Who can we play in the Carabao Cup third round?

The Carabao Cup third round draw takes place tonight as we enter the competition, looking to go all the way to Wembley.

We reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2024/25 and as we look to win the competition for the third time, here's all you need to know about the draw this evening.

When is the Carabao Cup draw?

The Carabao Cup third round draw will take place tonight, Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

This will be shown on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports News following Manchester United’s second round clash at Grimsby Town, which kicks off at 8pm.

Due to our involvement in European competition, we enter at the third round stage alongside Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.

What Ball Number are we?

All ball numbers will be confirmed on the morning of Wednesday, August 27.

Who can we face?

Due to conditions set by the EFL, we cannot draw another side that is competing in the Champions League or Europa League.

Two draws will take place tonight. The first, which will take place before Manchester United's trip to Grimsby, will determine whether the teams competing in Europe will be playing at home or away.

The main draw will then take place after the match at Blundell Park and will consist of two separate bowls - one consisting of the eight teams competing in Europe, and the other with the remaining 24 clubs. We will be drawn in one of the first eight matches, along with the other sides competing in the Champions League and Europa League.

These are the sides we could face in the third round of the Carabao Cup:

Lincoln City

Doncaster Rovers

Wigan Athletic

Bradford City

Burnley

Port Vale

Wrexham

Barnsley

Sheffield Wednesday

Reading

Brentford

Millwall

Wolves

Swansea City

Wycombe Wanderers

Cardiff City

Cambridge United

Southampton

Crystal Palace

Huddersfield Town

Everton/Mansfield

Grimsby/Manchester United

Oxford United/Brighton

Fulham/Bristol City

When Will the Carabao Cup third round Take pLACE?

The Carabao Cup third round fixtures will be spread across two weeks due to Champions League and Europa League clashes.

The first set of games will happen week commencing September 15, 2025. We will be in action in the Champions League that week, so our match will take place the week commencing September 22, 2025.

Has anything changed from 2024/25?

Newcastle United lifted the Carabao Cup in 2024/25 for the first time, defeating Liverpool 2-1 to end a 56-year trophy drought.

To celebrate all past winners, each team that has lifted the trophy will receive a special sleeve patch, denoting how many times they have won the tournament.

We won the competition in 1987 and 1993, meaning we'll have a number two on our sleeve.

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