Cardiff City 1–2 Norwich City — August 25
- Cambridge United 0–1 Millwall — August 25
- Ipswich Town 3–1 Leicester City — August 25
- Plymouth Argyle 2–4 Coventry City — August 25
- Southampton 1–4 West Ham United — August 25
- Stevenage 0–3 Reading — August 25
- Walsall 0–0 Leyton Orient — Leyton Orient won 6–5 on penalties, August 25
- Watford 1–5 Peterborough United — August 25
- Birmingham City 1–6 Brentford — August 25
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic — August 26
- Chelsea vs Luton Town — August 27
- Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon — August 27
EFL Cup Third Round
The 2026-27 Carabao Cup Third Round features 32 clubs: the 23 winners from the Second Round plus the nine Premier League clubs competing in European competitions. Unlike the first two rounds, the regional Northern/Southern split is removed from this stage.
The Third-Round draw is set for August 26, 2026, after the match between Preston North End and Everton. The fixtures will take place during the weeks starting September 7 and September 14, 2026.
Premier League teams entering the Third Round
- Arsenal
- Aston Villa
- Bournemouth
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- Crystal Palace
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
- Sunderland
These nine clubs join the 23 Second Round winners to make up the 32-team Third Round field.
