2026–27 EFL Cup
65th season of the EFL Cup
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The 2026–27 EFL Cup is the 67th and current season of the English Football League Cup. It is sponsored by Carabao Energy Drink and known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons. The EFL Cup was open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League.
Wales
| Carabao Cup | |
|---|---|
Wembley Stadium will host the final in March | |
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 7 August 2026 – 21 March 2027 |
| Teams | 92 |
The winner of the competition qualifies for the play-off round of the 2027–28 UEFA Conference League.
Manchester City are the defending champions, having beaten Arsenal in the previous season's final.
Teams
All 92 clubs in the Premier League and English Football League entered the season's EFL Cup. Access was distributed across the top 4 leagues of the English football league system.
There will be a preliminary round before the first one due to the number of teams participating in Europe. This round consists of the two newly promoted sides to 2026–27 League Two – York City and Rochdale – and the two lowest finishers not relegated from 2025–26 League Two, Tranmere Rovers and Crawley Town.[1]
Preliminary round
A total of four teams play in the preliminary round: two newly promoted sides from National League (tier 5), and two lowest non-relegated League Two sides (tier 4). The draw was made on 3 June 2026 by Lee Camp.[2]
| 1 August 2026 | Tranmere Rovers (4) | v | Rochdale (4) | Birkenhead |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Prenton Park |
| 3 August 2026 | York City (4) | v | Crawley Town (4) | York |
| 19:30 BST | Report | Stadium: York Community Stadium |
First round
A total of 70 teams play in the first round: the two winners from the preliminary round, 20 from League Two (tier 4), 24 from League One (tier 3), and 24 from the Championship (tier 2). The draw for this round was split on a geographical basis into northern and southern sections, where teams were drawn against a team from the same section. The draw was made on 25 June 2026 by Kevin Nolan and Luke Chambers.[3]
| Premier League[a] | Championship | League One | League Two | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
20 / 20 |
24 / 24 |
24 / 24 |
22 / 24 |
90 / 92 |
- Premier League teams will join the competition in the second and third round.
Northern section
| 7 August 2026 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (2) | v | Port Vale (4) | Wolverhampton |
| 19:45 BST | Report | Stadium: Molineux Stadium |
| 7 August 2026 | Middlesbrough (2) | v | Wrexham (2) | Middlesbrough |
| 20:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Riverside Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Bradford City (3) | v | Tranmere Rovers (4) or Rochdale (4) | Bradford |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Valley Parade |
| 8 August 2026 | Burton Albion (3) | v | Blackburn Rovers (2) | Burton upon Trent |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Pirelli Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Crewe Alexandra (4) | v | Accrington Stanley (4) | Crewe |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Gresty Road |
| 8 August 2026 | Derby County (2) | v | Lincoln City (2) | Derby |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Pride Park Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Fleetwood Town (4) | v | Chesterfield (4) | Fleetwood |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Highbury Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Grimsby Town (4) | v | Blackpool (3) | Cleethorpes |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Blundell Park |
| 8 August 2026 | Preston North End (2) | v | Huddersfield Town (3) | Liverpool[4] |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Goodison Park |
| 8 August 2026 | Salford City (4) | v | Shrewsbury Town (4) | Salford |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Moor Lane |
| 8 August 2026 | Sheffield Wednesday (3) | v | Bolton Wanderers (2) | Sheffield |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Stockport County (3) | v | Doncaster Rovers (3) | Stockport |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Edgeley Park |
| 8 August 2026 | Stoke City (2) | v | Oldham Athletic (4) | Stoke-on-Trent |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Bet365 Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Rotherham United (4) | v | West Bromwich Albion (2) | Rotherham |
| 17:30 BST | Report | Stadium: New York (The Big Apple) Stadium |
| 9 August 2026 | Mansfield Town (3) | v | Sheffield United (2) | Mansfield |
| 16:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Field Mill |
Southern section
| 7 August 2026 | Bristol City (2) | v | Walsall (4) | Bristol |
| 19:45 BST | Report | Stadium: Ashton Gate |
| 7 August 2026 | Wycombe Wanderers (3) | v | Stevenage (3) | High Wycombe |
| 19:45 BST | Report | Stadium: Adams Park |
| 8 August 2026 | Cambridge United (3) | v | Barnet (4) | Cambridge |
| 13:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Abbey Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Queens Park Rangers (2) | v | Millwall (2) | Shepherd's Bush |
| 14:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Loftus Road |
| 8 August 2026 | AFC Wimbledon (3) | v | Newport County (4) | Wimbledon |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Plough Lane |
| 8 August 2026 | Bristol Rovers (4) | v | Peterborough United (3) | Bristol |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Memorial Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Cardiff City (2) | v | Swindon Town (4) | Cardiff |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Gillingham (4) | v | Luton Town (3) | Gillingham |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Priestfield Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Leicester City (3) | v | Northampton Town (4) | Leicester |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: King Power Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Leyton Orient (3) | v | Oxford United (3) | Leyton |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Brisbane Road |
| 8 August 2026 | Norwich City (2) | v | Milton Keynes Dons (3) | Norwich |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Carrow Road |
| 8 August 2026 | Swansea City (2) | v | Birmingham City (2) | Swansea |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Swansea.com Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Watford (2) | v | York City (4) or Crawley Town (4) | Watford |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Vicarage Road |
| 8 August 2026 | West Ham United (2) | v | Portsmouth (2) | Stratford |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Stadium: London Stadium |
| 8 August 2026 | Cheltenham Town (4) | v | Charlton Athletic (2) | Cheltenham |
| 17:30 BST | Report | Stadium: Whaddon Road |
| 8 August 2026 | Colchester United (4) | v | Southampton (2) | Colchester |
| 17:30 BST | Report | Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium |
| 10 August 2026 | Plymouth Argyle (3) | v | Exeter City (4) | Plymouth |
| 20:00 BST | Report | Stadium: Home Park |