The Carabao Cup is set to continue with the third-round draw, as several Premier League teams enter the competition. The draw is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of Manchester United's second-round match against Grimsby Town.
Several Premier League teams involved in European competitions, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, will be finding out their opponents. Manchester United will also be in the draw, provided they win against Grimsby Town.
Due to the expansion of UEFA club competitions, the third round of the Carabao Cup will have a slightly different format, with games spread across two weeks. To avoid scheduling conflicts, teams competing in the Champions League or Europa League will not be drawn against each other in the third round.
To accommodate this, there will be two separate bowls for the draw: one for the eight teams participating in the Champions League and Europa League, and another for the remaining 24 clubs. A pre-draw will determine whether the European teams will play their third-round match at home or away. The first eight ties drawn will involve a team from the European competition bowl against a team from the other bowl. The remaining eight ties will then be drawn from the second bowl only.
The third-round matches are scheduled to be played across two weeks, commencing September 15 and September 22. This is to accommodate teams participating in European fixtures. For instance, Aston Villa's Carabao Cup third-round match is set to take place during the week commencing September 15, due to their participation in the Europa League the following week.
The 2024/25 Carabao Cup saw Newcastle United defeat Liverpool 2-1 in the final. Each team that has won the trophy will receive a special sleeve patch indicating the number of times they have won the tournament. Arsenal, who won the competition in 1987 and 1993, will have a number two on their sleeve.
