{"id":35467,"date":"2026-06-03T21:53:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/efl-announces-carabao-cup-format-changes-after-nine-premier-league-teams-advance-to-europe\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T21:53:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:53:23","slug":"efl-announces-carabao-cup-format-changes-after-nine-premier-league-teams-advance-to-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/efl-announces-carabao-cup-format-changes-after-nine-premier-league-teams-advance-to-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"EFL announces Carabao Cup format changes after nine Premier League teams advance to Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Carabao Cup will be influenced by the number of Premier League teams playing in Europe next season, with four League Two teams competing in the qualifying rounds.<\/h2>\n
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June 3, 2026 15:00<\/span>Updated June 3, 2026 16:30<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Qualifying rounds will be held in the Carabao Cup (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Depending on the number of Premier League clubs that have qualified for Europe, four teams from Ligue 2 will take part in the Carabao Cup qualifying rounds.<\/p>\n
Crystal Palace defeated Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final, becoming the ninth English team to guarantee European football next season, following Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Brighton.<\/p>\n
But when it comes to the Carabao Cup, the ripple effects of its success will be felt by the teams lower down the pyramid.<\/p>\n
BBC Sport has confirmed that teams will be affected early in the tournament, the first domestic cup game of the season, which could include some logistical headaches.<\/p>\n
Two teams promoted from the National League, York City and Rochdale, will face Crawley Town and Tranmere Rovers respectively.<\/p>\n
The first two rounds of the Carabao Cup are regional, pitting teams from the North and South against other clubs from their regions. However, the winner of the first round match involving Crawley Town will move to the south section, despite the other three teams normally being grouped together in the north half of the draw.<\/p>\n
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With Crystal Palace winning the conference league, there will be nine Premier League teams in Europe next season (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The draw is then adjusted before the second round, with the southernmost teams in the northern section of the draw swapping as needed to readjust the situation.<\/p>\n
70 teams will participate in the first round and 35 teams will advance to the second round. These will be joined by 11 other Premier League clubs that do not have European contracts.<\/p>\n
Premier League teams competing in European competition will enter the tournament from the third round as usual. At that stage, 32 teams will need to participate.<\/p>\n
Carabao Cup provisional round draw<\/h3>\n
York City vs Crawley Town<\/p>\n
Tranmeley Rovers vs Rochdale<\/p>\n
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.<\/p>\n
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"carabao](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37214800.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_GettyImages-2267425017.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"crystal](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37214799.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2278529058.jpg\")
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