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The Carabao Cup, officially known as the EFL League Cup, is English football's second domestic knockout cup competition, open to all 92 clubs in the Football League pyramid. It offers Premier League clubs a realistic shot at silverware early in the season and gives squad players vital game time. This guide explains the format, entry rounds, prize money, and where to watch it.
The Carabao Cup — officially the EFL League Cup, currently sponsored by Thai energy drink brand Carabao — is the second major domestic cup competition in English football, sitting behind the FA Cup in prestige but ahead of it in one important respect: it reaches a conclusion far earlier in the campaign, with the final held at Wembley Stadium in late February or early March.
The League Cup was first played in the 1960–61 season, making it a relative newcomer compared to the FA Cup, which dates back to 1871. The competition was not universally embraced at first — several top clubs boycotted it during the 1960s — but it grew in stature once a place in European competition was attached to winning it. For many years the trophy offered automatic entry into the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League), which made it enormously valuable to clubs outside the top four. That European spot was eventually removed, which somewhat diminished its prize appeal, though the silverware itself remains a meaningful target for ambitious clubs.
All 92 clubs in the English Football League pyramid are eligible to enter. The entry points are staggered by division to reflect squad depth and fixture congestion:
From the third round onwards the draw is entirely open, meaning a League Two club can be drawn against Manchester City at the Etihad. These are the ties that capture the imagination of supporters of smaller clubs — a genuine chance to test themselves against elite opposition on a major stage.
A significant structural change was made in recent seasons: replays have been abolished across all rounds, including the semi-finals. Every tie is decided on the night. If a match is level after 90 minutes, it proceeds directly to a penalty shootout — there is no extra time in the early rounds in most seasons, though competition rules should always be verified against the official EFL website for the current season. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with the aggregate score determining which club reaches Wembley. The final is a single match played at Wembley Stadium.
Manchester City were the dominant force in the competition throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, winning the trophy in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 — four consecutive titles — and again in 2024. Liverpool won the competition in the 2021–22 season, beating Chelsea on penalties in a 0–0 final, and again in 2023–24, defeating Chelsea 1–0 at Wembley. Manchester United won the trophy in 2022–23, beating Newcastle United 2–0. These results underline how the competition tends to be dominated by clubs with the deepest squads, who can rotate heavily without sacrificing quality.
Prize money in the Carabao Cup is considerably smaller than in the FA Cup or the Premier League itself. Clubs receive modest payments for each round they progress through, with the final offering the largest payout. The financial incentive is not the primary draw for top-flight clubs; instead, the competition offers managerial value in the form of minutes for fringe players, returning injured players, and academy prospects who need first-team exposure without the pressure of a league fixture.
Sky Sports holds the broadcast rights to the Carabao Cup in the United Kingdom. Selected matches across each round are shown live on Sky Sports' various channels, with highlights available on the Sky Sports app. The final at Wembley receives comprehensive coverage including pre-match and post-match analysis. For supporters unable to access Sky Sports, EFL iFollow streaming options may be available for clubs' own fans depending on the round, though blackout rules apply when Sky is broadcasting a match live.
Managers at Premier League clubs approach the Carabao Cup with varying degrees of seriousness depending on their squad depth and ambitions. For a club like Arsenal or Liverpool with genuine title aspirations, it may be treated primarily as an opportunity to develop younger players. For a mid-table club with a strong enough squad to compete across multiple fronts, the cup represents a realistic path to Wembley and a trophy. For newly promoted sides or clubs with a thin squad, it can be an unwanted distraction — or a precious opportunity to measure themselves against better opposition.
The competition also has genuine emotional resonance. For clubs that have never lifted the Premier League title — or for players at those clubs who may never get the chance — the Carabao Cup final at Wembley is as close as they will come to a major domestic honour. That context gives the competition a significance that raw prize money figures alone cannot capture.
The FA Cup is the world's oldest national football competition, founded in 1871–72. With 736 clubs entering and no replays from the 2024–25 season, the format has evolved while the tradition remains compelling.