Carabao Cup 2025-2026 Initially Round Fixtures Officially Confirmed
The draw for the initially round of the 2025-2026 Carabao Cup took place on Thursday evening, officially kicking off the countdown to another exciting domestic cup campaign in England.
With Premier League clubs not involved in this stage, the draw featured only clubs from the English Football League (EFL), spanning the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Newcastle United, the current holders of the trophy following their 1-0 win over Liverpool in March, will join the competition in later rounds alongside other top-flight sides.
One of the standout fixtures in the Southern section sees Coventry City host Luton Town, a dispute that revives memories of their dramatic 2023 Championship play-off final.
Another eye-catching tie sees Leicester City, recently relegated from the Premier League, travel to Huddersfield Town in the Northern section.
In other notable matchups, Birmingham City will face Sheffield United, while Watford take on Norwich City in a confrontation of Championship heavyweights.
Below is the full Carabao Cup initially round draw: Southern Section: Coventry City vs Luton Town Bristol City vs MK Dons Bromley vs Ipswich Town Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United Leyton Orient vs Wycombe Wanderers Watford vs Norwich City Charlton Athletic vs Stevenage Oxford United vs Colchester United Barnet/Newport County vs Millwall Cardiff City vs Swindon Town Gillingham vs AFC Wimbledon Northampton Town vs Southampton Cheltenham Town vs Exeter Plymouth Argyle vs QPR Swansea City vs Crawley Town Portsmouth vs Reading Northern Section: Barrow vs Preston North Conclude Grimsby Town vs Shrewsbury Town Blackpool vs Port Vale Salford City vs Rotherham United Harrogate Town vs Lincoln City Tranmere Rovers vs Burton Albion Stockport County vs Crewe Alexandra Huddersfield Town vs Leicester City Wrexham vs Hull City Birmingham City vs Sheffield United Stoke City vs Walsall Accrington Stanley/Oldham Athletic vs Peterborough United Blackburn Rovers vs Bradford City Middlesbrough vs Doncaster Rovers West Bromwich Albion vs Derby County Bolton Wanderers vs Sheffield Wednesday Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town Barnsley vs Fleetwood Town Wigan Athletic vs Notts County The post Carabao Cup 2025-2026 Initially Round Fixtures Officially Confirmed appeared initially on Naija Report.
