The competition will require a Preliminary Round to be introduced ahead of Round One due to nine Premier League teams being involved in European competition in 2025/26.

This round includes four teams: Barnet and Oldham Athletic (promoted from National League) and Accrington Stanley and Newport County (21st and 22nd in League Two), with regionalised ties (Accrington vs. Oldham, Barnet vs. Newport).

The #CarabaoCup format for the 2025/26 season has now been confirmed 🏆

The competition will require a Preliminary Round to be introduced ahead of Round One due to nine Premier League teams being involved in European competition in 2025/26.

Read more below ⬇️#EFL

— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) June 12, 2025

EFL STATEMENT:

This season’s Carabao Cup will require a Preliminary Round to be introduced ahead of Round One due to nine Premier League teams being involved in European competition in 2025/26.

The format of the Carabao Cup will be amended to introduce a four-team preliminary qualifying round, to reduce the number of Clubs in Round One and Round Two in order to accommodate all Premier League European Clubs in Round Three.

The Preliminary Round will consist of the two promoted Clubs from the National League (Barnet and Oldham Athletic) and the Clubs finishing in 21st and 22nd place in League Two (Accrington Stanley and Newport County). The ties will be regionalised North and South as per Round One, with Accrington playing Oldham and Barnet playing Newport County.

The Carabao Cup Round One Draw will take place live on Sky Sports News at 4:30pm on Thursday 26 June, as part of the EFL’s Fixture Release Day.

The Preliminary Round of the competition will also be drawn at this time to determine the home Clubs for the two ties.

The round dates for the Carabao Cup have been confirmed as the following:

Preliminary Round: w/c 4 August 2025
Round One: w/c 11 August 2025
Round Two: w/c 25 August 2025
Round Three: w/c 15 September and w/c 22 September 2025*
Round Four: w/c 27 October 2025
Round Five: w/c 15 December 2025
Semi-Final First Leg: w/c 12 January 2026
Semi-Final Second Leg: w/c 2 February 2026
Final: Sunday 22 March 2026

*Round Three will take place on the same basis as 2024/25, with split weeks for those Clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

: Good to be back 🤣

: Once again we all have to change for the fkn premier league. The leagues who,s viewing figures are dwindling because of Mickey mouse competitions. Yet they disregard our plights. 🤨

: Wtf is that all about 😂

: thats a disgrace

: Bending over backwards for the premier league yet again

: Just take the European teams OUT of this competition and give it a reason for existing. They don’t have the time for it. Lots of other clubs would LOVE to win this. They don’t care that Man City won’t be in it.

: People are complaining but I don’t see any other alternative?

: A lot of people complaining but this is the only option due to 9 teams in Europe. To have 9 teams in the 3rd round the 2nd round needs 23 ties not the usual 25 meaning the 1st round needs fewer ties and the only way you do that is by a Preliminary round

: what is that about, 9 clubs in europe so you know what we will make the teams right at the bottom of the efl play an extra game. games gone #asfc

: Why not just remove all teams in Europe from the competition and bring in the top 9 teams from non league. (2 who went down from league 2 and 7 who didn’t come up).

: That disgraceful @Carabao_Cup the fact these clubs have now gone overseas as soon as the seasons finished for glorified friendly games. Entering extra competitions whilst trying to kill off the football pyramid. Now this, WOW!

: Awful competition this. Just constantly favouring the bigger sides

: Is anyone even surprised anymore 🤣

: This tournament should just be binned off especially after that rigged as shit draw last year where European teams weren’t allowed to play against eachother

: Once again the premier league have the power over everything

: Breaking their backs for the Premier League clubs at the expense of EFL teams, once again. Absolutely crooked system.

: What an absolute farce. A fucking preliminary round because almost half of the PL are in Europe.

@KeatonFisher19: Imagine playing in the Carabao and not even reaching Round one

@charlieej_: bro we were that shit last season we haven’t even qualified for the first round of the CARABAO CUP i can’t be arsed man

A ‘preliminary round’ of four teams for the Carabao Cup next season. pic.twitter.com/pR8wwkFewE

— Tom Carnduff (@TomCarnduff) June 12, 2025