Is the Carabao Cup the EFL Cup or the FA Cup?
Carabao Cup is the sponsored name of the EFL Cup, also called the League Cup. The FA Cup is a separate competition. There is no Carabao Cup league table: clubs advance through knockout ties.
Carabao Cup · 2026/27
Carabao Cup rules explained: 2026/27
Find out who enters when, how a level tie is settled and what it takes to reach Wembley.
Guide reviewed:
The rules at a glance
The Carabao Cup is a knockout competition. Rounds one to five go straight to penalties if level after normal time. The semi-final second leg and final can need extra time; semi-finals are decided on aggregate, without an away-goals tie-breaker.
Level scores: what happens in this round?
Choose a stage to check how a level tie is settled. For a semi-final second leg, use the aggregate score across both matches.
Rounds one to five (including quarter-finals)
Level after 90 minutes plus stoppage time: go straight to a penalty shoot-out. No extra time is played.
Extra time and penalties by round
Use the stage of the tie, not just the score on the night. Stoppage time is part of normal play; extra time is an additional 30 minutes.
| Stage | If level after normal time | If still level |
|---|---|---|
| Rounds one to five | Straight to penalties. | Shoot-out decides the winner. |
| Semi-final, first leg | The leg ends in a draw. | The tie continues in leg two. |
| Semi-final, second leg | Extra time only if aggregate is level. | Penalties after extra time. |
| Final | 30 minutes of extra time. | Penalties after extra time. |
When do teams enter in 2026/27?
This season has 92 entrants: the 72 EFL clubs and 20 Premier League clubs. Nine Premier League sides are in European competition, which is why four EFL clubs first play a preliminary round.
The preliminary places go to the two newly promoted National League clubs and the previous season’s 21st- and 22nd-placed League Two clubs. The 2026/27 participants are York City, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers and Crawley Town.
| Stage | Who joins or progresses | Teams in the round |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Four EFL clubs; two winners advance. | 4 |
| First round | Two preliminary winners plus the other 68 EFL clubs. | 70 |
| Second round | 35 winners plus 11 Premier League clubs not in Europe. | 46 |
| Third round | 23 winners plus nine Premier League clubs in Europe. | 32 |
| Fourth round | Third-round winners: the last 16. | 16 |
| Quarter-finals / fifth round | Fourth-round winners. | 8 |
| Semi-finals | Quarter-final winners, over two legs. | 4 |
| Final | Two semi-final winners meet at Wembley. | 2 |
Two-legged semi-finals: aggregate scores and away goals
Add each club’s goals from both legs to find the aggregate score. Away goals do not break a tie. Winning the second match does not necessarily mean winning the semi-final.
Example: Club A wins the first leg 2–0, then loses the second 1–0. Club A still goes through, 2–1 on aggregate. If Club A instead loses the second leg 2–0, the aggregate is 2–2 and extra time follows.
These are illustrative scores, not results from this season. Keep the match score, aggregate score and any penalty shoot-out separate when checking who has qualified.
Semi-final fixtures and resultsDraws, home advantage and the route to Wembley
The first and second rounds are regionalised into northern and southern sections. Round three is not regionalised. A club’s next opponent is confirmed by the draw, so the bracket should not be read as a fixed route all the way to the final.
In rounds one to five, the first-drawn club normally hosts, subject to the EFL’s permitted arrangements. The semi-finals give each club a home leg. The final is a single match at Wembley; use the final guide for its confirmed date and viewing details.
Substitutions and player eligibility
Clubs can normally use five of nine named substitutes, in three substitution opportunities; half-time does not use an opportunity. Extra time allows an additional substitute and opportunity. Separate concussion provisions apply.
For 2026/27, a winter-window signing may play in the final if otherwise eligible, but cannot represent different clubs in the two semi-final legs. Loan players are eligible unless their parent club expressly objects. A transfer or loan alone therefore does not tell you whether a player can appear.
Carabao Cup rules: common questions
Is the fifth round the quarter-finals?
Yes. Round five is the last-eight stage, after the fourth round and before the two-legged semi-finals.
Does a draw mean a replay?
Not simply because the score is level: the stage’s tie-break procedure decides what happens next. An abandoned match is a different situation, for which the EFL may order a replay or another outcome.
Is VAR used in every Carabao Cup match?
Do not assume so. The EFL determines the use of available technology and can require temporary installations for semi-finals. Check the official arrangements for the particular tie.
Why are penalty scores shown separately?
The match score records goals during play; the shoot-out decides the winner when required. For example, a 1–1 match followed by a 5–4 shoot-out is not a 6–5 match score.
Where do I check the next round or final date?
Use the round pages and final guide for confirmed fixtures. Draw time, match date and kick-off time are different details, and a round’s date window is not a confirmed start time for every club.
Guide review
Reviewed . Check the match listing for its latest kick-off and viewing details.