Need to know
The Carabao Cup second round draw is upon us and some Premier League sides will enter the competition at this stage, but not all of them
The EFL Carabao Cup is seen during the first draw for the upcoming season's EFL Cup football tournament
The Carabao Cup second-round draw will soon commence(Image: Getty)
Everything you need to know about Premier League teams and the Carabao Cup
The draw: Monday night marks the live draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup. However, the competition's staggered entry rules frequently leave supporters confused about which clubs join at each stage.
First-round games: The tournament commenced with 70 EFL clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two battling through the opening fixtures. Those matches whittle the initial field down to 35 advancing teams.
Second-round entrants: Joining those 35 first-round winners are now 11 Premier League clubs that are not participating in European competitions this season. These include Chelsea and Tottenham. Together, these 46 teams form the second-round draw, creating 23 direct knockout ties.
Regionalised draw: To minimise travel distances, the second-round fixtures are geographically divided into northern and southern sections. Once these regional ties are completed, 23 victorious teams will progress to the next stage.
Third-round entry: The remaining nine Premier League teams, those qualified for European competitions, officially enter the tournament in the third round. This delayed entry grants European participants a bye through the first two rounds to ease their congested match schedules, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all joining at this stage.
Last 32: Combining the 23 second-round winners with the nine incoming European-qualified clubs establishes the third round's 32-team field. From the third round onward, regional boundaries are removed, allowing any remaining team to be drawn against another.
The reigning champions: Manchester City won the 2026 Carabao Cup with a 2–0 victory over Arsenal in the final at Wembley. Nico O'Reilly scored two second-half headers to secure the domestic trophy.
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