Carabao Cup second-round draw set to unfold

What's happened

The Carabao Cup second round has been drawn, with Chelsea and Tottenham entering the competition alongside other Premier League clubs not in Europe. The draw is sectional (north and south) and ties will be played the week of 24 August. The nine top-flight teams in Europe this season join in the third round.

What's behind the headline?

Brief

• The headline acts entering the Cup in Round Two are Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Leeds among others.
• The draw preserves regional constraints, shaping potential routes for clubs.
• This is a key phase before higher-stake fixtures as European-bound teams join later.

What this implies

• Regions will determine plausible matchups in the early rounds, potentially affecting travel plans and squad rotation.
• As Chelsea and Tottenham begin their campaigns, the focus is on establishing momentum early in the season.

Forecast

• By late August, expect a clear map of second-round ties, with several Premier League clubs facing Championship or League One opposition, and North/South separation limiting cross-country travel.

How we got here

The Carabao Cup opens with a first round in which eight teams and 38 EFL clubs participated. The second round remains regionalised to limit travel, with matches scheduled for the week commencing 24 August. Premier League sides not in Europe enter at this stage; those in Europe join in Round Three.

Our analysis

The Guardian, BBC Sport, Independent all report the North/South sectional draw for the Carabao Cup second round, with fixtures set for the week starting 24 August. Direct quotes from each source are used to illustrate the tiered entry of clubs and the schedule.

Go deeper

• Which Premier League teams enter in Round Two this year?
• How will regional draws affect potential matchups for your club?
• When will the third-round ties be announced?

More on these topics

• Chelsea F.C. - Football club

  Chelsea Football Club are an English professional football club based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1905, the club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football.

• West Ham United F.C. - Football club

  West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stratford, East London. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

• Everton F.C. - Football club

  Everton Football Club is an English professional football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

• Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters - Association football club

  Southampton Football Club ( (listen)) is an English professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire, England, which plays in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, prior...

• Ipswich Town F.C. - Association football club in Ipswich, England

  Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, following promotion from the Championship. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936; the club was elected to the Football League in 1938. Ipswich won the league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight, and finished runners-up in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They finished in the top six in the First Division for ten years, and won the FA Cup in 1978 and UEFA Cup in 1981. They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona. Ipswich Town have played their home games at Portman Road since 1884. The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. They have a long-standing rivalry with Norwich City, against whom they contest the East Anglian derby.

• Brentford F.C. - Football club

  Brentford Football Club are a professional football club in Brentford, Greater London, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.

• Middlesbrough F.C. - Association football club in Middlesbrough, England

  Middlesbrough Football Club ( MID-əlz-brə) is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. They compete in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Nicknamed "the Boro", they were formed in 1876 and...

• Hull City A.F.C. - Association football club in Hull, England

  Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. As of the 2026–27 season, they compete in the Premier League, following promotion via the 2026 EFL play-offs. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium, after moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's traditional home colours are black and amber, often featuring in a striped design on the shirt, hence their nickname, the Tigers. Hull also contest the Humber derby with both Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United. The club was founded in 1904 and was admitted into the Football League a year later. They remained in the Second Division until relegation in 1930. Hull won the Third Division North title in 1932–33, but were relegated three years later. They won the Third Division North under the stewardship of Raich Carter in 1948–49, and this time remained in the second tier for seven seasons. Having been promoted again in 1958–59, they were relegated the following season and remained in the Third Division until they were promoted as champions under Cliff Britton in 1965–66. Twelve seasons in the second tier culminated in two relegations in...

• Newcastle United F.C. - Football club

  Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, that plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.

• Tottenham Hotspur F.C. - Football club

  Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham or Spurs, is an English professional football club in Tottenham, London, that competes in the Premier League.

• Luton - Football club

  Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

• Xabi Alonso - Spanish football manager

  Xabier Alonso Olano is a Spanish football manager and former professional player who played as a central or defensive midfielder. He is the manager of Segunda División B club Real Sociedad B. Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his

• Coventry City F.C. - Association football club in Coventry, England

  Coventry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, following promotion from the EFL Championship. The club is nicknamed the Sky Blues after the sky blue colours that have featured prominently throughout their history, which they have worn continuously since 1962. Coventry City formed as Singers F.C. in 1883 following a general meeting of the Singer Gentleman's club. They adopted their current name in 1898 and joined the Southern League in 1908, before being selected into the Football League in 1919. Relegated in 1925, they returned to the Second Division as champions of the Third Division South and Third Division South Cup winners in 1935–36. Relegated in 1952, they won promotion in the inaugural Fourth Division season in 1958–59. Coventry reached the First Division after winning the Third Division title in 1963–64 and the Second Division title in 1966– 67 under the management of Jimmy Hill. In the 1970–71 season, the team competed in the European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, reaching the second round. Despite beating Bayern Munich 2–1 in the home leg, they had...

• Burnley F.C. - Football club

  Burnley Football Club is an English association football club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Founded on 18 May 1882, it was one of the first to become professional, and subsequently put pressure on the Football Association to permit payments to players.

• Sheffield United F.C. - Football club

  Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football.

• Reading FC - Association football club in Reading, England

  Reading Football Club ( (listen) RED-ing) is a football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The team play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The current manager is Veljko Paunović.Reading are nicknamed The Royals, due to...

• Crewe Alexandra F.C. - Association football club in Crewe, England

  Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of the town's links with the rail industry, and also commonly known as 'The Alex', they have played at their current Gresty Road location (adjacent to the sites of two previous grounds) since 1906. The supporters' fiercest rivalry is with Staffordshire-based side Port Vale. The club was formed in August 1877 as the football division of Crewe Alexandra Cricket Club, named after Princess Alexandra. Crewe reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1888 and were then a founding member of the Football League Second Division in 1892. In 1921, the club was invited to join the newly created Football League Third Division North, where they stayed for the next 37 years before being placed in the new Fourth Division in 1958. The team achieved their first promotion after finishing third in 1962–63. Crewe were immediately relegated the next season but were promoted again in 1967–68, but again lasted just one season in the Third Division. Crewe spent 20 years...

• Doncaster Rovers F.C. - Association football club in Doncaster, England

  Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club play their home games at the Club Doncaster Sports Village, having moved from Belle Vue in 2007. Their home strip consists of red and white hoops, which has been the main design of the club's home shirt since 2001 through different variations. The club was founded in 1879 and turned professional six years later, moving to the Intake Ground. They entered the Midland League in 1891 and were elected into the Football League in 1901. The club lost re-election votes in 1903 and 1905 and so returned to the Midland League. They were admitted into the Football League for a third and final time in 1923 and went on to win the Third Division North in 1934–35. The club won two further Third Division North titles in 1946–47 and 1949–50, having been relegated from the Second Division in 1937 and 1948. Doncaster found themselves in the Fourth Division after suffering consecutive relegations in 1958 and 1959, though would go on to win the Fourth Division title in 1965–66...

• West Bromwich Albion Football Club - Football club

  West Bromwich Albion Football Club is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

• Portsmouth FC - Association football club in Portsmouth, England

  Portsmouth Football Club is an English professional association football club in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The team compete in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded on 5 April 1898 and home matches are...

• Birmingham City F.C. - Association football club in Birmingham, England

  Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bordesley, Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The club competes in the...

• Blackburn Rovers F.C. - Association football club in Blackburn, England

  Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890.

• Stoke - Football club

  Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in the 1860s, the club changed its name to Stoke Football Club in 1870 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke-on-Trent

• United Kingdom - Country in Europe

  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland.

• Cambridge United F.C. - Association football club in Cambridge, England

  Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. The team compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, but will compete in EFL League One in the 2026..

• Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. - Football club

  Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, commonly known as Wolves, is a professional association football club based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Formed as St.

• Norwich City - Football club

  Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, that competes in the Championship, the second division of English football. The club was founded in 1902.

• Nottingham Forest F.C. - Football club

  Nottingham Forest Football Club, often referred to as Forest, are a professional football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England.

• Fulham F.C. - Association football club in London, England

  Fulham Football Club is a professional football club based in West London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1879, they have played home games at Craven Cottage since 1896. Fulham contest West London derby rivalries with Chelsea, Brentford and Queens Park Rangers. The club adopted a white shirt and black shorts as its kit in 1896, which has been used ever since. Founded in 1879, they are London's oldest professional football club. They joined the Southern League in 1898 and won two First Division titles (1905–06 and 1906–07), as well as two Second Division titles and a Western League title. Elected into the Second Division of the Football League in 1907, Fulham would win the Third Division South in 1931–32, four years after being relegated. They won the Second Division title in 1948–49, though were relegated after three seasons. Promoted back to the First Division again in 1958–59, the form of star player Johnny Haynes helped Fulham to remain in the top-flight until consecutive relegations occurred by 1969. They were promoted in 1970–71 and went on to reach the final of the 1974–75 FA Cup. Fulham drifted between the second...

• Exeter City F.C. - Association football club in Exeter, England

  Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The club competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football, following relegation in the 2025–26 season. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to speculation and debate. The club is owned by its supporters through the Exeter City Supporters' Trust. Exeter City was founded in 1901 and began playing their games at St James Park, where they remain to this day. They joined Division One of the Southern League in 1904. After a tour of South America in 1914 to generate awareness of football in the continent, the club became the first side to play a national team from Brazil. As a result, City and Brazilian side Fluminense are now also partner clubs. Exeter were invited to help create the Football League Third Division in 1920. They were assigned to the Third Division South the next year and won the Third Division South Cup in 1934. They remained in the division until becoming founder members of the Fourth Division in 1958. They were promoted in 1963–64, only to be relegated after two seasons. They were promoted out of the Fourth Division again at the...

• Plymouth Argyle - Football club

  Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2020–21 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football.

• Leyton Orient F.C. - Association football club in London, England

  Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1881 as the Glyn Cricket Club, they began playing football as Orient in 1888 and joined the London League in 1896 after success in the Clapton & District League. The club adopted the name Clapton Orient two years later and were elected into the Football League in 1905. Relegated out of the Second Division in 1929, the club adopted the name Leyton Orient after World War II. They won the Third Division South title in 1955–56 and secured promotion out of the Second Division in 1961–62, though were relegated out of the First Division after just one season, and suffered a further relegation in 1966. That summer the club's name changed to Orient F.C. and they went on to win the Third Division under the stewardship of Jimmy Bloomfield in 1969–70. Orient spent the 1970s playing in the second tier, winning two London Challenge Cups and reaching the 1977 Anglo-Scottish Cup final and 1977–78 FA Cup semi-finals, before being relegated in 1982...

• Exeter - City in Devon, England

  Exeter ( EK-sit-ər) is a cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately 36 mi (58 km) northeast of Plymouth and 65 mi (105 km) southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal command of Vespasian. Exeter became a religious centre in the Middle Ages. Exeter Cathedral, founded in the mid 11th century, became Anglican in the 16th-century English Reformation. Exeter became an affluent centre for the wool trade, although by the First World War the city was in decline. After the Second World War, much of the city centre was rebuilt and is now a centre for education, business and tourism in South West England. It is home to two of the constituent campuses of the University of Exeter: Streatham and St Luke's. The administrative area of Exeter has the status of a non-metropolitan district under the administration of the County Council. It is the county town of Devon and home to the headquarters of Devon County Council. A plan to grant the city unitary authority status was scrapped by the 2010 coalition government, but it is currently making another bid for unitary...

• Blackpool F.C. - Association football club in Blackpool, England

  Blackpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in the seaside resort of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, the club formerl

• Fleetwood Town F.C. - Association football club in Fleetwood, England

  Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club, which was originally formed in 1908. Their home strip is red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts, and their home ground is Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood. Supporters of the club are known as the Cod Army, which is also used as a nickname for the club, alongside The Fishermen, the club's traditional nickname. They contest a rivalry with nearby Blackpool known as the Fylde Coast derby. The original club, founded in 1908, were known simply as Fleetwood. They won the Lancashire Combination in the 1923–24 season, but resigned from the league in February 1928, due to financial difficulties. Fleetwood Windsor Villa took their place in the Lancashire Combination and won three Lancashire Combination Cups in 1933, 1934 and 1935. The club became a founder member of the newly created Northern Premier League in 1968, but folded in 1976 and reformed the following year as Fleetwood Town. They initially...

• Lincoln City F.C. - Association football club in Lincoln, England

  Lincoln City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, following promotion from EFL League One. Nicknamed the "Imps" after the legend of the Lincoln Imp, they have played at 11,400-capacity Sincil Bank since their move from John O'Gaunts in 1895. Traditionally they play in red and white striped shirts with black shorts and red and white socks. They hold rivalries with other Lincolnshire clubs, particularly Scunthorpe United and Grimsby Town. Founded in 1884, Lincoln won the Midland League in 1889–90, their first full season playing league football. They moved on from the Football Alliance to become founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892, remaining there until they failed re-election in 1908. They won immediate re-election after winning the next year's Midland League, and would repeat this feat after failing re-election again in 1911 and 1920. Founder members of the Football League Third Division North in 1921, they won promotion as champions in 1931–32, but were relegated two seasons later. Crowned Third Division...

• Leicester City F.C. - Football club

  Leicester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at the King Power Stad