Carabao Cup 2026/27 First-Round Draw: Date, Time and Ball Numbers Confirmed

The Carabao Cup 2026/27 first-round draw is set for Thursday, June 25, with 70 EFL clubs learning their opponents at 4:30pm BST. The draw will be conducted by Kevin Nolan and Luke Chambers, hosted by Dharmesh Sheth.

Nine Premier League clubs qualified for European competition this season, triggering a preliminary qualifying round. That draw, held on June 3, 2026, produced two ties: York City vs Crawley Town and Tranmere Rovers vs Rochdale. The winners of those two matches join the remaining 68 EFL clubs in the first round proper.

To reduce travel demands on lower-league sides, the 70 teams have been divided into regionalised Northern and Southern sections. The northern section features 17 ties; the southern section 18. All first-round matches are scheduled to be played over the weekend of August 7–9, 2026.

Northern section ball numbers

Accrington Stanley, Barnsley, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City, Burnley, Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Grimsby Town, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Middlesbrough, Notts County, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, Preston North End, Rotherham United, Salford City, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, Wolves, Wrexham, Tranmere Rovers/Rochdale.

Southern section ball numbers

AFC Wimbledon, Barnet, Birmingham City, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers — along with the remaining southern clubs to be confirmed in full at the time of the draw.

The full EFL league fixtures for the 2026/27 season are also released on June 25, scheduled for 12pm BST ahead of the cup draw later in the afternoon.