Carabao Cup Third Round Draw: Why Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool Won’t Face Each Other

The draw for the third round of the 2025/26 Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday, with a slight change in format due to European commitments.

The English Football League (EFL) has confirmed that clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League will not be paired against each other at this stage of the competition.

This season, the eight clubs involved in European competitions are Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham Hotspur.

To accommodate this, the draw will feature two separate bowls: one containing the eight European participants and the other with the remaining 24 teams. The eight European clubs will be drawn first against teams from the second bowl.

Additionally, the third-round fixtures will be spread across two weeks to avoid clashing with European football schedules.