Due to the iconic history and heritage of the FA Cup, the EFL Cup is widely regarded as the least prestigious major trophy in England. For this reason, winning it has never been met with the same jubilation as the other trophies.
However, in recent years, that has begun to change ever so slightly. Foreign managers, such as Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, have treated the competition with respect. Manchester City, for example, were at one point the winners of the competition four years in a row.
The magic of the tournament, perhaps questioned in the past, was also highlighted in 2025/26 as Eddie Howe guided his Newcastle side to their first major trophy in 56 years.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the EFL Cup draw for 2025/26, including fixtures and the format of the competition.
Carabao Cup first round draw 2025/26
Southern section
- Coventry City vs Luton Town – CBS Arena
- Bristol City vs MK Dons – Ashton Gate
- Bromley vs Ipswich – Hayes Lane
- Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United – Memorial Stadium
- Leyton Orient vs Wycombe Wanderers – BetWright Stadium
- Watford vs Norwich City – Vicarage Road
- Charlton Athletic vs Stevenage – The Valley
- Oxford United vs Colchester United – Kassam Stadium
- Barnet or Newport vs Millwall – TBC
- Cardiff City vs Swindon Town – Cardiff City Stadium
- Gillingham vs AFC Wimbledon – Priestfield Stadium
- Northampton own vs Southampton – Sixfields Stadium
- Cheltenham Town vs Exeter City – EV Charger Points Stadium
- Plymouth vs QPR – Home Park
- Swansea City vs Crawley Town – Swansea.com Stadium
- Portsmouth vs Reading – Fratton Park
Northern section
- Barrow vs Preston North End – Holker Street
- Grimsby vs Shrewsbury Town – Blundell Park
- Blackpool vs Port Vale – Bloomfield Road
- Salford City vs Rotherham United – Peninsula Stadium
- Harrogate Town vs Lincoln City – Exercise Stadium
- Tranmere Rovers vs Burton Albion – Prenton Park
- Stockport County vs Crewe Alexandra – Edgeley Park
- Huddersfield Town vs Leicester City – John Smith's Stadium
- Wrexham vs Hull City – Racecourse Ground
- Birmingham City vs Sheffield United – St Andrew's Stadium
- Stoke City vs Walsall – Bet365 Stadium
- Accrington or Oldham vs Peterborough – TBC
- Blackburn Rovers vs Bradford City – Ewood Park
- Middlesbrough vs Doncaster Rovers – The Riverside
- West Brom vs Derby County – The Hawthorns
- Bolton Wanderers vs Sheffield Wednesday – Toughsheet Community Stadium
- Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town – SMH Group Stadium
- Barnsley vs Fleetwood Town – Oakwell Stadium
- Wigan Athletic vs Notts County – Brick Community Stadium
Format changes to the 2025/26 Carabao Cup
Due to the increased number of games teams in UEFA club competitions will have to play this season, such as in the expanded Champions League, the format of the Carabao Cup has been altered once more to accommodate those changes.
2024/25 had already seen wholesale changes in the tournament, which included keeping teams competing in Europe apart in the third round to help ease fixture congestion. Mnaya argued that this only made it harder for the teams at the bottom of the Football League to advance.
Now, in 2025/26, those same fans will be feeling ignored again as further changes have been made to the tournament's format to accommodate those teams in Europe. This season will see a preliminary Carabao Cup round introduced, in which the two newly promoted teams from the National League (Oldham Athletic and Barnet) will play the two sides who finished 21st and 22nd in League Two in 2024/25 (Accrington Stanley and Newport County).
This is to reduce the number of teams in the tournament from Round One onwards.
2025/26 EFL Cup key dates
The key dates of each round of the 2025/25 EFL Cup, from the first round up until the final, are as follows:
- Preliminary Round – week commencing 4 August 2025
- Round One – week commencing 11 August 2025
- Round Two – week commencing 25 August 2025
- Round Three – split between the week commencing 15 September and 22 September 2025
- Round Four – week commencing 27 October 2025
- Round Five – week commencing 15 December 2025
- Semi-final first leg – week commencing 12 January 2026
- Semi-final second leg – week commencing 2 February 2026
- Final – 22 March 2026
When do Premier League teams enter the EFL Cup 2025/26
As usual, no Premier League sides will enter the EFL Cup in its first round and will automatically qualify for at least the second round. At this stage, all 11 teams that are not competing in Europe will enter and can be drawn against any other side.
Then, in the competition's third round, the remaining nine Premier League sides will enter the tournament, although, much like they were in 2024/25, these sides will most likely be kept separate in the draw to avoid fixture clashes with their European responsibilities.
FGG says: EFL fans will feel disregarded again
Tensions have been rising between supporters of clubs in the English Football League and those who are in charge at the FA and Premier League. Last season, the scrapping of replays in the FA Cup was incredibly controversial, with many teams lower down in the football pyramid relying on replay payments to survive.
Then came the changes in format to the Carabao Cup, which saw Premier League sides who were competing in Europe kept apart in the competition's third round draw. These are often the strongest teams in the tournament, and by keeping them apart, EFL clubs were far more likely to be drawn against them.
Now, in 2025/26, those same fans are unlikely to be happy with the all-new preliminary round, the introduction of which will see a reduced number of EFL clubs in the first round of the Carabao Cup in order to accommodate the increased number of Premier League teams with European commitments.