Carabao Cup First Round Draw: West Ham Face Portsmouth, Leicester Host Northampton

Key Ties in the Carabao Cup First Round

West Ham United will welcome Portsmouth to the London Stadium in the Carabao Cup first round, as the draw was completed on 25 June 2026. The Championship club are competing at this stage for the first time in 15 years following their relegation from the Premier League.

Burnley and Wolves, who also dropped down to the second tier with the Hammers, will be on home soil as they face Notts County and Port Vale, respectively. Elsewhere, League One Leicester City will play host to Northampton.

Local Derbies and Marquee Matchups

Other marquee ties include two local derbies: QPR take on Millwall, and Plymouth Argyle face Exeter City. Championship promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough and Wrexham will go head-to-head, while Sheffield Wednesday meet Bolton Wanderers.

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The first few rounds are split into Northern and Southern sections, with a total of 35 ties drawn. Tranmere, Rochdale, York and Crawley Town are the four lowest-ranked teams and must win a preliminary round tie to reach the first round proper.

Structure and Schedule

That preliminary section will take place in late August, with the final known by Christmas. Premier League teams not in Europe enter at the second round. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Sunderland and Crystal Palace join at the third round stage.