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26 August 2026

The Carabao Cup moves into its third-round stage this week, with the competition’s biggest clubs set to enter the draw and the prospect of several highly interesting match-ups on the table.

The draw will be held on Wednesday night, August 26, after Preston North End’s second-round clash with Everton has finished, with the main draw expected to begin at around 10.15pm BST.

A total of 32 teams will be involved in the third-round draw, including nine Premier League clubs who come in at this stage because of their participation in European competition.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are among the sides joining the tournament in the third round.

That creates the possibility of some compelling ties straight away between Premier League teams and clubs from the Championship, League One or League Two, while a number of England’s biggest clubs will also be keen to avoid being drawn against one another.

There is, however, an important limitation on the draw. The eight Premier League clubs competing in the Champions League or Europa League cannot meet each other in the third round because of fixture congestion and scheduling requirements. A preliminary draw will first decide whether those clubs will play at home or away before the main draw is conducted.

Brighton, despite being involved in European competition, are being treated differently because their Conference League campaign does not start until October, and they therefore remain in the main draw.

The Carabao Cup has already delivered early drama, with Championship clubs and teams from lower divisions aiming to make an impact against higher-ranked opposition. With the Premier League’s European contingent now entering the competition, the chances of a major upset rise significantly.

The third-round ties will be played during the weeks beginning September 7 and September 14, with the exact dates and television selections to be confirmed after the draw.

For Premier League clubs, the competition provides a chance to compete for silverware while also offering useful minutes to squad players and younger members of their teams.

For clubs further down the pyramid, meanwhile, the opportunity to host one of the Premier League’s biggest names represents both a major sporting occasion and a potentially significant financial lift.