The 64th edition of the League Cup (also known as the Carabao Cup after its sponsor) got underway on August 8 with the third round now approaching.
After the Community Shield won by Arsenal on August 6, the League Cup will be the first domestic trophy of the 2023/24 season awarded with the final to take place on Sunday, February 25, 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Manchester United are the holders of the trophy after defeating Newcastle United in the 2023 final. Both of last season’s finalists are now set to enter the competition in third round, with games on September 26th and 27th.
In addition to silverware, the winner of the EFL Cup earns a place in the 2024/25 UEFA Conference League playoffs with a chance to qualify for the group stage of that European cup competition.
🔜 The Road to Wembley begins once more! #EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/NOqQ6PtXxn
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) August 6, 2023
How does the Carabao Cup work in 2023/24?
The EFL Cup (Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons) features all 92 participating clubs from the top four tiers of English football: Premier League (20 clubs), Championship (24 clubs), League One (24), and League Two (24).
The 12 Premier League clubs not involved in European cup competitions joined in the second Round, and the remaining eight sides joining in the third Round.
- First Round: Aug. 8-9, Aug. 16
- Second Round: Aug. 29-30
- Third Round (Rd of 32): Sept. 27-28
- Fourth Round (Rd of 16): Oct. 31 – Nov. 1
- Quarter-finals: Dec. 20-21
- Semi-finals: Jan. 9-10 (Leg 1), Jan. 23-24 (Leg 2)
- Final: Sun, Feb. 25
Every round is single-elimination except for the semifinals, which are played over two legs. There is no extra time up to and including the quarter-finals (page 580 of regulations), with matches going straight to penalties if the score is level after 90 minutes.
However, extra time will be in effect for the semifinal second legs (no away goals tiebreaker) and the final, if necessary.
Carabao Cup third round draw and fixtures
The third round of the competition is where it gets serious as the Premier League’s big guns now join the party.
The holders, Manchester United ,will face Crystal Palace, while the Premier League champions will go up against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
Liverpool host Leicester City and Arsenal will take the trip across London to Brentford.
| Date | Match | Time (BST) |
| Sept 26 | Ipswich Town (Ch) vs Wolves (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 26 | Exeter City (L1) vs Luton Town (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Aston Villa (PL) vs Everton (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 26 | Manchester United (PL) vs Crystal Palace (PL) | 8pm |
| Sept 26 | Port Vale (L1) vs Sutton (L2) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 26 | Bradford City (L2) vs Middlesbrough (Ch) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Bournemouth (PL) vs Stoke City (Ch) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Lincoln City (L1) vs West Ham (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Brentford (PL) vs Arsenal (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Chelsea (PL) vs Brighton (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 26 | Salford City (L2) vs Burnley (PL) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Fulham (PL) vs Norwich City (Ch) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Blackburn Rovers (Ch) vs Cardiff City (Ch) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Liverpool (PL) vs Leicester City (Ch) | 7.45pm |
| Sept 27 | Newcastle United (PL) vs Manchester City (PL) | 8pm |
| Sept 26 | Mansfield Town (L2) vs Peterborough United (L1) | 7.45pm |
Carabao Cup third round results
In the Third Round, the eight Premier League clubs involved in European competition joined the 24 teams advancing from the opening round.
Championship high-flyers Ipswich produced something of an upset to beat Premier League Wolves 3-2 at home, particularly as Town had fallen two goals behind within 15 minutes.
In the major upset on the first night of the third round, Premier League strugglers Luton Town lost 1-0 at third-tier Exeter City.
- Premier League: 17 clubs
- Championship: 7 clubs
- League One: 4 clubs
- League Two: 4 clubs
| Date | Match | Time (BST / ET) |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Bradford City (L2) 0-2 Middlesbrough (Ch) | Highlights |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Exeter City (L1) 1-0 Luton Town (PL) | Highlights |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Ipswich Town (Ch) 3-2 Wolves (PL) | Highlights |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Mansfield Town (L2) 2-2 Peterborough United (L1) Mansfield advance 3-1 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Port Vale (L1) 2-1 Sutton (L2) | Highlights |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Salford City (L2) 0-4 Burnley (PL) | Highlights |
| Tue, Sept. 26 | Manchester United (PL) 3-0 Crystal Palace (PL) | Highlights |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Aston Villa (PL) 1-2 Everton | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Blackburn Rovers (Ch) 5-2 Cardiff City (Ch) | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Bournemouth 2-0 Stoke City (Ch) | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Brentford (PL) 0-1 Arsenal (PL) | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Chelsea (PL) 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Fulham (PL) 2-1 Norwich City (Ch) | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Lincoln City (L1) 0-1 West Ham (PL) | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Liverpool (PL) 3-1 Leicester City (Ch) | |
| Wed, Sep. 27 | Newcastle United (PL) 1-0 Manchester City (PL) |
Carabao Cup second round results
In the Second Round, the 12 Premier League clubs not involved in European competition joined the 36 teams advancing from the opening round.
Fulham overcame Tottenham Hotspur in a penalty shootout, Chelsea came from behind to beat AFC Wimbledon, and Nottingham Forest were knocked out by an injury-time winner against Burnley.
Wrexham were knocked out by fellow League Two side Bradford City.
- Premier League: 12 clubs
- Championship: 14 clubs
- League One: 10 clubs
- League Two: 12 clubs
🔢🏆 Watch the draw for Round Two of the #CarabaoCup!
Tune in to @SkyFootball or watch live right here.#EFLhttps://t.co/3l8jq9jXGS
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) August 9, 2023
| Date | Match | Time (BST / ET) |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Swansea (Ch) 2-3 Bournemouth (PL) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Stoke City (Ch) 6-1 Rotherham (Ch) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Wrexham (L2) 1-1 Bradford City (L2) Bradford City advance 4-3 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Bolton (L1) 1-3 Middlesbrough (Ch) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Port Vale (L1) 0-0 Crewe Alexandra (L2) Port Vale advance 2-0 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Sheffield Wed. (Ch) 1-1 Mansfield (L2) Mansfield advance 5-4 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Wolves (PL) 5-0 Blackpool (L1) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Tranmere (L2) 0-2 Leicester City (Ch) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Bristol City (Ch) 0-1 Norwich City (Ch) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Plymouth (Ch) 2-4 Crystal Palace (PL) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Portsmouth (L1) 1-1 Peterborough (L1) Peterborough advance 5-4 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Luton Town (PL) 3-2 Gillingham (L2) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Fulham (PL) 1-1 Tottenham (PL) Fulham advance 5-3 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Exeter City (L1) 1-1 Stevenage (L1) Exeter advance 5-3 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Wycombe (L1) 0-1 Sutton United (L2) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Birmingham City (Ch) 1-3 Cardiff City (Ch) | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Newport County (L2) 1-1 Brentford (PL) Brentford advance 3-0 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Salford City (L2) 1-1 Leeds United (Ch) Salford advance 9-8 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug. 29 | Reading (L1) 2-2 Ipswich Town (Ch) Ipswich advance 3-1 on penalties |
Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 30 | Chelsea (PL) 2-1 AFC Wimbledon (L2) | |
| Wed, Aug. 30 |
Sheffield United (PL) 0-0 Lincoln City (L1) |
Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 30 | Harrogate Town (L2) 0-8 Blackburn (Ch) | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 30 | Nott’m Forest (PL) 0-1 Burnley (PL) | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 30 | Doncaster (L2) 1-2 Everton (PL) | Highlights |
Carabao Cup First Round fixtures, results
The opening round of the Carabao Cup saw all 72 clubs from the Championship (2nd division), League One (3rd division), and League Two (4th division) take part.
They were drawn into 36 single-elimination knockout matches based on geography with a draw involving northern clubs and a separate draw for southern-based clubs.
Matches level after 90 minutes went straight to penalties.
| Date | Match/Result | Time (BST / ET) |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Huddersfield 2-3 Middlesbrough | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Swansea 3-0 Northampton Town | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Mansfield Town 2-0 Grimsby Town | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Newport County 3-1 Charlton | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Peterborough 1-1 Swindon Town (Peterborough advance 4-1 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Leyton Orient | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Barrow | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Gillingham 3-1 Southampton | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Forest Green 1-3 Portsmouth | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Rotherham 1-1 (4-2) Morecambe (Rotherham advance 4-2 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Cheltenham 0-2 Birmingham City | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Accrington Stanley 1-1 Bradford City (Bradford advance 4-1 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Stevenage 1-1 Watford (Stevenage advance 4-3 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Hull City 1-2 Doncaster | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Millwall 0-4 Reading | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Stockport Sheffield Wed. advance 4-1 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Sunderland 1-1 Crewe Alexandra (Crewe advance 5-3 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Notts County 0-2 Lincoln City | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Preston North End 2-2 Salford City (Salford City advance 4-2 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Harrogate Town 1-0 Carlisle | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Barnsley 2-2 Tranmere Rovers (Tranmere advance 7-6 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Exeter City 2-1 Crawley Town | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Derby County 0-2 Blackpool | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Blackburn Rovers 4-3 Walsall | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Port Vale 3-2 Fleetwood | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Sutton United 2-2 Cambridge United (Sutton advance 6-5 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | MK Dons 0-2 Wycombe | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Stoke City 2-1 West Brom | Highlights |
| Tue, Aug 8 | Wrexham 0-0 Wigan Athletic (Wrexham advance 4-2 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 9 | Leeds United 2-1 Shrewsbury | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 9 | Bristol City 5-1 Oxford United | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 9 | AFC Wimbledon 2-1 Coventry City | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 9 | Cardiff City 2-2 Colchester (Cardiff advance 3-0 on pens) |
Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 9 | Ipswich Town 2-0 Bristol Rovers | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 9 | Burton 0-2 Leicester City | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 16 | QPR 0-1 Norwich City | Highlights |
Carabao Cup live streams, TV channel 2023/24
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports | — | — | beIN Sports |
| Streaming | Sky Go, NOW TV | ESPN+ | DAZN | beIN Connect, Kayo Sports |
UK: Sky Sports is the exclusive broadcaster of the Carabao Cup in the UK.
USA: ESPN’s streaming platform ESPN+ is the home of the Carabao Cup in the USA. Select matches from early rounds are available to be streamed, followed by all matches from the Round of 16 through to the final.
Canada: DAZN has the Carabao Cup streaming rights in Canada with select matches carried from the early rounds.
Australia: The Carabao Cup broadcaster for fans in Australia is beIN Sports.
Why is it called Carabao Cup?
This knockout tournament has historically been called the League Cup or EFL Cup, which unlike the FA Cup which is overseen by the English Football Association (FA), is instead organised by the English Football League (EFL).
The EFL in the past incorporated each of the top four divisions of English football before the formation of the Premier League in 1992/93. Today, the EFL is comprised of the second-tier Championship, third-tier League One, and fourth-tier League Two. But Premier League clubs are still invited to participate in the League Cup (EFL Cup) every season.
Beginning in the 1990s, corporations began paying to attach their name to this tournament and the sponsor names caught on for brief periods when it was known as the Coca-Cola Cup, the Worthington’s Cup, and the Carling Cup.
The latest sponsor is Thai energy drink company Carabao, which bought the title rights of the knockout tournament beginning with the 2017/18 edition, leading to the use of the Carabao Cup moniker that is popularly used today.