Chelsea and Tottenham Enter Carabao Cup Early

Chelsea and Tottenham will step into the Carabao Cup earlier than they are used to this season, a reminder of how far both clubs fell last year — and how quickly they need to climb back.

No European football. No safety net. Just the domestic grind and a cup that suddenly feels more important than it has in years for two London giants trying to reassert themselves.

London heavyweights join early

Finishing 10th and 17th in the Premier League has left Chelsea and Spurs on the outside of Europe looking in, which means their Carabao Cup journey starts at the second round rather than the third. They are part of a group of 11 Premier League sides entering at this stage, joining 35 first-round winners in a draw that already has a different feel to it.

They are not alone. Brentford, Fulham, Newcastle, Everton, Leeds and Nottingham Forest also step in here, along with newly-promoted Coventry, Ipswich and Hull. For those clubs, this competition offers either a realistic route to silverware or a chance to inject belief into a season before the league table starts to bite.

The three clubs who dropped out of the Premier League last term — West Ham, Burnley and Wolves — have to start even earlier, in the first round, a stark illustration of how unforgiving the pyramid can be.

A reshaped opening to the cup

The Carabao Cup has been nudged forward and reshaped. The first round began before the new EFL campaign kicked off and, unusually, has been spread over a weekend rather than its traditional midweek slot.

Fixture congestion forced that change. Clubs had grown used to facing three games in a week almost immediately after pre-season, often with half-fit squads and makeshift line-ups. This time, the calendar has been eased, at least on paper.

The action has already produced a jolt. Fourth-tier Walsall stunned Championship side Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate on Thursday night, setting the tone for a competition that rarely waits long for its first upset. Before that, Crawley and Rochdale had navigated preliminary ties against York and Tranmere to book their own places in the main draw.

When and where the draw happens

The second-round draw will take place on Monday, August 10, 2026, woven into the build-up to the Devon derby between Plymouth and Exeter at Home Park. It is scheduled for around 7:20pm BST.

Sky Sports will handle the ceremony. Presenter David Prutton will front the coverage, with Jobi McAnuff and Jamie Mackie drawing the balls that will decide where Chelsea, Tottenham and the rest must travel next.

For those watching from home, the draw will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR, with Sky Go streaming it online for subscribers. Standard Sport will also run a live blog tracking every tie as it drops.

Ball numbers for the second round will be confirmed once the bulk of the first-round fixtures are completed over the weekend, a final piece of admin before the attention turns to who gets who.

Europe waits, the cup begins

The looming shadow over the early rounds is the group of nine clubs who are not here yet. Holders Manchester City, along with Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool, all have Champions League commitments this season. Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace are in the Europa League, while Brighton head into the Conference League.

Those nine will not join the Carabao Cup until the third round next month. For now, the field is wide open, the competition still regionalised across the first and second rounds to limit travel and add a local edge before it opens up fully later on.

The second-round ties will be played in the week commencing August 24, back in the more familiar midweek window. By then, league campaigns will be up and running, squads will be stretched, and managers will start making choices: rotate and risk, or go strong and chase momentum.

For Chelsea and Tottenham, that decision carries extra weight. With no European nights to lean on, this cup could quickly become more than a sideshow. It might be their best shot at a trophy — and a fast track to changing the mood around two clubs desperate to feel big again.