Carabao Cup 2025: New format kicks off with preliminary round
by Thobelani Moyo | by Cydias Aujard
Carabao Cup: From old to new format
The Carabao Cup has undergone a noticeable change from the one that we have been accustomed to. The English Football League has implemented what we call a preliminary round, which is essentially a path to Round 1, and it features four teams with just two progressing.
This change was done mainly to accommodate the nine English Premier League teams that will be competing in the expanded European competitions this year (UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League).
To refresh your memory, however, this is not the first time the Carabao Cup has had to make such an adjustment. You will have to go all the way back to the 2011-12 season.
During this period, they had to accommodate Birmingham City, who secured their ticket in the UEFA Europa League thanks to their triumph over Arsenal in the 2010-11 League Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Fulham also made the cut in the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League because of the UEFA Fair Play ranking. With both English teams needing accommodation, this was enough reason to force a preliminary round back then.
How does the four-team preliminary round work?
Some of you may have questions as to how the Carabao Cup preliminary round works. Don't worry! We have you covered with this informative table below.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 (two promoted teams from the National League and two non-relegated teams in League Two) |
| Fixture format | Regionalised ties: Northern vs Southern section |
| Northern section match | Accrington Stanley vs Oldham Athletic |
| Southern section match | Barnley vs Newport County |
As we can notice from the table above, there has been an interesting addition in this year's Carabao Cup. Two teams that have been promoted from the National League, Barnet and Oldham Athletic, are set to grace us with their presence in the four-team qualifying preliminary round.
They have been regionalized, meaning it'll be a Northern and Southern section clash between them and last year's lowest-ranked teams in League Two. Out of the four teams, only two can advance to Round 1, bringing the total number of teams in this category to 70, other than the 72 that were required in the old format.
So far, Barnet has already faced Newport County, and they lost 4-2 on penalties despite our Sportytrader betting experts having so much faith in their triumph in the previous Barnet vs Newport County prediction.
Check out the participants in Round 1:
- EFL Championship (22 teams)
- EFL League One (24 teams)
- EFL League Two (24 teams)
When do the EPL teams enter the fray?
The attention in this competition will mostly fall on the English Premier League teams. Last season, Newcastle United had the pleasure of lifting their first-ever trophy in this tournament after seeing off the threat of Liverpool in the final at Wembley Stadium.
It was an emotional evening for everyone associated with the club as it brought an end to a 70-year trophy drought. Now, it's all eyes on them to defend their crown.
Regarding the number of Premier League teams participating in the Carabao Cup 2025, that will have to be 20. Out of that number, nine teams will be participating in the revamped European competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League, and the Europa Conference League, as mentioned in the second opening paragraph.
In the UEFA Champions League, we have six teams, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur. Only two teams have been added to the UEFA Europa League category, and those are Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. Finally, the UEFA Europa Conference League only features Nottingham Forest.
Let's have a look at the entry rounds for EPL teams:
- Round 2: 11 teams from the English Premier League that won't take part in the European competitions enter this round.
- Round 3: 9 teams from the English Premier League that will take part in the European competitions enter this round.
