Carabao Cup First-round Draw Confirmed As Wrexham, West Ham, Leicester Discover Opponents

The draw for the first round of the 2026/27 Carabao Cup was conducted on Thursday, with clubs across England learning their opening opponents in the competition.

Reigning champions Manchester City will begin the defence of the trophy in a later round after beating Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley in March, thanks to a brace from Nico O’Reilly. Other top Premier League clubs will also join the competition in the later stages of the campaign.

The first round is split into northern and southern sections, while two preliminary ties will complete the line-up.

Tranmere Rovers face Rochdale on August 1, with the winners travelling to Bradford City, while York City meet Crawley Town on August 3 for the right to face Watford.

Northern section Carabao Cup fixtures

– Middlesbrough vs Wrexham
– Rotherham vs West Brom
– Barnsley vs Wigan
– Mansfield vs Sheffield United
– Stockport vs Doncaster Rovers
– Sheffield Wednesday vs Bolton
– Fleetwood vs Chesterfield
– Crewe vs Accrington Stanley
– Stoke City vs Oldham
– Wolves vs Port Vale
– Burnley vs Notts County
– Derby County vs Lincoln City
– Bradford vs Tranmere Rovers or Rochdale
– Burton Albion vs Blackburn Rovers
– Salford vs Shrewsbury
– Grimsby vs Blackpool
– Preston vs Huddersfield

Southern section Carabao Cup fixtures

– QPR vs Millwall
– Cheltenham vs Charlton Athletic
– Gillingham vs Luton
– Cardiff vs Swindon
– Bristol City vs Walsall
– Plymouth vs Exeter
– Bristol Rovers vs Peterborough
– Watford vs York City or Crawley Town
– Cambridge vs Barnet
– Norwich vs MK Dons
– Colchester vs Southampton
– Leyton Orient vs Oxford United
– Wycombe vs Stevenage
– Bromley vs Reading
– Swansea vs Birmingham
– West Ham vs Portsmouth
– Wimbledon vs Newport
– Leicester City vs Northampton Town