The Carabao Cup second round draw takes place on Monday night, featuring 11 Premier League clubs that are not competing in European competitions this season. Chelsea and Tottenham are among the teams entering at this stage.
How the draw works
The tournament began with 70 EFL clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two. After the first round, 35 teams advanced to join the 11 Premier League entrants, making 46 teams in the second round draw. These will be paired into 23 direct knockout ties.
To reduce travel, the draw is split into northern and southern sections. After these regional matches, 23 winners will progress to the next stage.
When do the big clubs join?
The remaining nine Premier League teams, which qualified for European competitions, enter in the third round. This delayed entry gives them a bye through the first two rounds to ease their busy schedules. Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are among those joining at this stage.
The third round will have 32 teams: the 23 second-round winners plus the nine European-qualified clubs. From this point, regional boundaries are removed, allowing any team to be drawn against another.
Reigning champions
Manchester City won the 2026 Carabao Cup, beating Arsenal 2-0 in the final at Wembley. Nico O'Reilly scored two second-half headers to secure the trophy.
