The Carabao Cup first round draw will take place this afternoon, with teams from around Manchester and across the EFL finding out their opponents. No Premier League sides are included in this round, as Manchester United and Manchester City, along with other top-flight clubs, will enter the competition later. Both Manchester clubs will join in the third round due to their participation in the Champions League.
Draw Presenters and Participants
The draw will be presented by Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, with former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Kevin Nolan and ex-Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers conducting the proceedings. A total of 70 clubs will be involved in the first round, following two preliminary fixtures scheduled for August 1. Tranmere Rovers will host Rochdale, while Crawley Town travel to York City. The winners of these ties will join the other 68 EFL clubs in the draw, which is regionalised into Northern and Southern sections.
Northern Section Ball Numbers
The ball numbers for the Northern section have been released, featuring clubs such as Accrington Stanley, Barnsley, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City, Burnley, Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Grimsby Town, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Middlesbrough, Notts County, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, Preston North End, Rotherham United, Salford City, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, Wolves, Wrexham, and the winner of Tranmere versus Rochdale.
Key Dates for the Competition
Round One is scheduled for the weekend of 7-9 August 2026. Subsequent rounds follow: Round Two on w/c 24 August, Round Three on w/c 7 and 14 September, Round Four on w/c 26 October, and Round Five on w/c 14 December 2026. The semi-finals will be played over two legs in January 2027, with the final set for Sunday 21 March 2027.
The draw takes place at 4.30pm today, and the Manchester Evening News will provide live updates throughout the afternoon.
