The Carabao Cup first round draw for the 2026/27 season is scheduled for Thursday, 25 June 2026. The draw will be broadcast live on Sky Sports News at 4.30pm BST, following the release of the full EFL league fixtures at 12pm BST.
How to Watch the Draw for Free
Viewers can watch the draw without a subscription via the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel, which will stream the event free of charge starting at 4.30pm. The programme will be presented by Sky Sports' Dharmesh Sheth, with Kevin Nolan and Luke Chambers conducting the draw.
For those with a Sky subscription, the draw can also be followed on the Sky Sports website or via the Sky Go app. Non-subscribers can access the broadcast through a Now TV Day Membership on the NOW app.
Preliminary Round and First Round Setup
A preliminary qualifying round was held on 3 June 2026, necessitated by nine Premier League clubs qualifying for European competitions this season. That round paired York City with Crawley Town and Tranmere Rovers with Rochdale.
The first round will feature the two winners of those preliminary ties plus the remaining 68 EFL clubs, making a total of 70 teams. The draw is regionalised into Northern and Southern sections to minimise travel distances, with 17 ties in the north and 18 in the south.
Match Dates and Ball Numbers
All first round fixtures are scheduled to take place over the weekend of 7-9 August 2026. The official ball numbers for both regional sections have been confirmed.
Northern Section Ball Numbers
- 1 - Accrington Stanley
- 2 - Barnsley
- 3 - Blackburn Rovers
- 4 - Blackpool
- 5 - Bolton Wanderers
- 6 - Bradford City
- 7 - Burnley
- 8 - Burton Albion
- 9 - Chesterfield
- 10 - Crewe Alexandra
- 11 - Derby County
- 12 - Doncaster Rovers
- 13 - Fleetwood Town
- 14 - Grimsby Town
- 15 - Huddersfield Town
- 16 - Lincoln City
- 17 - Mansfield Town
- 18 - Middlesbrough
- 19 - Notts County
- 20 - Oldham Athletic
- 21 - Port Vale
- 22 - Preston North End
- 23 - Rotherham United
- 24 - Salford City
- 25 - Sheffield United
- 26 - Sheffield Wednesday
- 27 - Shrewsbury Town
- 28 - Stockport County
- 29 - Stoke City
- 30 - West Bromwich Albion
- 31 - Wigan Athletic
- 32 - Wolves
- 33 - Wrexham
- 34 - Tranmere Rovers/Rochdale
Southern Section Ball Numbers
- AFC Wimbledon
- Barnet
- Birmingham City
- Bristol City
- Bristol Rovers
- Bromley
- Cambridge United
- Cardiff City
- Charlton Athletic
- Cheltenham Town
- Colchester United
- Exeter City
- Gillingham
- Leicester City
- Leyton Orient
- Luton Town
- Millwall
- MK Dons
- Newport County
- Northampton Town
- Norwich City
- Oxford United
- Peterborough United
- Plymouth Argyle
- Portsmouth
- QPR
- Reading
- Southampton
- Stevenage
- Swansea City
- Swindon Town
- Walsall
- Watford
- West Ham
- Wycombe Wanderers
- York City/Crawley Town
Manchester City won the Carabao Cup this season, but as a Premier League club with European qualification, they enter the competition at a later stage.
