Carabao Cup final postponed by two months to allow more fans at Wembley

The Carabao Cup quarter-finals will be played this week

The Carabao Cup final has been postponed by two months in the hope that more fans will be able to attend the Wembley showpiece. 

The match has been switched from Sunday 28 February 2021 to Sunday 25 April in an effort to stage it as late as possible in the 2020-21 season, when the restrictions caused by the ongoing global pandemic may have eased. 

A fresh spike in UK coronavirus cases, largely due to the rapid spread of a new strain of Covid-19 in the south of England and Wales, has increased the likelihood that the sporting calendar will be severely affected once again. 

Newcastle United and Millwall have both had games postponed due to outbreaks at the club, and it seems likely there will be more cases despite the football authorities’ best efforts against the virus.

The EFL said in a statement: "The number of fans permitted will be dependent on Government guidance in place at the time and it is hoped that moving the date to later in the year will give clubs and their fans the best opportunity to attend in person."

The Carabao Cup quarter-finals will be played this week.