The Carabao Cup, also known as the League Cup or EFL Cup, is the first major trophy awarded in English football and one of three major domestic titles awarded in England alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. In addition to silverware, the winner is also guaranteed a playoff round berth in the following season’s Europa Conference League, one of Europe’s top three club competitions.
Manchester City is the current holder of the Carabao Cup, having won the trophy in four straight seasons and six of the past eight. Last season the Citizens beat Tottenham Hotspur for the trophy at London’s Wembley Stadium, where the final is held annually.
A total of 92 clubs from the top four divisions in English football compete for the Carabao Cup: Premier League (20 teams), Championship (22), League One (24) and League Two (24). The English Premier League clubs join in the second round, with those Premier League teams involved in European competitions joining in the third round.
MORE: Updated English Premier League schedule, TV & streaming
The first edition of the Carabao Cup was held in the 1960-1961 season and the final has been held for 61 straight years. Man City (8) and Liverpool (8) share the all-time lead for most titles. The last time a team outside the top tier won the trophy was Sheffield Wednesday, which upset Manchester United in the 1991 final.
How to watch the Carabao Cup
- Dates: July 31, 2021, to Feb. 27, 2022
- TV Channels: None
- Streaming: ESPN+
The Carabao Cup is carried exclusively in the USA by ESPN via its streaming platform, ESPN+, with select matches available in the early rounds.
A total of seven of the 16 third-round matches will be available to stream on ESPN+, featuring 11 of the 18 English Premier League teams still alive in the competition. Crystal Palace and Newcastle United were ousted in the second round.
Why is it called the Carabao Cup?
Carabao is an energy drink produced in Thailand and distributed worldwide, and it became the competition’s title sponsor beginning with the 2017-18 edition.
Since the tournament’s inception, it was popularly known as the League Cup because it involved all the teams that played in the English football leagues. That explains the “EFL Cup” moniker that’s also often used, with EFL standing for “English Football League.”
Carabao Cup draw, fixtures & results
The tournament is played in a straight single-game knockout format except for the semifinals, which are decided over a two-leg, aggregate goal series.
- First Round: Tues/Wed, Aug. 10/11
- Second Round: Tues/Wed, Aug. 24/25
- Third Round (Round of 32): Tues/Wed, Sept. 21/22
- Fourth Round (Round of 16): Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27
- Quarterfinals: Tues/Wed, Dec. 21/22
- Semifinals, Leg 1: Tues/Wed, Jan. 4/5
- Semifinals, Leg 2: Tues/Wed, Jan. 11/12
- Final: Sun, Feb. 27
The upcoming schedule is followed by past results below. Home teams are listed first and winners in bold. Lower division teams are noted in parentheses: CH = Championship (second tier), L1 = League One (third tier), L2 = League Two (fourth tier).
Carabao Cup Third Round (Round of 32)
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Streaming |
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Brentford 7, Oldham Athletic (L2) 0 | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Burnley 4, Rochdale (L2) 1 | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Fulham (CH) 0, Leeds United 0 (5-6 PKs) | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Manchester City 6, Wycombe (L1) 1 | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Norwich City 0, Liverpool 3 | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Preston North End (CH) 4, Cheltenham (L1) 1 | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | QPR (CH) 2, Everton 2 (8-7 PKs) | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Sheffield United (CH) 2, Southampton 2 (2-4 PKs) | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Watford 1, Stoke City (CH) 3 | ||
| Tues, Sept. 21 | Wigan (L1) 0, Sunderland (L1) 2 | ||
| Wed, Sept. 22 | Brighton vs. Swansea City (CH) | 2:30 p.m. | — |
| Wed, Sept. 22 | Arsenal vs. AFC Wimbledon (L1) | 2:45 p.m. | — |
| Wed, Sept. 22 | Chelsea vs. Aston Villa | 2:45 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Wed, Sept. 22 | Manchester United vs. West Ham | 2:45 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Wed, Sept. 22 | Millwall (CH) vs. Leicester City | Time (TV) | — |
| Wed, Sept. 22 | Wolves vs. Tottenham Hotspur | 2:45 p.m. | ESPN+ |
Carabao Cup Fourth Round (Round of 16)
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Streaming |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Oct. 26/27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
Carabao Cup Quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Streaming |
| Tues/Wed, Dec. 21/22 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Dec. 21/22 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Dec. 21/22 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Dec. 21/22 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
Carabao Cup Semifinals
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Streaming |
| Tues/Wed, Jan. 4/5 | Semi #1 – Leg 1 | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Jan. 4/5 | Semi #2 – Leg 1 | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Jan. 11/12 | Semi #1 – Leg 2 | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Tues/Wed, Jan. 11/12 | Semi #2 – Leg 2 | TBD | ESPN+ |
Carabao Cup Final
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Streaming |
| Sun, Feb. 27 | TBD | TBD | ESPN+ |
Carabao Cup Results
Below are the results of the previous rounds of the 2021-2022 edition of the competition:
Carabao Cup Second Round
| Date | Match | |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Oldham 0, Accrington Stanley 0 (5-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Brentford 3, Forest Green 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Millwall 3, Cambridge United 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Norwich City 6, Bournemouth 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Cardiff City 0, Brighton 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Birmingham City 0, Fulham 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Huddersfield 1, Everton 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Sheffield United 2, Derby County 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Nottingham Forest 0, Wolves 4 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Blackpool 2, Sunderland 3 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Barrow 0, Aston Villa 6 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Wigan 0, Bolton 0 (5-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Stoke City 2, Doncaster 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | QPR 2, Oxford United 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Watford 1, Crystal Palace 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Northampton 0, AFC Wimbledon 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Swansea City 4, Plymouth Argyle 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Stevenage 2, Wycombe 2 (3-5 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Gillingham 1, Cheltenham 1 (4-5 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Morecambe 2, Preston North End 4 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Shrewsbury 0, Rochdale 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 24 | Leeds United 3, Crewe Alexandra 0 | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 25 | Newcastle 0, Burnley 0 (3-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 25 | West Brom 0, Arsenal 6 | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 25 | Newport 0, Southampton 8 | Highlights |
Carabao Cup First Round
| Date | Match | |
| Sat, July 31 | Bournemouth 5, Milton Keynes Dons 0 | Highlights |
| Sun, Aug. 1 | Sheffield Wed. 0, Huddersfield 0 (2-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Blackburn 1, Morecambe 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Derby County 3, Salford City 3 (5-3 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Hartlepool 0, Crew Alexandra 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Mansfield Town 0, Preston North End 3 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Port Vale 1, Sunderland 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Sheffield United 1, Carlisle 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Stoke City 2, Fleetwood Town 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Reading 0, Swansea City 3 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Millwall 2, Portsmouth 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Forest Green 2, Bristol City 2 (6-5 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Crawley Town 2, Gillingham 2 (9-10 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Cardiff City 3, Sutton United 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Bristol City 0, Cheltenham Town 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Walsall 0, Doncaster 0 (3-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Shrewsbury 2, Lincoln City 2 (4-2 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Rotherham 1, Accrington Stanley 2 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Oldham Athletic 2, Tranmere 2 (4-3 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Hull City 1, Wigan Athletic 1 (7-8 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Harrogate Town vs. Rochdale (forfeit) | News |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Bolton 0, Barnsley 0 (5-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Barrow 1, Scunthorpe United 0 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Stevenage 2, Luton Town 2 (3-0 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Peterborough 0, Plymouth Argyle 4 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Ipswich Town 0, Newport County 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Exeter 0, Wycombe 0 (3-4 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Charlton 0, AFC Wimbledon 1 | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Cambridge 0, Swindon Town 0 (3-1 PKs) | Highlights |
| Tues, Aug. 10 | Birmingham City 1, Colchester 0 | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 11 | Leyton Orient 1, QPR 1 (3-5 PKs) | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 11 | Blackpool 3, Middlesbrough 0 | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 11 | Nottingham Forest 2, Bradford City 1 | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 11 | Coventry City 1, Northampton 2 | Highlights |
| Wed, Aug. 11 | Burton Albion 1, Oxford United 1 (2-4 PKs) | Highlights |