The Carabao Cup third round draw is set to take place this week, with several Premier League heavyweights, including holders Manchester City, finally joining the competition. The draw will be conducted on Wednesday 26 August, following the second-round clash between Preston North End and Everton, which kicks off at 8pm BST. With that match expected to finish around 10pm, the draw itself is likely to get under way at approximately 10.15pm BST.
A total of 32 clubs will discover their fate in the draw. This includes the 23 sides that have already progressed through the second round, along with nine Premier League clubs entering at this later stage due to their involvement in European competitions this season. Those making their first appearance in the tournament are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Sunderland. Chelsea and Tottenham, who are also in Europe, actually entered the competition back in round two rather than round three.
Interestingly, Brighton's inclusion in this European contingent stems from their participation in the Conference League, though that competition doesn't kick off until October, meaning it won't disrupt their Carabao Cup scheduling for this round.
The draw process itself is more intricate than usual due to the number of clubs balancing continental fixtures. Before the main draw begins, a pre-draw will determine home or away status for the eight clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League. This preliminary stage will happen before the Preston versus Everton tie airs on Sky Sports.
Once the main draw commences, those eight European clubs will be paired against opponents pulled from a separate pool containing the remaining teams in the competition, ensuring none of the European sides face each other at this stage. After those eight fixtures are confirmed, the final eight ties will then be drawn under normal conditions. Notably, from the third round onward, the traditional split between Northern and Southern sections is dropped entirely.
Fans wishing to follow the draw live can do so via Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with the broadcast beginning after the Preston-Everton second-round match concludes. Sky Sports subscribers also have the option of streaming the draw through the Sky Go app.
Among the clubs already through to the third round from earlier action are Norwich, Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Sheffield United, Lincoln, Millwall, Fleetwood, Ipswich, Coventry, Wolves, West Ham, Reading, Hull, Leyton Orient, Peterborough, Brentford and Leeds. Several second-round ties remain unresolved, including Bradford against Burnley, Newcastle against West Brom, Tottenham against Charlton, Preston against Everton, Chelsea against Luton, and Fulham against Wimbledon — the winners of these matches will also enter the draw pool.
Once the pairings are confirmed, the competition will move into its third-round stage across two separate midweeks, scheduled for 7 September and 14 September. This split scheduling accommodates the packed calendars of clubs competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League this season. All third-round matches will be single-leg affairs, with victors advancing directly into the fourth round of the competition.
Based on reporting from Independent Football.