The Carabao Cup and EFL are set for a major schedule shake-up this season, with the first round of the cup competition taking place before the league campaign begins. The full fixture lists for the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two, along with the Carabao Cup first round, will be released on Thursday at 12pm.
Preliminary Round Already Drawn
A preliminary round featuring York City, Crawley Town, Tranmere Rovers and Rochdale was drawn earlier in June. This extra stage is necessary because nine Premier League clubs qualified for European competitions, receiving byes to the third round. The preliminary ties reduce the lower-league field to ensure exactly 32 teams remain for the first round.
Key Dates for the 2026/27 Season
The Carabao Cup first round is scheduled for the weekend of August 7 to August 9, 2026. The EFL league season will then begin the following week, with the opening weekend set for August 14 to August 16. The domestic calendar has been pushed back because the World Cup final takes place on July 19, 2026. Starting the cup early helps manage fixture congestion while allowing international players sufficient rest.
Rare Scheduling Quirk
Starting the cup before the league is extremely rare in English football. The last time this happened was to accommodate delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the EFL, the change is a one-off adjustment for this season only.
