Carabao Cup draw LIVE ball numbers, start time, United and City learn opponents
Manchester United and Manchester City will both be in the draw tonight as they learn their third round opponents in this season's League Cup.
The draw will take place after tonight's game between Preston and Everton at Deepdale, but there will be TWO draws this evening, with United and City both involved in a pre-draw ahead of tonight's game - more on why there are two draws in the blog below.
We'll bring you live updates from both of tonight's draws, with United and City eagerly awaiting the news of who they will face in the third round this season. City will be looking to defend their title in 2026/27 having beaten Arsenal in the final last season, while United fans will need no reminder about how their side fared in the 2025/26 edition of the competition.
Follow the blog below for LIVE updates:
New UpdatesToday18:24 BSTBall numbers to watch out forThe ball numbers to watch out for in tonight's draw are number 5 for City and number 6 for United.
CommentsRoss JacksonToday17:48 BSTGoal of the previous roundWith some games still to play in the second round of this season's competition, here's a reminder of the goal of the round from round 1:
CommentsRoss JacksonToday17:16 BSTDraw start timeA reminder that tonight's draw will take place after Everton's second round tie against Preston (8pm kick-off), meaning we should begin at around 10.15pm. The pre-draw, which United and City will both be part of, will happen before that game.
CommentsRoss JacksonToday16:59 BSTNew draw format reminderHere's a reminder of the new format for tonight's draw:
While the main draw is set to begin after Preston's clash with Everton, before that game at Deepdale there will be a pre-draw to determine which of the Champions League and Europa League clubs will play at home or away in the third round, meaning United and City will be in two draws this evening.
The clubs that will be participating in the Champions League and Europa League cannot be drawn against each other to avoid scheduling issues.
When the main draw begins following Everton's game against Preston, the first eight fixtures to be decided will be the ones involving clubs in the Champions League and Europa League. After that, the draw will take place as usual.
CommentsRoss JacksonToday16:19 BSTTonight's gamesHere's a reminder of the games taking place tonight:
CommentsRoss JacksonToday15:53 BSTOne for the diary?The final of this season's competition will be played on Sunday 21 March 2027 at Wembley Stadium.
CommentsRoss JacksonToday15:18 BSTTeams City and United can't faceThe clubs that will be participating in the Champions League and Europa League cannot be drawn against each other to avoid scheduling issues.
That means United and City can't be drawn against each other or Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. The rest of the teams still in the competition (which we have listed earlier in the blog) are all possible opponents.
CommentsRoss JacksonToday15:15 BSTThose left to playThere are still a few ties to be played in the second round of this season's competition. They are:
Newcastle vs West Brom
Bradford vs Burnley
Tottenham vs Charlton
Preston vs Everton
Chelsea vs Luton
Fulham vs AFC Wimbledon
CommentsRoss JacksonToday14:35 BSTRule changeThere has been an update to the rules for this season's Carabao Cup, as per the official EFL website:
CommentsRoss JacksonToday14:07 BSTCarabao Cup dates for 2026/27Here are the dates for this season's Carabao Cup:
Round Three: w/c 7 September and w/c 14 September 2026
Round Four: w/c 26 October 2026
Round Five: w/c 14 December 2026
Semi-Final First Leg: w/c 11 January 2027
Semi-Final Second Leg: w/c 1 February 2027
Final: Sunday 21 March 2027
CommentsRoss JacksonToday13:40 BSTCity's route to glory - and United's route to miseryHere's a reminder of how City reached and won the Carabao Cup final last season:
Huddersfield Town 0-2 City
Swansea City 1-3 City
City 2-0 Brentford
Newcastle United 0-2 City (semi-final first leg)
City 3-1 Newcastle (semi-final second leg)
Arsenal 0-2 City
And if you needed reminding of United's 2025/26 Carabao Cup campaign:
Grimsby 2-2 United (Grimsby won 12-11 on penalties)
CommentsRoss JacksonToday12:40 BSTWhy are there TWO draws?United and City will discover their opponents in the third round of the Carabao Cup this evening, but there will be a change in the format of the draw.
The nine Premier League clubs who qualified for Europe last season will join the 23 teams still in the competition in the draw. Those nine Premier League teams are the sides who finished in the top eight last season - Arsenal, City, United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Brighton - and Conference League winners Crystal Palace.
While the main draw is set to begin after Preston's clash with Everton, before that game at Deepdale there will be a pre-draw...
Find out why here >>>
CommentsRoss JacksonToday12:37 BSTBall numbers for the draw1 AFC Bournemouth
4 Crystal Palace
5 Manchester City
6 Manchester United
11 Brighton & Hove Albion
12 Coventry City
13 Fleetwood Town
15 Ipswich Town
16 Leeds United
17 Leyton Orient
18 Lincoln City
19 Middlesbrough
21 Norwich City
22 Peterborough United
24 Sheffield United
25 West Ham United
26 Wolverhampton Wanderers
27 Bradford City / Burnley
28 Newcastle United / West Bromwich Albion
29 Tottenham Hotspur / Charlton Athletic
30 Preston North End / Everton
31 Chelsea / Luton Town
32 Fulham / AFC Wimbledon
CommentsRoss JacksonToday12:27 BSTWho is left in the competition?Here is the list of teams still in this season's competition:
Sheffield United
Bradford City/Burnley
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fulham/Wimbledon
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United/West Bromwich Albion
Preston North End/Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur/Charlton Athletic
Peterborough United
CommentsRoss JacksonToday12:12 BSTWatch the draw for freeThe draw for the Carabao Cup third round will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. However, it will also be streamed for free on the EFL's YouTube channel.
Alternatively, you can stick with us as we'll bring you the draw as it happens!
CommentsRoss JacksonToday12:12 BSTWhen is the Carabao Cup third round draw?The main draw tonight will take place after Preston's clash with Everton at Deepdale. That game kicks off at 8pm and so we're expecting the draw to begin at around 10.15pm.
CommentsRoss JacksonToday12:12 BSTWelcome!Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Carabao Cup third round draw.
United and City both enter the competition at the third round stage. City are the holders of the League Cup and will be looking to defend their crown in Enzo Maresca's first season in charge, while United have already gone one better than their second round exit at the hands of Grimsby Town last season.
Both teams will be looking to go deep into this season's competition and we'll bring you live updates from the draw as they discover their opponents.