Carabao Cup draw live: Championship and other EFL clubs learn first-round fate

Follow as Championship, League One and League Two clubs join the 2025/26 League Cup

The Carabao Cup is getting underway for the 2025/26 season (Getty Images)

The Carabao Cup returns with the preliminary and first round draws, featuring all 72 EFL clubs, having taken place this afternoon.

Newcastle beat Liverpool in a thrilling final last season but those two clubs won’t enter the competition in 2025/26 until the third round, with the teams outside the Premier League taking the spotlight in the first round.

Every Championship and League One club, plus 20 teams from League Two, enter at the first-round stage but nine Premier League featuring in European competition this season – and thus not entering until round three – necessitates a preliminary round featuring four teams as Accrington host Oldham and Barnet take on Newport.

The winners of those ties make it through to the first round, which was also drawn and threw up a number of fascinating clashes. League Two Bromley will host Ipswich after their recent relegation from the Premier League, Tom Brady’s big-spending Birmingham take on another recently-relegated top-tier outfit in Sheffield United, Coventry play Luton in a repeat of the 2023 Championship play-off final and West Brom square off with Derby in an all-Championship tie.

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Carabao Cup first round draw - live updates

• The Carabao Cup first round draw has taken place
• Every Championship and League One club, plus 20 teams from League Two enter at the first-round stage after two preliminary matches
• League Two Bromley host recently-relegated Ipswich and Birmingham take on Sheffield United in an all-Championship clash as a couple of the standout ties
• Full Carabao Cup first round draw - southern section
• Full Carabao Cup first round draw - northern section

[26 June 2025 16:50 · Luke Baker]

Full first round draw - northern section

And likewise for the northern section

• Barrow v Preston
• Grimsby v Shrewsbury
• Blackpool v Port Vale
• Salford City v Rotherham
• Harrogate v Lincoln
• Tranmere v Burton
• Stockport v Crewe
• Huddersfield v Leicester
• Wrexham v Hull
• Birmingham v Sheffield United
• Stoke v Walsall
• Accrington or Oldham v Peterborough
• Blackburn v Bradford
• Middlesbrough v Doncaster
• West Brom v Derby
• Bolton v Sheffield Wednesday
• Chesterfield v Mansfield
• Barnsley v Fleetwood
• Wigan v Notts County

[26 June 2025 16:49 · Luke Baker]

Full first round draw - southern section

Here’s the full draw for the southern section

• Coventry v Luton
• Bristol City v MK Dons
• Bromley v Ipswich
• Bristol Rovers v Cambridge
• Leyton Orient v Wycombe
• Watford v Norwich
• Charlton v Stevenage
• Oxford v Colchester
• Barnet or Newport v Millwall
• Cardiff v Swindon
• Gillingham v AFC Wimbledon
• Northampton v Southampton
• Cheltenham v Exeter
• Plymouth v QPR
• Swansea v Crawley
• Portsmouth v Reading

[26 June 2025 16:48 · Luke Baker]

First round draw

Some interesting ties thrown up there and some erm... less glamorous clashes.

Bromley v Ipswich should be fun, while Coventry v Luton is a repeat of the Championship play-off final a couple of years ago.

In the northern section, Birmingham v Sheffield United is something of a heavyweight clash, as is West Brom v Derby.

[26 June 2025 16:45 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - northern section

Only a few games left now - in fact these are the last three

Chesterfield v Mansfield

Barnsley v Fleetwood

Wigan v Notts County

[26 June 2025 16:44 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - northern section

Blackburn v Bradford

Middlesbrough v Doncaster

West Brom v Derby

Bolton v Sheffield Wednesday

[26 June 2025 16:43 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - northern section

Wrexham v Hull - the Hollywood club get a visit from the Tigers

Birmingham v Sheffield United - another all-Championship tie

Stoke v Walsall

Accrington or Oldham v Peterborough

[26 June 2025 16:41 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - northern section

We’re into the meat of this northern section draw now

Harrogate v Lincoln

Tranmere v Burton

Stockport v Crewe

Huddersfield v Leicester

[26 June 2025 16:40 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - northern section

A few lower-league teams coming out first up

Barrow v Preston

Grimsby v Shrewsbury

Blackpool v Port Vale

Salford City v Rotherham

[26 June 2025 16:38 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - northern section

And now we’re on to the northern section. There’s 38 clubs in this half of the draw. Let’s get to it

[26 June 2025 16:37 · Luke Baker]

First round draw - southern section

And just one tie left to finish us off

Portsmouth v Reading