With the World Cup being in full swing, the start of the new domestic season is also inching ever closer and the draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup will take place this week.
The first round will feature 70 clubs, 68 EFL sides plus two teams from a preliminary round, due to the participation of nine Premier League clubs in European competition next season.
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The preliminary round will see Tranmere Rovers take on Rochdale on 1 August while Crawley Town face York City on 3 August to determine who will enter the first round.
The draw itself will be regionalised into Northern and Southern sections and the fixtures for the opening round will take place over the weekend of 7-9 August.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Carabao Cup first round draw:
When is the Carabao Cup first round draw?
The Carabao Cup first round draw will take place on Thursday 25 June at 4.30pm and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports News as well as the tournament’s social media and YouTube channels as part of the EFL’s fixture release day.
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Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth will present the draw with former Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United midfielder Kevin Nolan and former Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers picking out the balls.
Carabao Cup draw ball numbers
Northern section
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Tranmere Rovers or Rochdale
Southern section
When are the Carabao Cup fixtures being played?
The round dates for the Carabao Cup have been confirmed as the following:
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Round One: Weekend of 7-9 August 2026
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Round Two: w/c 24 August 2026
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Round Three: w/c 7 September and w/c 14 September 2026
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Round Four: w/c 26 October 2026
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Round Five: w/c 14 December 2026
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Semi-Final first leg: w/c 11 January 2027
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Semi-Final second leg: w/c 1 February 2027
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Final: Sunday 21 March 2027
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