Carabao Cup third-round draw explained including 'pre-draw' for Premier League giants

The EFL have been forced to adapt the draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup after European fixtures threw a major spanner in the works.

The draw will take place on Wednesday evening, following the conclusion of Preston vs Everton, on Sky Sports. It will come before all the second-round ties are concluded, with Chelsea vs Luton and Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon both taking place on Thursday night.

That is just one minor confusion. It is the eight Premier League sides who are set to compete in the Champions League or Europa League this season which makes things difficult for the EFL.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all in the Champions League, while Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland will feature in the Europa League. Brighton could still qualify for the Conference League via the qualifiers, that competition doesn't begin until October so won't clash.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

Get our comprehensive football coverage, with news, updates, opinions, analysis and everything that matters to you, straight to your inbox.

To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two:

1. Head THIS WAY

Fixtures for the Champions League and Europa League in September, set for the week beginning September 7 and September 14 respectively, will clash with the third round of the Carabao Cup. The EFL have therefore decided to introduce new conditions for the draw to ensure that the aforementioned clubs cannot face each other in the third round.

They have also introduced a "pre-draw", which will take place on Sky Sports before Preston vs Everton. That will be used to determined whether the Premier League sides involved in European competitions will be drawn at home or away in the main draw.

The EFL explained in a statement: "In the main draw, to be conducted after the round two tie, the first eight ties will involve those Champions League and Europa League clubs, with their home or away position already having been decided, and each will be drawn against a club from a separate bowl containing the remaining teams. Once those eight ties have been drawn, the final eight ties will be drawn as normal."

The highlights of round two include Nottingham Forest vs Leeds, Southampton vs West Ham, Newcastle vs West Brom and Tottenham vs Charlton.

Manchester City are the defending champions in the competition, having beaten Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley back in February thanks to two goals from Nico O'Reilly.

Sky's Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.