The Premier League’s sides in Europe enter the competition with a split draw taking place either side of tonight’s second round ties
Bookmark popover
The Carabao Cup third round draw takes place this evening
The Carabao Cup third round draw takes place this evening (PA Archive)
The Carabao Cup gathers pace tonight when the third round ties are decided to complete the Premier League’s involvement in the competition.
So far the nine Premier League teams in Europe have sat out as the second round edges towards completion, but holders Manchester City, Arsenal, who lost to City in last season’s final, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace will all learn their third-round opponents tonight.
There is a pre-draw though, with those aforementioned teams set to be separated in order to avoid a clash in Uefa competitions.
While the draw will be completed before Chelsea face Luton and Fulham face AFC Wimbledon to conclude the second round.
Follow all the build-up and live updates from tonight’s ties below:
Carabao Cup third round draw
Carabao Cup third round main draw to take place after Preston v Everton
Pre-draw to take place before 8pm kick-off at Deepdale, live on Sky Sports Main Event
Holders Man City and champions Arsenal among sides in Europe to enter competition
1 minute ago
How will the Carabao Cup third round draw work?
Pre-draw
Before the main draw, there is a pre-draw to decide if the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs will be at home or away. This part is before Preston North End’s Round Two tie against Everton on Sky Sports.
Main draw
The main draw will take place following the conclusion of Round Two tie, the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League clubs. Their home or away position will have already having been decided. They will then be drawn against a team in a separate bowl with the remaining teams in the competition – so cannot meet one another at this stage.
Following the conclusion of those eight ties being drawn, the final eight ties will be drawn as normal.
From Round Three onwards, there is no longer a divide between the Northern and Southern sections.
Jack Rathborn26 August 2026 18:00
4 minutes ago
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Carabao Cup third round draw.
All of the second round ties are being played during this week with four more matches taking place tonight ahead of the draw for the third round.
Those Premier League sides who are participating in European competition will enter the tournament in this round including the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
We’ll take you through all the updates from tonight’s matches as well as the draw itself so stick with us for all the details you’ll need.
Mike Jones26 August 2026 17:58