The Carabao Cup third-round draw is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, with Liverpool set to enter the competition. The main draw is expected to begin at approximately 10.15pm, immediately after the second-round tie between Preston North End and Everton.
How to watch the draw for free
The draw will be available to watch live on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel. Fans will not have to pay to watch the stream, which will start shortly before the draw begins.
For supporters wanting to follow the draw on traditional television, it will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.
Streaming options and ball numbers
Sky Sports subscribers can catch the draw live using the Sky Go app or through a NOW membership on their preferred digital devices. Liverpool will be No.7 in the third-round draw, with the first eight ball numbers occupied by the English teams competing in Europe this season.
Two-draw system explained
The third-round draw features a new format involving two separate stages. Before the main draw, a special pre-draw will be conducted around 7.20pm to determine whether the eight clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League will play their matches at home or away. Once their home or away status is locked in, these teams are drawn from a separate bowl during the main draw.
The separation is due to the newly expanded formats of UEFA's European competitions, which create scheduling challenges. Competing teams have exclusive European matchweeks in September, and placing them in a separate bowl guarantees that clubs competing in Europe will avoid each other and can fulfil their fixtures.
Rather than taking place in a single midweek slot, the fixtures will be split across two weeks, starting on September 7 and September 14. This adjusted schedule gives all teams enough time to compete domestically while the top English clubs begin their European campaigns.
