𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Clubs will be split into north and south sections for the draw. There will be 70 of the 72 EFL clubs entering the first round after two preliminary matches.

The 11 Premier League sides not competing in European football this season will enter in the second round, with the sides in Uefa competitions entering the cup in the third round.

There are nine clubs in the Premier League set to play in Uefa competitions which reduces the number of clubs coming into the Carabao Cup at the second-round stage, necessitating a preliminary round, which will involve the two sides promoted from the National League and the clubs who finished 21st and 22nd in League Two.

Those fixtures in the week commencing 4 August see Accrington Stanley face Oldham Athletic, while Barnet play Newport County, with the home sides decided in the preliminary round draw. The two winners will make it to the first round, which will be played in the week commencing 11 August.

In the UK, the Carabao Cup draw will be broadcast live on Sky Sports News. Subscribers can tune in online via the Sky Go app or on NOWTV.

If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

The draw takes place from 4:20pm BST with the preliminary round draw, the first-round proper draw will then follow.

The Carabao Cup first round draw is already here, weeks out from the first round of fixtures for the 2025/26 season.

After Newcastle’s thrilling win over Liverpool in last year’s final at Wembley, it promises to be an exciting season with teams dreaming of silverware.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Carabao Cup preliminary and first-round draws.

The new season is just around the corner and the League Cup getting underway is always an early-season treat to savour