Carabao Cup Third Round Draw: Key Details and Dates

The early rounds are nearly done. The heavyweights are waiting in the tunnel.

The Carabao Cup third round is on the horizon, and this is the stage where the Premier League’s biggest names finally step in. Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have skipped the second-round grind thanks to their European schedules and will enter straight into the last 32.

Chelsea and Tottenham don’t have that luxury. They must fight through their second-round ties this week to book a place alongside them.

When is the third-round draw?

The exact date and time are still to be nailed down, but the plan is clear.

The draw is expected to take place on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, shortly after the final whistle of Preston vs Everton. That game kicks off at 8pm BST, so the draw will follow once events are settled at Deepdale.

Details on who will host the draw and which guests will be alongside them are still to come and will be confirmed closer to the night.

How to watch the draw

Sky Sports will carry the draw live, with subscribers able to stream it on the Sky Go app.

For those glued to every twist and turn, Standard Sport will run a live blog, tracking each ball as it comes out and every tie as it’s confirmed.

Who will be in the hat?

The numbers for the third round will be confirmed on the morning of the draw, once all second-round ties are complete.

In total, 32 clubs go into the pot:

• The 23 winners from the second round
• The nine Premier League sides involved in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League this season

There’s a crucial wrinkle. Because of their European commitments, those nine clubs will not be drawn against each other at this stage, and the third round will be spread over two midweeks to ease the congestion.

When will the ties be played?

Third-round fixtures are scheduled across back-to-back weeks: starting from September 7 and then again from September 14.

Two midweeks. One cup. And the moment when the competition stops being a quiet undercard and starts to feel very real.