EFL confirm the dates, times, TV channel for the 25/26 Carabao Cup Preliminary and First Round ties taking place in August.
The league said in a statement that the schedule for the the two rounds of the Carabao Cup has been confirmed, with all 37 ties set to air live on Sky Sports+ or Sky Sports Football.
As announced in June, this season’s Carabao Cup requires a Preliminary Round ahead of Round One due to nine Premier League teams being involved in European competition in 2025/26.
In the Preliminary Round, Barnet will host Newport County (Tuesday 29 July, 19:30), whilst Oldham Athletic face a trip to Accrington Stanley (Tuesday 5 August, 19:45).
The date and kick-off time for the two Round One ties involving the winners of the Preliminary Round will be confirmed following those fixtures.Â
All Round One ties will take place from Tuesday, 12 August and Wednesday, 13 August. The full schedule can be found below.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Accrington Stanley V Oldham Athletic – Tue 5 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Barnet V Newport County – Tue 29 July, 7.30pm – Sky Sports+
FIRST ROUND
Coventry City V Luton Town – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Bristol City V Milton Keynes Dons – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Bromley V Ipswich Town – Tue 12 August, 8pm – Sky Sports Football
Bristol Rovers V Cambridge United – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Leyton Orient V Wycombe Wanderers – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Watford V Norwich City – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Charlton Athletic V Stevenage – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Oxford United V Colchester United – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Barnet or Newport V Millwall – TBC following preliminary round – Sky Sports+
Cardiff City V Swindon Town – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Gillingham V AFC Wimbledon – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Northampton Town V Southampton – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Cheltenham Town V Exeter City – Wed 13 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Plymouth Argyle V Queens Park Rangers – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Swansea City V Crawley Town – Tue 12 August, 7pm – Sky Sports+
Portsmouth V Reading – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Barrow V Preston North End – Tue 12 August, 7.30pm – Sky Sports+
Grimsby Town V Shrewsbury Town – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Blackpool V Port Vale – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Salford City V Rotherham United – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Harrogate Town V Lincoln City – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Tranmere Rovers V Burton Albion – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Stockport County V Crewe Alexandra – Tue 12 August, 7.30pm – Sky Sports+
Huddersfield Town V Leicester City – Wed 13 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Wrexham V Hull City – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Birmingham City V Sheffield United – Wed 13 August, 8pm – Sky Sports Football
Stoke City V Walsall – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Accrington or Oldham V Peterborough – TBC following preliminary round – Sky Sports+
Blackburn Rovers V Bradford City – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Middlesbrough V Doncaster Rovers – Tue 12 August, 7.30pm – Sky Sports+
West Bromwich Albion V Derby County – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Bolton Wanderers V Sheffield Wednesday – Wed 13 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Chesterfield V Mansfield Town – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Barnsley V Fleetwood Town – Wed 13 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
Wigan Athletic V Notts County – Tue 12 August, 7.45pm – Sky Sports+
SEE MORE: Latest EFL TV selections revealed by Sky Sports
Carabao Cup 2025/26 Round Dates
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.
SEE MORE:Â EFL fixtures for 2025/26 season and TV selections revealed
LIST OF LEAGUE CUP FINALS
Final played over 2 legs between 1961 and 1966
1961
Rotherham United 2 ASTON VILLA 0
ASTON VILLA 3 Rotherham United 0 aet, VILLA won 3-2 on aggregate
1962
Rochdale 0 NORWICH CITY 3
NORWICH CITY 1 Rochdale 0
NORWICH won 4-0 on aggregate
1963
BIRMINGHAM CITY 3 Aston Villa 1
Aston Villa 0 BIRMINGHAM CITY 0
BIRMINGHAM won 3-1 on aggregate
1964
Stoke City 1 LEICESTER CITY 1
LEICESTER CITY 3 Stoke City 2
LEICESTER won 4-3 on aggregate
1965 CHELSEA 3 Leicester City 2
Leicester City 0 Chelsea 0
CHELSEA won 3-2 on aggregate
1966
West Ham United 2 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1
WEST BROMWICH ALBION 4 West Ham United 1
WBA won 5-3 on aggregate
Final played as single game at Wembley 1967-2000 and since 2008; at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 2001-2007
1967 Queen’s Park Rangers 3 West Bromwich Albion 2
1968 Leeds United 1 Arsenal 0
1969 Swindon Town 3 Arsenal 1 (aet)
1970 Manchester City 2 West Bromwich Albion 1 (aet)
1971 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Aston Villa 0
1972 Stoke City 2 Chelsea 1
1973 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Norwich City 0
1974 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Manchester City 1
1975 Aston Villa 1 Norwich City 0
1976 Manchester City 2 Newcastle United 1
1977 Aston Villa 3 Everton 2 (aet, after 0-0, 1-1 draws)
1978 Nottingham Forest 1 Liverpool 0 (after 0-0 draw)
1979 Nottingham Forest 3 Southampton 2
1980 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Nottingham Forest 0
1981 Liverpool 2 West Ham United 1 (after 1-1 draw)
1982 Liverpool 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1 (aet)
1983 Liverpool 2 Manchester United 1 (aet)
1984 Liverpool 1 Everton 0 (after 0-0 draw)
1985 Norwich City 1 Sunderland 0
1986 Oxford United 3 Queen’s Park Rangers 0
1987 Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1
1988 Luton Town 3 Arsenal 2
1989 Nottingham Forest 3 Luton Town 1
1990 Nottingham Forest 1 Oldham Athletic 0
1991 Sheffield Wednesday 1 Manchester United 0
1992 Manchester United 1 Nottingham Forest 0
1993 Arsenal 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1
1994 Aston Villa 3 Manchester United 1
1995 Liverpool 2 Bolton Wanderers 1
1996 Aston Villa 3 Leeds United 0
1997 Leicester City 1 Middlesbrough 0 (aet, after 1-1 draw)
1998 Chelsea 2 Middlesbrough 0 (aet)
1999 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Leicester City 0
2000 Leicester City 2 Tranmere Rovers 1
2001 Liverpool 1 Birmingham City 1 (aet, 5-4 pen)
2002 Blackburn Rovers 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
2003 Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0
2004 Middlesbrough 2 Bolton Wanderers 1
2005 Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 (aet)
2006 Manchester United 4 Wigan Athletic 0
2007 Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1
2008 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Chelsea 1
2009 Manchester United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (aet, 4-1 pen)
2010 Manchester United 2 Aston Villa 1
2011 Birmingham City 2 Arsenal 1
2012 Liverpool 2 Cardiff City 2 (aet, 3-2 pen)
2013 Swansea City 5 Bradford City 0
2014 Manchester City 3 Sunderland 1
2015 Chelsea 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0
2016 Manchester City 1 Liverpool 1 (aet, 3-1 pen)
2017 Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
2018 Manchester City 3 Arsenal 0
2019 Manchester City 0 Chelsea 0 (aet, 4-3 pen)
2020 Manchester City 2 Aston Villa 1
2021 Manchester City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0
2022 Liverpool 0 Chelsea 0 (aet, 11-10 pen)
2023 Manchester United 2 Newcastle United 0
2024 Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0 (aet)
2025 Newcastle United 2 Liverpool 1
Competition known as Milk Cup from 1982-83 to 1985-86
Competition known as Littlewoods Challenge Cup from 1986-87 to 1989-90
Competition known as Rumbelows Cup from 1990-91 to 1992-93
Competition known as Coca-Cola Cup from 1993-94 to 1997-98
Competition known as Worthington Cup from 1998-99 to 2002-03
Competition known as Carling Cup from 2003-04 to 2011-12
Competition known as Capital One Cup from 2012-13 to 2015-16
Competition known as EFL Cup in 2016-17
Competition known as Carabao Cup from 2017-18
Winners
10 – Liverpool
8 – Man City
6 – Man Utd
5 – Aston Villa, Chelsea
4 – Nott’m Forest, Tottenham
3 – Leicester City
2 – Wolves, Norwich City, Arsenal, Birmingham
1 – West Brom, QPR, Leeds, Swindon, Stoke, Oxford, Luton, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Swansea, Newcastle
Finalists
15 – Liverpool
10 – Man Utd, Chelsea
9 – Aston Villa, Man City, Tottenham
8 – Arsenal
6 – Nottingham Forest
5 – Leicester City
4 – Norwich City
3 – West Brom, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Newcastle
2 – Stoke, Wolves, West Ham, Everton, QPR, Luton Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds, Bolton, Sunderland, Southampton
1 – Rotherham, Rochdale, Swindon, Oxford, Oldham, Tranmere, Blackburn, Wigan, Cardiff, Swansea, Bradford
