Carabao Cup draw LIVE start time plus United and City third round ball numbers
LIVEUpdated 11 mins agoCarabao Cup draw LIVE start time plus how to watch for free and Man United and Man City third round ball numbersManchester United and Manchester City will discover their third round opponents in the Carabao Cup this evening.CommentsSportRoss Jackson Head of FootballIt's Carabao Cup third round draw day and the big guns are about to enter the competition.
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 UpdatesToday12:40 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.