Carabao Cup Draw: European Giants Await Fate

The Carabao Cup finally opens its doors to the heavyweights tonight. Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa all step into the competition at the third round, joined by Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace as the Premier League’s European contingent discover their fate.

They have watched from a distance so far. The second round is only just wrapping up, but the holders City, last season’s beaten finalists Arsenal, and the rest of England’s European pack will know their third‑round opponents by the end of the night.

There is a twist, though. Before the main draw, a pre-draw quietly separates those clubs into home and away slots, ensuring they cannot collide with each other at this stage and clash with Uefa dates. Only once that is settled will the names be paired off.

All of it happens while the second round is still being finished. The draw will be completed before Chelsea host Luton and Fulham welcome AFC Wimbledon in west London to close out the round.

Why the European clubs are kept apart

This season, as many as nine Premier League sides are involved in Europe: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton (if they make it through Conference League qualifying) and Crystal Palace.

The expanded Champions League and Europa League formats have reshaped the domestic calendar. The Carabao Cup third round is now stretched across two weeks, starting Monday 7 September and Monday 14 September.

Champions League fixtures fall in the week beginning 7 September, so Arsenal, City, Liverpool, United and Villa must play their Carabao Cup ties in the following week. Bournemouth, Sunderland and Palace, in the Europa League, are pushed into the first week, as their European campaign begins from 14 September.

The EFL’s stance is blunt and practical: Uefa fixtures cannot move. To keep the Carabao Cup on schedule without tearing up league and domestic cup dates, the eight clubs in the Champions League or Europa League are ring-fenced. They cannot face one another in round three, guaranteeing every tie can be played in one of the two allocated weeks.

How to watch the draw

The third-round draw will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football after Preston v Everton finishes.

Sky Sports subscribers can also follow it online via the Sky Go app.

The main draw is expected to start at around 10.15pm BST, once Preston’s tie with Everton, which kicks off at 8pm, has concluded. Coverage begins at 7pm, with the pre-draw for the European clubs likely to take place at around 7.30pm.

Tonight’s fixtures before the balls come out

Before the names are pulled, there is business to settle on the pitch.

David Moyes takes his Everton side back to where his managerial journey began, away at Preston North End. At St James’ Park, Matthias Jaissle chases his first competitive win as Newcastle United manager against West Bromwich Albion. In north London, Tottenham Hotspur host Charlton Athletic – a tie that was close to being a Championship fixture this season.

Two more matches follow tomorrow, moved to accommodate Sky Sports’ first Monday Night Football of the campaign. Both are in west London: Chelsea at home to Luton Town, and Fulham hosting AFC Wimbledon.

• Wednesday 28 August
• Bradford City v Burnley
• Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion
• Preston North End v Everton
• Tottenham Hotspur v Charlton Athletic
• Thursday 27 August
• Chelsea v Luton Town
• Fulham v AFC Wimbledon

Second-round story so far

Last night brought drama, goals and one notable survivor from the fourth tier.

Leeds United enjoyed another fruitful trip to Nottingham Forest, winning at the City Ground for the second time in four days. Hull City clung on at Stoke City and edged through on penalties. Fleetwood Town, the only League Two side left standing, thrashed Shrewsbury Town, also of the fourth tier. Brentford, meanwhile, cut loose in ruthless fashion, hammering Birmingham City 6–1.

Northern Section

• Doncaster Rovers 1–3 Middlesbrough
• Barnsley 3–2 Crewe Alexandra
• Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Sheffield United
• Blackpool 1–4 Lincoln City
• Fleetwood Town 4–0 Shrewsbury Town
• Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
• Stoke City 1–1 (4–5 p) Hull City
• Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds United

Southern Section

• Cardiff City 1–2 Norwich City
• Cambridge United 0–1 Millwall
• Ipswich Town 3–1 Leicester City
• Plymouth Argyle 2–4 Coventry City
• Southampton 1–4 West Ham United
• Stevenage 0–3 Reading
• Walsall 0–0 (5–6 p) Leyton Orient
• Watford 1–5 Peterborough United
• Birmingham City 1–6 Brentford

When the third-round draw takes place

The third-round draw is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday 26 August, immediately after Preston v Everton.

With kick-off at Deepdale at 8pm BST, the draw is expected to start at around 10.15pm BST. The pre-draw, which decides whether the European clubs are at home or away, will be conducted before kick-off, likely at about 7.30pm.

Ball numbers: who’s in the hat?

Here are the numbers to listen out for when the draw begins:

• 1 AFC Bournemouth
• 2 Arsenal
• 3 Aston Villa
• 4 Crystal Palace
• 5 Manchester City
• 6 Manchester United
• 7 Liverpool
• 8 Sunderland
• 9 Barnsley
• 10 Brentford
• 11 Brighton & Hove Albion
• 12 Coventry City
• 13 Fleetwood Town
• 14 Hull City
• 15 Ipswich Town
• 16 Leeds United
• 17 Leyton Orient
• 18 Lincoln City
• 19 Middlesbrough
• 20 Millwall
• 21 Norwich City
• 22 Peterborough United
• 23 Reading
• 24 Sheffield United
• 25 West Ham United
• 26 Wolverhampton Wanderers
• 27 Bradford City / Burnley
• 28 Newcastle United / West Bromwich Albion
• 29 Tottenham Hotspur / Charlton Athletic
• 30 Preston North End / Everton
• 31 Chelsea / Luton Town
• 32 Fulham / AFC Wimbledon

How the draw will actually work

The process unfolds in two stages.

First comes the pre-draw. This decides whether the eight Champions League and Europa League clubs are at home or away in round three. It takes place before Preston North End’s second-round tie with Everton, live on Sky Sports.

Then the main event. After full-time at Deepdale, the first eight ties drawn will all involve those European clubs. Their home or away status will already be locked in. Each will be drawn against a team from a separate pot containing the rest of the competition, ensuring the European sides cannot face one another yet.

Once those eight fixtures are set, the final eight ties are drawn with no restrictions.

From the third round onwards, the old North–South split disappears. One national pot. Big names entering. Lower-league sides dreaming.

Who lands the plum tie – and who gets the nightmare away day – will set the tone for the rest of this cup campaign.