EFL Confirm Revised Carabao Cup Format After Nine Prem Sides Reach Europe

EFL Cup: York City v Crawley Town, Tranmere Rovers v Rochdale in preliminary round

The draw for the preliminary round of the 2026-27 EFL Cup has taken place with York facing Crawley and Tranmere hosting Rochdale.

EFL confirm revised Carabao Cup format after nine Prem sides reach Europe

The Carabao Cup will be affected by the number of Premier League teams playing in Europe next season with four League Two teams set to compete in a preliminary round

2026/27 Carabao Cup Preliminary Round draw complete with EFL explaining revised format

The Carabao Cup Preliminary Round draw for the 2026/27 season is now complete with the EFL explaining the revised format. The English Football League have again needed to find a solution for the draw due to there being nine Premier League clubs qualifying for Europe. The 2025/26 season saw the EFL introduce a Preliminary Round to the Carabao Cup, featuring National League promoted teams Barnet and Oldham against League Two’s 21st and 22nd-placed…