Carabao Cup 2026/27: Fixtures, Draws & Results Overview

Carabao Cup 2026/27: Fixtures, Draws & Results Overview

The 67th edition of the Carabao Cup (also known as the EFL Cup or League Cup) offers more than just a trophy. The winners earn a spot in the next season’s Europa Conference League along with prize money, adding greater stakes to this historic competition.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026/27 tournament, including key dates, draws, fixtures, results, and viewing information.

First Round: Northern & Southern Sections

The opening round began on August 6, 2026, with lower league clubs kicking off the competitive season. A notable upset came from League Two’s Walsall knocking out Championship side Bristol City.

• Northern Section Matches:
• Aug 7: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Port Vale (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 7: Middlesbrough 1-0 Wrexham (Sky Sports, ITV 1 UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Barnsley 1-1 (P) Wigan Athletic (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Bradford City 2-0 Rochdale (Sky Sports)
• Aug 8: Burnley 1-1 (P) Notts County (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Burton Albion 1-2 Blackburn Rovers (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Accrington Stanley (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Derby County 1-2 Lincoln City (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Fleetwood Town 1-0 Chesterfield (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Grimsby Town 1-3 Blackpool (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Preston North End 1-1 (P) Huddersfield Town (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Salford City 1-1 (P) Shrewsbury Town (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Bolton Wanderers (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Stockport County 1-1 (P) Doncaster Rovers (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Stoke City 2-0 Oldham Athletic (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Rotherham United 1-4 West Bromwich Albion (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 9: Mansfield Town 0-3 Sheffield United (Sky Sports)

• Southern Section Matches:
• Aug 6: Bristol City 0-1 Walsall (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 7: Wycombe 1-2 Stevenage (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: AFC Wimbledon 1-1 (P) Newport County (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Bristol Rovers 0-1 Peterborough United (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Bromley 1-1 (P) Reading (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Cambridge United 2-1 Barnet (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Cardiff City 3-2 Swindon Town (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Gillingham 0-3 Luton Town (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Leicester City 1-0 Northampton Town (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Leyton Orient 2-0 Oxford United (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Norwich City 4-1 MK Dons (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 (P) Millwall (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Swansea City 0-1 Birmingham City (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Watford 1-0 Crawley Town (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: West Ham United 3-1 Portsmouth (Sky Sports + UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 8: Cheltenham Town 1-3 Charlton Athletic (Sky Sports +)
• Aug 8: Colchester United 0-2 Southampton (Sky Sports)
• Aug 10: Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Exeter City (Sky Sports)

Second Round Results

The second round draw took place on August 10, 2026, with matches played between August 25 and 27. Premier League clubs not involved in European competition entered at this stage.

• Northern Section:
• Aug 25: Doncaster Rovers 1-3 Middlesbrough (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Barnsley 3-2 Crewe Alexandra (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Sheffield United (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Blackpool 1-4 Lincoln City (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Fleetwood Town 4-0 Shrewsbury Town (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Wolves (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Stoke City 1-1 (P) Hull City (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Leeds United (Sky Sports Main Event, ITV1 UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 26: Bradford City 0-0 (P) Burnley (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 26: Newcastle United 3-2 West Brom (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 26: Preston 0-4 Everton (Sky Sports Main Event UK, Paramount+ US)

• Southern Section:
• Aug 25: Cardiff City 1-2 Norwich City (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 25: Cambridge United 0-1 Millwall (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Ipswich Town 3-1 Leicester City (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 25: Plymouth Argyle 2-4 Coventry City (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Southampton 1-4 West Ham (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 25: Stevenage 0-3 Reading (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Walsall 0-0 (P) Leyton Orient (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Watford 1-5 Peterborough United (Sky Sports+)
• Aug 25: Birmingham City 1-6 Brentford (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 26: Tottenham 5-1 Charlton Athletic (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 27: Chelsea 2-0 Luton Town (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)
• Aug 27: Fulham 3-0 AFC Wimbledon (Sky Sports+ UK, Paramount+ US)

Third Round Highlights

The third round introduced nine Premier League clubs involved in European play, including Arsenal and Manchester United. Scheduling conflicts with the UEFA Champions League caused some games to be postponed.

• Sep 8: Bournemouth 4-0 Lincoln City (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Sep 8: Crystal Palace 3-0 Middlesbrough (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Sep 8: Leyton Orient 1-3 Bradford City (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Sep 8: Sunderland 1-0 Hull City (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Sep 8: Millwall 0-1 Newcastle United (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Sep 9: Chelsea 6-3 Leeds United (Sky Sports Main Event / Paramount+)
• Sep 15: Peterborough United 3-3 (P) Barnsley (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 15: West Ham 2-3 Fulham (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 15: Ipswich Town 2-4 Arsenal (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 15: Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham (Sky Sports Main Event, ITV4 / Paramount+)
• Sep 15: Reading 1-2 Brentford (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 16: Everton 1-0 Wolves (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 16: Fleetwood Town 1-0 Sheffield United (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 16: Coventry City 1-3 Aston Villa (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)
• Sep 16: Manchester United 2-3 Brighton (Sky Sports Main Event, ITV1 / Paramount+)
• Sep 17: Manchester City 5-0 Norwich City (Sky Sports+ / Paramount+)

Fourth Round Recap

Draw held during the Manchester United vs Brighton match on September 16, 2026. Brighton eliminated Man Utd on penalties, while Liverpool and Chelsea also went to a shootout after a 1-1 draw. Lower-league sides Bradford City and Fleetwood Town created upsets to reach this stage.

• Oct 27: Bradford City 2-0 Peterborough United (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Oct 27: Fleetwood Town 1-1 (P) Arsenal (Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football / Paramount+)
• Oct 28: Manchester City 2-2 (P) Brighton (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Oct 28: Bournemouth 3-0 Aston Villa (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Oct 28: Fulham 0-1 Crystal Palace (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Oct 28: Sunderland 3-2 Brentford (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• Oct 28: Liverpool 1-1 (P) Chelsea (Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, ITV1, ITVX / Paramount+)
• Oct 29: Everton vs Newcastle United (Sky Sports / Paramount+)

Quarter-Final Draw & Fixtures

The quarter-final draw occurred on October 28. Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth faces Liverpool, Bradford City travel to holders Manchester City, Crystal Palace host Sunderland, and Fleetwood Town will welcome either Everton or Newcastle United.

• w/c December 14, 2026: Fleetwood Town vs Everton or Newcastle (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• w/c December 14, 2026: Manchester City vs Bradford City (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• w/c December 14, 2026: Crystal Palace vs Sunderland (Sky Sports / Paramount+)
• w/c December 14, 2026: Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Sky Sports / Paramount+)

Key Dates for the Carabao Cup 2026/27

• First Round: w/c August 3, 2026
• Second Round: w/c August 24, 2026
• Third Round: w/c September 7 and w/c September 14, 2026
• Fourth Round: w/c October 26, 2026
• Quarter-finals: w/c December 14, 2026
• Semi-final First Leg: w/c January 11, 2027
• Semi-final Second Leg: w/c February 1, 2027
• Final: Sunday, March 21, 2027

Prize Money Breakdown

The prize for lifting the Carabao Cup stands at £100,000, with additional rewards for progression through the stages. Manchester City received this amount after winning the 2026 final against Arsenal.

• Semi-finals: £25,000
• Runners-up: £50,000
• Winners: £100,000

Where to Watch the Carabao Cup

In the UK and Ireland, most matches air on Sky Sports and ITV. In the US, games are available on CBS Sports, Paramount+, and the Golazo Network. Canadian viewers can watch via DAZN, while Australian and New Zealand fans have access through beIN Sports.