Why the Carabao Cup first round will be played on a weekend next season

It is less than a month since Manchester City beat Arsenal at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup for the ninth time, and the fifth time under Pep Guardiola.

But attention has already turned to next season’s competition, which gets underway for Championship, League One and League Two clubs in early August.

The first round of the Carabao Cup will have a different feel to it in 2026/27, though.

The reason for the Carabao Cup schedule change

Instead of the usual midweek matches on a Tuesday and Wednesday, the first-round games will be played on the weekend of August 7.

That is a week before the Championship, League One and League Two seasons get underway.

The reason for the change to the schedule - which usually sees the first round played in the midweek after the opening league fixtures - is because of this summer’s World Cup.

The tournament in North America means the EFL season will start slightly later than normal, so the Carabao Cup has been moved back in an attempt to alleviate fixture congestion.

While the first round will be played on a weekend, further rounds will be in midweek.

This will be just the second time that the Carabao Cup has begun on a weekend

Premier League clubs enter the competition in the second round, with teams playing in Europe entering in the third round.

There have been calls to get rid of the two-legged semi-finals to further reduce fixture congestion, but they will remain for 2026/27.

EFL clubs will still be hoping for a run deep into the latter stages of the competition, with the quarter-finals played before Christmas.

Cardiff City were the only non-Premier League side to reach the last eight in 2025/26, losing to Chelsea.

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