Carabao Cup Fourth Round Draw Details

The Carabao Cup is beginning to tighten. The early traffic of ties and rotating XIs is clearing, and the route to Wembley suddenly looks a little shorter: just 16 teams will go into the hat for the fourth round and a shot at the quarter-finals.

With the Premier League’s European contenders now involved, the third round had to be split across nights. The fourth round will be simpler: one block of fixtures, one clear target – survive and you are two wins from a semi-final.

No seeding. No regional split. Just names, numbers and jeopardy.

When is the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw?

All eyes turn to Old Trafford. The draw will take place straight after the Round Three tie between Manchester United and Brighton on Wednesday 16 September.

That game kicks off at 8pm BST, so expect the draw to follow at some point after 10pm BST, once the final whistle, interviews and immediate reaction are done.

How can you watch it?

Sky Sports will carry the draw live. Presenter Pien Meulensteen will front the coverage, with Jamie Redknapp and Ashley Young overseeing the draw itself.

So if your club is still alive in the competition, that’s where you’ll find out its fate.

What about the ball numbers?

The EFL will confirm the ball numbers on Wednesday morning, releasing them across its official channels. Fans will know then exactly which number to listen out for when the bowls come out later that night.

When will the fourth round be played?

Round Four ties are scheduled for the week commencing 26 October. All matches will be single-legged, as usual at this stage.

Sixteen clubs, one draw, and a clear path emerging. By the end of that October week, the Carabao Cup will have its final eight – and the talk will turn from possibility to genuine ambition.