Carabao Cup draw LIVE: Updates as Leeds, Sheffield United and more learn first-round fate
The draw for the first round of the League Cup takes place ahead of the competition beginning in early August
With the country in the grip of international competition fever over Euro 2024, we may feel like the start of the 2024/25 season is something in the distant future.
However, this morning sees the draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup, with teams from the Championship to League Two learning their opponents at the start of what they hope will be a dream cup run.
The draw takes place at 11.30am, with a regionalised system meaning that teams are drawn against other sides from their respective region – either the 32-team southern section or 38-team northern section.
The majority of Premier League sides enter the competition at the second round, with the seven that are competing in European competition – Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United – entering at the third-round stage.
Follow all the updates below as the ties are drawn from 11.30am onwards:
Championship fixtures 2024/25: Every first round game as Luton and Burnley square off
Relegated Luton and Burnley will begin their bids for an immediate return to the Premier League when they face each other in their opening Championship fixture on 12 August.
The match at Kenilworth Road will be played on the Monday night, the final Championship fixture of a weekend which begins with a Friday night double-header in which Blackburn host newly promoted Derby and Sheffield United, also relegated from the Premier League, head to Preston.
Promoted Portsmouth begin life in the Championship away to Leeds the following day, with Oxford hosting Norwich – who have appointed Johannes Hoff Thorup to replace David Wagner.
New Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris will begin his tenure away to Cardiff while Hull boss Tim Walter will welcome Bristol City in his first league match in charge.
All of Saturday’s Championship fixtures will kick off at 12.30pm, with every game across the opening weekend in the Championship, League One and League Two being televised on Sky Sports+ under the EFL’s new £935m deal with the broadcaster.
Championship fixtures 2024/25: Every first round game as Luton and Burnley square off
League One and League Two will also begin on the weekend of 10-11 August as the EFL returns
Premier League fixture list
The EFL Cup draw helps mark the start of the new domestic football season, as does the release of the respective fixture lists for each league.
The Premier League fixture list was released on 18 June, with the season starting in Manchester as Erik ten Hag’s United side host Fulham.
Ipswich host Liverpool in the first match back in the top flight, with champions Manchester City facing Chelsea in the blockbuster match from the opening weekend.
Find all you need to know below.
Premier League fixtures: Every first round game for 2024/25 season
Manchester United host Fulham on the opening night, while Arsenal entertain Wolves hoping to go one further in the title race this season
Carabao Cup first-round draw LIVE
The most successful sides in the League Cup are as follows:
Liverpool - 10 wins
Manchester City - 8 wins
Manchester United - 6 wins
Chelsea - 5 wins
Aston Villa - 5 wins
A total of 11 sides have won the competition once, including Luton in 1987/88, Stoke City in 1971/72 and Blackburn in 2001/02.
Carabao Cup first-round draw LIVE
A reminder that Premier League sides don’t enter the draw until the second round.
The 13 teams that aren’t in European competition - along with Luton and Burnley, who finished 18th and 19th in the Premier League last season – enter in the next round, with the other seven sides entering at the third-round stage.
Carabao Cup 2023/24
Last year’s edition of the League Cup was full of plenty of drama once more, as Liverpool eventually battled to a tense win over Chelsea in the final.
Virgil van Dijk scored a header in extra-time to seal the win for Liverpool, marking the tenth time the Reds have won the trophy. They’ve won the competition more than any other side, and twice more than nearest challengers Manchester City.
The win gave Jurgen Klopp a trophy in his final season in charge at the club.
Liverpool finally find a way to end improbable cup final affliction
Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool (AET): Virgil van Dijk’s header ended 447 minutes without scoring for the Reds in cup finals
Carabo Cup draw: Northern section draw numbers
1. Accrington Stanley 2. Barnsley
3. Barrow 4. Blackburn Rovers
5. Blackpool 6. Bolton Wanderers
7. Bradford City 8. Burton Albion
9. Carlisle United 10. Chesterfield
11. Crewe Alexandra 12. Derby County
13. Doncaster Rovers 14. Fleetwood Town
15. Grimsby Town 16. Harrogate Town
17. Huddersfield Town 18. Hull City
19. Leeds United 20. Lincoln City
21. Mansfield Town 22. Middlesbrough
23. Morecambe 24. Notts County
25. Port Vale 26. Preston North End
27. Rotherham United 28. Salford City
29. Sheffield United 30. Sheffield Wednesday
31. Shrewsbury Town 32. Stockport County
33. Stoke City 34. Sunderland
35. Tranmere Rovers 36. West Bromwich Albion
37. Wigan Athletic 38. Wrexham
Carabo Cup draw: Southern section draw numbers
1. AFC Wimbledon 2. Birmingham City
3. Bristol City 4. Bristol Rovers
5. Bromley 6. Cambridge United
7. Cardiff City 8. Charlton Athletic
9. Cheltenham Town 10. Colchester United
11. Coventry City 12. Crawley Town
13. Exeter City 14. Gillingham
15. Leyton Orient 16. Millwall
17. Milton Keynes Dons 18. Newport County
19. Northampton Town 20. Norwich City
21. Oxford United 22. Peterborough United
23. Plymouth Argyle 24. Portsmouth
25. Queens Park Rangers 26. Reading
27. Stevenage 28. Swansea City
29. Swindon Town 30. Walsall
31. Watford 32. Wycombe Wanderers
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