An Insider’s Guide to the Carabao Cup: 2025-26 Edition

A football fan returns with a rapid celebration as these English Football Leagues start with a preliminary round. More promising, mesmerizing performances with unforgettable moments are waiting for you! The EFL Cup is a kick-off tournament that greets all clubs from the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL). The Carabao Cup ensures the format tests the spirit of every team from lower leagues to the English Premier League (EPL). Their pathway is ready with regionalized rounds, safely local rivalries, and closes in a grand finale at Wembley Stadium. EFL Cup 2025-26 season is higher than ever for other leagues. Because the winner not only privileges the prestigious trophy but also secures the UEFA Conference League 2026-27 play-off round. This one enhances a superfluous coat of enthusiasm for squads to stretch them very far in all games. The Carabao Cup 2025-26 season has thrilled matchups and a celebration of English football’s penetration and range.

Antiquity of EFL Cup

The past English Football League Cup is known as the League Cup or Carabao Cup due to sponsorship. The Carabao Cup is an annual knockout tournament in men’s football in England. Begin with the English Football League (EFL), which has had clubs from the top four levels of the league process. The League Cup, owned by Stanley Rous to support clubs, was abolished, and the FA Cup came back, losing match revenue. Since 1960-61, the Carabao Cup has been split by two major domestic kick-off trophies with the FA Cup. Aston Villa won the first title, and the league advanced the Football League’s profile with the final at Wembley in 1967. The Carabao Cup is mainly seven rounds with single-leg ties, except for the semi-finals, which are home and away league legs. This EFL Cup 2025-26 season final will be at Wembley Stadium, and the winners will collect the Carabao Cup and succeed in European football. Pivotal club Liverpool grabs on record ten titles, alongside Newcastle United at the current champions very first title. Check out for all in-depth details about all other sports.

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The EFL Cup 2025-26, aka the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a fascinating football game. It marks the 65th edition of England’s second-most impressive knockout football league. The Carabao Cup 2025-26 season is hosted across both England and Wales with the home turfs of participating clubs. Where matches through the early rounds are domestic, split into northern and southern parts to curtail collapsibility. At the final venue, Wembley remains an impartial, prestigious venue and is perfect for showcasing the pinnacle tournament. While travel demands are lighter from lower leagues, home support physically holds enthusiast audiences in early rounds. Regional adds on an extra layer with fierce local matchups and battles happening first. Comes to the squad’s side, offering the ease of aware terrain for players and local fanbases. The choice of Wembley Stadium for the final carry’s prestige and neutrality, higher travel costs, and those supporting less-resourced clubs. Even more, all football leagues with the latest updates and fresh news.

Event Details—Carabao Cup 2025-26

Teams: Barnet vs. Newport County (preliminary round)

Date: July 29, 2025 (Tuesday)

Time: 02:30 p.m. ET | 11:30 a.m. PT | 12:00 a.m. IST (Next Day)

Venue: The Hive, Camrose Ave, London, United Kingdom.

Teams Joining

In the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season, 92 clubs in the Premier League and English Football League joined in the EFL Cup. After a number of participating teams, the preliminary round faces Barnet and Oldham Athletic; these two teams are promoted to League Two 2025-26. The two lowest finishers not downgraded in League Two 2024-25 are Accrington Stanley and Newport County.

Rounds	Clubs entering in this round	Clubs advancing from previous round	Number of games	Week commencing
Preliminary round (4 clubs)	4 clubs from EFL League Two (lowest ranked not relegated from 24–25 and newly-promoted)	N/A	2	4 August 2025
First round (70 clubs)	20 clubs from EFL League Two, 24 clubs from EFL League One, 24 clubs from EFL Championship	2 winners from Preliminary round	35	11 August 2025
Second round (46 clubs)	11 Premier League clubs (not involved in European competitions)	35 winners from first round	23	25 August 2025
Third round (32 clubs)	9 Premier League clubs (involved in European competitions)	23 winners from second round	16	15 September 2025, 22 September 2025
Fourth round (16 clubs)	–	16 winners from third round	8	27 October 2025
Quarter-finals (8 clubs)	–	8 winners from fourth round	4	15 December 2025
Semi-finals (4 clubs)	–	4 winners from quarter-finals	4 (two-legged)	12 January 2026 2 February 2026
Final (2 clubs)	–	2 winners from semi-finals	1	25 March 2026

What are the ball numbers?

Northern section	Southern section
1 Barnsley	1 AFC Wimbledon
2 Barrow	2 Bristol City
3 Birmingham City	3 Bristol Rovers
4 Blackburn Rovers	4 Bromley
5 Blackpool	5 Cambridge United
6 Bolton Wanderers	6 Cardiff City
7 Bradford City	7 Charlton Athletic
8 Burton Albion	8 Cheltenham Town
9 Chesterfield	9 Colchester United
10 Crewe Alexandra	10 Coventry City
11 Derby County	11 Crawley Town
12 Doncaster Rovers	12 Exeter City
13 Fleetwood Town	13 Gillingham
14 Grimsby Town	14 Ipswich Town
15 Harrogate Town	15 Leyton Orient
16 Huddersfield Town	16 Luton Town
17 Hull City	17 Millwall
18 Leicester City	18 Milton Keynes Dons
19 Lincoln City	19 Northampton Town
20 Mansfield Town	20 Norwich City
21 Middlesbrough	21 Oxford United
22 Notts County	22 Plymouth Argyle
23 Peterborough United	23 Portsmouth
24 Port Vale	24 Queens Park Rangers
25 Preston North End	25 Reading
26 Rotherham United	26 Southampton
27 Salford City	27 Stevenage
28 Sheffield United	28 Swansea City
29 Sheffield Wednesday	29 Swindon Town
30 Shrewsbury Town	30 Watford
31 Stockport County	31 Wycombe Wanderers
32 Stoke City	32 Barnet or Newport County
33 Tranmere Rovers	–
34 Walsall	–
35 West Bromwich Albion	–
36 Wigan Athletic	–
37 Wrexham	–
38 Accrington Stanley or Oldham Athletic	–

Carabao Cup 2025-26 Schedule

Round	Date starting
Preliminary round	August 4, 2025
First round	August 11, 2025
Second round	August 25, 2025
Third round	September 15 & September 22, 2025
Fourth round	October 27, 2025
Quarter-finals	December 15, 2025
Semi-finals	January 12 & February 2, 2026
Final	March 25, 2026

Preliminary Round

Northern Section

Date	Fixture	TV Channel
Aug 5, 2025	Accrington Stanley vs Oldham Athletic	Sky Sports+

Southern Section

Date	Fixture	TV Channel
July 29, 2025	Barnet vs Newport County	Sky Sports+

Carabao Cup 2025-26 first round draw

Northern Section

Date	Fixture
TBC	Accrington Stanley/Oldham Athletic vs Peterborough United
Aug 12, 2025	Barnsley vs Fleetwood Town
Aug 12, 2025	Barrow vs Preston North End
Aug 12, 2025	Blackburn Rovers vs Bradford City
Aug 12, 2025	Blackpool vs Port Vale
Aug 12, 2025	Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town
Aug 12, 2025	Grimsby Town vs Shrewsbury Town
Aug 12, 2025	Harrogate Town vs Lincoln City
Aug 12, 2025	Middlesbrough vs Doncaster Rovers
Aug 12, 2025	Salford City vs Rotherham United
Aug 12, 2025	Stockport County vs Crewe Alexandra
Aug 12, 2025	Stoke City vs Walsall
Aug 12, 2025	Tranmere Rovers vs Burton Albion
Aug 12, 2025	West Brom vs Derby County
Aug 12, 2025	Wigan Athletic vs Notts County
Aug 12, 2025	Wrexham vs Hull City
Aug 13, 2025	Bolton Wanderers vs Sheffield Wednesday
Aug 13, 2025	Birmingham City vs Sheffield United
Aug 13, 2025	Huddersfield Town vs Leicester City

Southern Section

Date	Fixture
TBC	Barnet/Newport County vs Millwall
Aug 12, 2025	Bristol City vs MK Dons
Aug 12, 2025	Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United
Aug 12, 2025	Bromley vs Ipswich Town
Aug 12, 2025	Cardiff City vs Swindon Town
Aug 12, 2025	Charlton Athletic vs Stevenage
Aug 12, 2025	Coventry City vs Luton Town
Aug 12, 2025	Gillingham vs Wimbledon
Aug 12, 2025	Leyton Orient vs Wycombe Wanderers
Aug 12, 2025	Northampton Town vs Southampton
Aug 12, 2025	Oxford United vs Colchester United
Aug 12, 2025	Plymouth Argyle vs QPR
Aug 12, 2025	Portsmouth vs Reading
Aug 12, 2025	Swansea City vs Crawley Town
Aug 12, 2025	Watford vs Norwich City
Aug 13, 2025	Cheltenham Town vs Exeter City

How can I watch the live stream of the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season?

In the UK, you can view the live Carabao Cup 2025-26 season; it will be broadcast on Sky Sports. Also, on TV through the Sky Sports App or Sky Go, and more flexibility with NOW TV. Additionally, ITV streams will be freely accessible with a valid UK TV license.

Experience the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season live throughout Paramount+, which has exclusive rights from the third round onward. These platforms give a seven-day free trial, and subscriptions start at $7.99/month for the ad-supported plan or $12.99/month for the ad-free version. Adds CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network; you can stream those football games.

Australia fans, the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season will be streamed on beIN Sports, including every game from quarter-final to final. You can also subscribe through the beIN Sports CONNECT platform, laptop, smartphone, tablet, or smart TV.

Catch the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season live streaming on DAZN. Check the official football section for updates on Spain’s availability.

In Italy, the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season will air on the FanCode platform, which covers international football. Visit the FanCode match hub for more updates and schedules.

You can access the Carabao Cup 2025-26; the new season will be broadcast on SuperSport for major English football tournaments. This platform is available via DStv or the DStv stream app on devices in your home.

Japanese football fans can easily access DAZN Japan for full Carabao Cup 2025-26 season coverage. An alternative access uses a VPN set to the UK to stream via Sky Sports (with subscription) and NOW TV (contract-free passes).

You can stream the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season live through Vidio, which offers exclusive coverage of games for Indonesia.

Prize Purse for the Carabao Cup 2025-26?

Round	Money
First round winners	£5,000
Second round winners	£7,000
Third round winners	£10,000
Fourth round winners	£15,000
Quarter-Final winners	£25,000
Semi-Final winners	£25,000
Runner-up	£50,000
Winner	£100,000

Prediction

Barnet vs. Newport County

The Barnet F.C. will play Newport County A.F.C. on July 29, 2025, at The Hive, London, United Kingdom, in the preliminary round of the Carabao Cup 2025-26 season.

Arise From

• Barnet F.C.—2nd in EFL League Two
• Newport County A.F.C.—17th in EFL League Two

Previous Game

Barnet’s recent victory 3-0 over AFC Fylde in the National League success continues this EFL Cup 2025-26 season. Adebola Oluwo (12′), Mark Shelton (39′), and Lee Ndlovu (60′) scored for the Barnet side. At last, after six matches, this team hasn’t had any issues with scoring and hitting the target 100% better. The number of goals scored against them stands at five only. Comparatively, their recent form followed up on these first matchups between Newport County. They ended their last season as champions with 102 points from 46 league games. Barnet returned on their net ten times in their previous three matches last year. Striker Joe Hugill was taken to the Barnet team from Manchester United on loan. He will almost undoubtedly be based up visibly.

Conversely, the Newport County travelling supporters hope that they can get a recovery result at this time. They made a loss against Tranmere Rovers in the past game in League Two. Shane McLoughlin scored only for their side. While Jake Garett (41′), Kristian Dennis (48′), Omari Patrick (70′), and Josh Davison (78′) scored for Rovers. In those matches, they are also collective; their goal tally over them equals 11. Newport County had suffered from a lack of goals against in their past six clashes, their poor return being only three. This team has a collective goal tally over these kinds of matches, equal to 11. New defender Habeeb Ogunneye from the Manchester United team also joined the club on a temporary deal. Perhaps the visitor will give him minutes. They finished third last in League Two last season with seven points over the relegation zone. But they conceded 11 goals and only scored three times in their previous six outings of the campaign. Hence, Barnet will hold on to a triumph in their upcoming matches.

Accrington Stanley vs. Oldham Athletic

On August 5, 2025, Accrington Stanley come to blows with Oldham Athletic at Wham Stadium, Accrington, England, for the preliminary round in the Carabao Cup 2025-26 showdown.

Arise From

• Accrington Stanley F.C.—1st in EFL League Two
• Oldham Athletic A.F.C.—19th in EFL League Two

Previous Game

The Accrington Stanley team had had a tempestuous and resilient history in EFL League Two since rejoining the football league in 2006. They often navigated the mid-pack play-offs contention from 2006 to 2018. This team victory once earned the League Two title, earning promotion to League One for the very first time in history. After that, some more reasons to be relegated in 2023, and their return to League Two was struggling. They finished 19th in the table, with just 12 wins, ten draws, and 24 defeats. This team climbed to 14th place in the 2024-25 season with 15 wins, nine draws, and 22 losses. Even more, their goal-scoring slightly enhanced to 54, and goals conceded dropped to 65. The club showed its significance as a more organized and tournament-oriented side. In the EFL Cup 2025-26, their home crowd, full of fans, remained a spirited pillar to the team’s hard work.

Oldham Athletic had a storied move and moderate success in their history in the EFL League Two. They were promoted to League Two in 2018 following a long stint in League One. Their team performances were inconsistent in League Two, with mid-table finishes and rare relegation scares. A notable record marked a historic low point in the 2021-22 season, and they were downgraded to the National League. Becoming the first former Premier League club to drop into non-League football. After that, they are promoted to the promotion club in the 2024-25 play-offs for two seasons. Historically, Oldham had shown more flashes in League Two and struggled. But they maintained their consistency despite frequent managerial changes. Their return bounces back in the fourth tier in 2025-26, seen as a fresh look under Mellon and a titivated squad. Given that, Accrington Stanley will have more of a chance to secure a victory.