Sometimes viewed as the least important major trophy in England, the EFL Cup is still silverware, and for the vast majority of teams in the English football pyramid, an important piece at that.
Increasingly, coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have guided their respective teams to success in the competition, which has helped to increase the trophy's stock among fans once more.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the EFL Cup draw for 2024/25, including fixtures and the format of the competition.
Format changes to the 2024/25 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 to accommodate those changes.
The most notable of these changes is the fact that teams playing European football were kept apart in Round Three of the EFL Cup in order to avoid fixtures clashing with the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League ties.
In addition to that, Round Three fixtures were split over two separate weeks to ease fixture congestion on clubs playing European football. In essence, the Carabao Cup has been changed to cater more closely to the needs of Premier League teams.
2024/25 EFL Cup key dates
The key dates of each round of the 2024/25 EFL Cup, from the first round up until the final, are as follows:
- First Round – Week commencing 12 August
- Second Round – Week Commencing 26 August
- Third Round – Week commencing 16 September and 23 September
- Fourth Round – Week commencing 28 October
- Quarter-finals – Week commencing 16 December
- Semi-finals – Week commencing 6 January 2025, and 3 February 2025
- Final – 16 March 2025
2024/24 Semi-final draw
The draw is as follows:
The sides shown as the home team is the side that will play the first leg at home.
- Arsenal vs Newcastle United
- Tottenham vs Liverpool
Carabao Cup Semi-final fixtures, dates and locations:
The first leg of the semi-final will be played in the week of 6 January 2025, with the second leg taking place a month later on 3 February 2025. Arsenal and Tottenham will be the home sides in the first leg, with Newcastle and Liverpool taking the second leg at home. The final will be played on 16 March 2025 at Wembley.
Tickets are expected to go on sale for the first leg shortly after the draw is made, with a short turnaround between the draw and the fixture date.
Carabao Cup third round roundup
The third round of the Carabao Cup took place over two weeks from September 17 – 25. The biggest news to come from the competition over these two weeks was the postponement of the match between AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle United.
A sinkhole developed on the pitch at the Cherry Red Records Stadium following heavy rainfall in South London. The match has since been re-arranged and will now be played on Tuesday, 1 October at St James' Park.
The rest of the round went by without too many major upsets, with all seven teams competing in European football this season and progressing to the fourth round.
Carabao Cup fourth round roundup
Taking place over two days, the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup saw a series of fixtures that set up for an all-Premier League Quarter Final. Brentford and Southampton came up first, and both made it look difficult against lower-league opposition. A late winner for Southampton sent them through, while Brentford went to penalties to secure victory.
Preston was the last non-Premier League side left, but Arsenal were too much for the side as they lost at out from the Deepdale to a majorly changed Arsenal side. Brighton held firm at the Amex, losing 2-3 to Liverpool. Aston Villa also lost at home to Crystal Palace, while Old Trafford got the first sight of its new era. Newcastle also secured a home win under the St James' Park lights, getting revenge on Chelsea, whom they lost to just 3 days prior.
The late game saw Spurs secure one of their most important wins at the new stadium, taking down Man City 2-1.
2024/25 Quarter-final draw
The draw is as follows:
- Tottenham vs Manchester United
- Newcastle vs Brentford
- Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
- Southampton vs Liverpool
FGG says: All to play for in the semi-final
We probably got the most interesting semi-final draw, setting up multiple exciting finals. We could end up with a London derby, a title contender showdown, or a game between two clubs in dire need of a trophy going toe-to-toe to avoid bottling it once again.