2026–27 Carabao Cup: Draw, Fixtures, Results and Guide to Each Round

The 2026–27 Carabao Cup is the official curtain-raiser for the new domestic season, with the competition getting underway before the start of the Premier League and English Football League campaigns.

92 teams have thus begun their respective journeys to Wembley, although the competition hasn’t exactly been kind to underdogs as of late. The Premier League’s elite have run the rule, with Manchester City the current holders after beating Arsenal 2–0 in last season’s final.

Newcastle United’s success in 2025 offered respite from ’Big Six’ supremacy, but even the Magpies, at the time, were regarded as a burgeoning force once again competing with Europe’s top dogs in the Champions League.

Will there be a fairytale story this time around?

Here’s a complete overview of the 2026–27 Carabao Cup.

2026–27 Carabao Cup Round Dates

Stage of Competition	Date
Round One	w/c Aug. 3, 2026
Round Two	w/c Aug. 24, 2026
Round Three	w/c Sep. 7 and w/c Sep. 14, 2026
Round Four	w/c Oct. 26, 2026
Round Five	w/c Dec. 14, 2026
Semifinal First Legs	w/c Jan. 11, 2027
Semifinal Second Legs	w/c Feb. 1 2027
Final	March 21, 2027

Carabao Cup 2026–27 Preliminary Round Results

Carabao Cup 2026–27 First Round Results

Northern Section

Date	Result
Aug. 7, 2026	Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–0 Port Vale
Aug. 7, 2026	Middlesbrough 1–0 Wrexham
Aug. 8, 2026	Barnsley 1–1 (6–5p) Wigan Athletic
Aug. 8, 2026	Bradford City 2–0 Rochdale
Aug. 8, 2026	Burnley 1–1 (4–3p) Notts County
Aug. 8, 2026	Burton Albion 1–2 Blackburn Rovers
Aug. 8, 2026	Crewe Alexandra 2–1 Accrington Stanley
Aug. 8, 2026	Derby County 1–2 Lincoln City
Aug. 8, 2026	Fleetwood Town 1–0 Chesterfield
Aug. 8, 2026	Grimsby Town 1–3 Blackpool
Aug. 8, 2026	Preston North End 1–1 (4–3p) Huddersfield Town
Aug. 8, 2026	Salford City 1–1 (3–4p) Shrewsbury Town
Aug. 8, 2026	Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Bolton Wanderers
Aug. 8, 2026	Stockport County 1–1 (4–5p) Doncaster Rovers
Aug. 8, 2026	Stoke City 2–0 Oldham Athletic
Aug. 8, 2026	Rotherham United 1–4 West Bromwich Albion
Aug. 9, 2026	Mansfield Town 0–3 Sheffield United

Southern Section

Date	Result
Aug. 6, 2026	Bristol City 0–1 Walsall
Aug. 7, 2026	Wycombe Wanderers 1–2 Stevenage
Aug. 8, 2026	Cambridge United 2–1 Barnet
Aug. 8, 2026	QPR 1–1 (0–2p) Millwall
Aug. 8, 2026	AFC Wimbledon 1–1 (5–4p) Newport County
Aug. 8, 2026	Bristol Rovers 0–1 Peterborough United
Aug. 8, 2026	Bromley 1–1 (4–5p) Reading
Aug. 8, 2026	Cardiff City 3–2 Swindon Town
Aug. 8, 2026	Gillingham 0–3 Luton Town
Aug. 8, 2026	Leicester City 1–0 Northampton Town
Aug. 8, 2026	Leyton Orient 2–0 Oxford United
Aug. 8, 2026	Norwich City 4–1 MK Dons
Aug. 8, 2026	Swansea City 0–1 Birmingham City
Aug. 8, 2026	Watford 1–0 Crawley Town
Aug. 8, 2026	West Ham United 3–1 Portsmouth
Aug. 8, 2026	Cheltenham Town 1–3 Charlton Athletic
Aug. 8, 2026	Colchester United 0–2 Southampton
Aug. 10, 2026	Plymouth Argyle 2–0 Exeter City

Carabao Cup 2026–27 Second Round Fixtures

Northern Section

Date	Fixture
TBC	Stoke City vs. Hull City
TBC	Newcastle United vs. West Bromwich Albion
TBC	Blackburn Rovers vs. Sheffield United
TBC	Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds United
TBC	Doncaster Rovers vs. Middlesbrough
TBC	Barnsley vs. Crewe Alexandra
TBC	Preston North End vs. Everton
TBC	Blackpool vs. Lincoln City
TBC	Sheffield Wednesday vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
TBC	Bradford City vs. Burnley
TBC	Fleetwood Town vs. Shrewsbury Town

Southern Section

Date	Fixture
TBC	Walsall vs. Leyton Orient
TBC	Ipswich Town vs. Leicester City
TBC	Cardiff City vs. Norwich City
TBC	Stevenage vs. Reading
TBC	Cambridge United vs. Millwall
TBC	Birmingham City vs. Brentford
TBC	Southampton vs. West Ham United
TBC	Watford vs. Peterborough United
TBC	Fulham vs. AFC Wimbledon
TBC	Plymouth Argyle vs. Coventry City
TBC	Chelsea vs. Luton Town
TBC	Tottenham Hotspur vs. Charlton Athletic

How to Watch the 2026–27 Carabao Cup

Sky Sports has once again secured the Carabao Cup’s rights in the United Kingdom, although free-to-air ITV will also broadcast one fixture from every round.

The addition of Sky Sports+ as a channel means every single match from the competition can be watched on Sky.

In the United States, the Carabao Cup will be shown on Paramount+ and CBS Sports.

Disney+ has the rights in Mexico, as does DAZN in Canada.

When is the 2027 Carabao Cup Final?

This season’s Carabao Cup final will be held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 21, 2027. Wembley has hosted the competition’s showpiece event of this competition every year since 2008.

A Nico O’Reilly brace helped Man City to their ninth League Cup trophy last season, as the Cityzens beat eventual Premier League champions Arsenal 2–0.

Who is the Most Successful Team in Carabao Cup History?

Virgil van Dijk — Liverpool are ten-time winners of this competition. | Tom Jenkins/Getty Images

Newcastle became the 24th different club to win the League Cup in 2025, with half of the competition’s winners, including Middlesbrough, QPR, Swindon Town and Oxford United, prevailing once.

No team has had more success than ten-time winners Liverpool, who have lifted the trophy five times in the 21st century and most recently in 2024.

Man City are closing in on the Reds, with their success in 2026 being their ninth. Seven of their nine wins have come since 2014, with Pep Guardiola overseeing four consecutive League Cup triumphs between 2018 and 2021.

Manchester United have lifted the League Cup six times, while Aston Villa and Chelsea have each prevailed on five occasions.

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