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Everything you need to know about the League Cup – draw, games and more.
The Carabao Cup, England’s League Cup, is a thrilling knockout competition that pits teams from the Premier League and the English Football League against each other.
Offering a unique opportunity for clubs to secure silverware and European qualification, the tournament is a highlight of the domestic football calendar in the UK.
Every season, the Carabao Cup begins in early August with the involvement of 92 teams across the English football pyramid. This includes 20 teams from the Premier League, and 24 teams each from League One, League Two, and the Championship. The competition follows a traditional knockout format, with ties decided over a single match except for the semi-finals, which are played over two legs.
The early rounds often feature clashes between lower-league and Premier League sides, creating unpredictable and exciting encounters. As the competition progresses, the intensity increases, culminating in the showpiece final at Wembley Stadium.
GOAL has all the details about the 2024-25 edition, including draw information, fixtures, dates, results, TV information and more.
Carabao Cup third round draw, fixtures & results
The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup took place on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. A total of 32 teams were involved, including seven Premier League teams who are involved in European competition. All fixtures will be played on the weeks commencing September 16 and 23 and will be spread over four nights.
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| TBA | Liverpool vs West Ham |
| TBA | Manchester City vs Watford |
| TBA | Arsenal vs Bolton |
| TBA | Manchester United vs Barnsley |
| TBA | Wycombe vs Aston Villa |
| TBA | Coventry vs Tottenham |
| TBA | Walsall vs Leiceser |
| TBA | Brentford vs Leyton Orient |
| TBA | Blackpool vs Sheffield Wednesday |
| TBA | Preston vs Fulham |
| TBA | Everton vs Southampton |
| TBA | QPR vs Crystal Palace |
| TBA | Stoke vs Fleetwood |
| TBA | Brighton vs Wolves |
| TBA | AFC Wimbledon vs Newcastle United |
| TBA | Chelsea vs Barrow |
Carabao Cup second round draw, fixtures & results
The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup 2024-25 took place on August 14, 2024. A total of 50 teams take part, with 25 ties, split into north and south sections, drawn.
North section
| Date | Fixture | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | Middlesbrough 0-5 Stoke City | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Barnsley 1-0 Sheffield United | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Barrow 0-0 Derby County (3-2 on pens) | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Blackpool | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Everton 3-0 Doncaster Rovers | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Fleetwood Town 2-1 Rotherham United | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Grimsby Town 1-5 Sheffield Wednesday | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Harrogate Town 0-5 Preston | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Leicester City 4-0 Tranmere Rovers | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Shrewsbury Town 0-2 Bolton | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Walsall 3-2 Huddersfield Town | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 28 | Wolves 2-0 Burnley | Sky Sports+, Paramount+ |
| Aug 28 | Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle United *(3-4 on penalties) | fubo, CBS Sports, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
(*) Won on penalties
South section
| Date | Fixture | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | Brighton 4-0 Crawley Town | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Coventry City 1-0 Oxford United | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Millwall 0-1 Leyton Orient | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | QPR 1-1 Luton Town (4-1 on pens) | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Watford 2-0 Plymouth Argyle | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 27 | Birmingham City 0-2 Fulham | fubo, CBS Sports, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Ultra HDR |
| Aug 27 | Crystal Palace 4-0 Norwich City | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 28 | Wimbledon * 2-2 Ipswich Town(4-2 on penalties) | Sky Sports+, Paramount+ |
| Aug 28 | Cardiff City 3-5 Southampton | Sky Sports+, Paramount+ |
| Aug 28 | Colchester United 0-1 Brentford | Sky Sports+, Paramount+ |
| Aug 28 | Swansea City 0-1 Wycombe Wanderers | Sky Sports+ |
| Aug 28 | West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth | Sky Sports+, Paramount+ |
(*) Won on penalties
Carabao Cup first round draw, fixtures and results
The Carabao Cup draw is eagerly anticipated by fans, as it determines the path to glory for each participating club. The initial rounds will not feature any Premier League teams who have European commitments as they enter the competition from the third round only.
All 92 professional English football clubs are eligible to compete and the competition will commence with the first round involving 22 teams from the Championship, and all League One and League Two clubs.
The second round will include the remaining two Championship clubs who were relegated from the Premier League the previous season after finishing in 18th and 19th place, as well as Premier League teams not participating in European competitions. The seven teams who have European commitments will enter the tournament in the third round.
The first round of the Carabao Cup is divided into two sections: North and South. Games were played from August 13 onwards.
North Section
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| 13 August 2024 | Carlisle United 0-2 Stoke City |
| 13 August 2024 | Stockport County 1-6 Blackburn Rovers |
| 13 August 2024 | Barrow 3-2 Port Vale |
| 13 August 2024 | Bolton Wanderers 1-1 (5-4P) Mansfield Town |
| 13 August 2024 | Burton Albion 0-4 Blackpool |
| 13 August 2024 | Derby County 2-1 Chesterfield |
| 13 August 2024 | Fleetwood Town 2-1 West Brom |
| 13 August 2024 | Grimsby Town 1-1 (9-8P) Bradford City |
| 13 August 2024 | Huddersfield Town 3-0 Morecambe |
| 13 August 2024 | Lincoln City 1-2 Harrogate Town |
| 13 August 2024 | Preston North End 2-0 Sunderland |
| 13 August 2024 | Rotherham United 2-1 Crewe Alexandra |
| 13 August 2024 | Salford City 0-2 Doncaster Rovers |
| 13 August 2024 | Shrewsbury Town 3-3 (4-3P) Notts County |
| 13 August 2024 | Tranmere Rovers 3-0 Accrington Stanley |
| 13 August 2024 | Wigan Athletic 1-1 (2-4P) Barnsley |
| 13 August 2024 | Sheffield United 4-2 Wrexham |
| 14 August 2024 | Hull City 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday |
| 14 August 2024 | Leeds United 0-3 Middlesbrough |
South Section
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| 13 August 2024 | Leyton Orient 4-1 Newport County |
| 13 August 2024 | Bristol City 0-1 Coventry City |
| 13 August 2024 | Bromley 1-2 AFC Wimbledon |
| 13 August 2024 | Cambridge United 1-2 QPR |
| 13 August 2024 | Cardiff City 2-0 Bristol Rovers |
| 13 August 2024 | Charlton Athletic 0-1 Birmingham City |
| 13 August 2024 | Colchester United 2-2 (4-3P) Reading |
| 13 August 2024 | Crawley Town 4-2 Swindon Town |
| 13 August 2024 | Northampton Town 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers |
| 13 August 2024 | Norwich City 4-3 Stevenage |
| 13 August 2024 | Oxford United 2-0 Peterborough United |
| 13 August 2024 | Portsmouth 0-1 Millwall |
| 13 August 2024 | Swansea City 3-1 Gillingham |
| 13 August 2024 | Walsall 1-1 (4-3P) Exeter City |
| 13 August 2024 | Watford 5-0 MK Dons |
| 14 August 2024 | Plymouth Argyle 3-0 Cheltenham Town |
Carabao Cup TV channel & live stream
To ensure maximum exposure and fan engagement, the Carabao Cup typically enjoys widespread television coverage.
Sky Sports has been a regular broadcaster of the competition in recent years, providing live matches and highlights and that is set to continue, with more games than ever being available to stream live on Sky Sports+.
Sky Sports and ITV have also agreed to allow all football fans in the UK to enjoy free-to-air broadcasts of certain Carabao Cup and Championship matches. This new arrangement, starting in January 2025 with the Carabao Cup semi-finals, will allow ITV to co-broadcast a selection of games that will also be shown on Sky Sports.
In the U.S., Paramount+ and CBS are broadcasting Carabao Cup games from 2024-25, along with a number of games from across the EFL Championship, League One and League Two.
When is the Carabao Cup 2024-25 final?
| Game: | TBD vs TBD |
| Date: | March 16, 2025 |
| Venue: | Wembley Stadium, London |
| TV channel & stream: | Sky Sports (UK) / Paramount+ (U.S.) |
The Carabao Cup final is scheduled for March 16, 2025.
It will be held at Wembley Stadium, London, which is the traditional venue for the final of the Carabao Cup every year. The Carabao Cup final is a prestigious event and the match is a showcase of English football, attracting a massive audience both domestically and internationally.
Carabao Cup 2024-25 dates
The 2024-25 Carabao Cup kicks off on the week commencing August 12, 2024 and will conclude on March 16, 2025.
You can see the complete round dates and number of games in the table below.
| Round | Games | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| First round | 35 | August 13 |
| Second round | 25 | w/c August 26 |
| Third round | 16 | w/c September 16 |
| Fourth round | 8 | w/c October 28 |
| Quarter-finals | 4 | w/c December 16 |
| Semi-finals | 4 (two legs) | w/c January 6, 2025 |
| Final | 1 | March 16, 2025 |
Who won the Carabao Cup last season?
Liverpool beat Chelsea to win the Carabao Cup in the 2023-24 season.
Virgin Van Dijk scored in the 118th minute to stun Chelsea and help secure what was manager Jurgen Klopp’s last trophy with the Reds.