Carabao Cup Quarterfinal Draw Set for October 28 with Key Dates Ahead

The 2026/27 Carabao Cup, England's secondary knockout competition, is advancing toward the quarterfinals. After the fourth round, the tournament will narrow from 16 teams down to just eight, with those clubs aiming to reach the two-legged semifinals coming up.

Manchester City, the defending champions and winners of five of the last nine editions, remain in the mix. Last season’s Premier League champions, Arsenal, who lost to Man City in last year's final and sought their first League Cup since 1993, were surprisingly eliminated in the fourth round by Fleetwood Town, a League Two side ranked 84 places below them.

Quarterfinal Draw Details

The draw to determine the Carabao Cup quarterfinal matchups will take place on Wednesday, October 28. It will follow the late kickoff at Anfield between Liverpool and Chelsea, which starts at 8 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET). Expect the draw to begin around 10:15 p.m. local (6:15 p.m. ET) after the game ends.

Ball Numbers Released on Matchday

The ball numbers for the quarterfinal draw will be made public on the morning of October 28. The teams likely to be involved, depending on upcoming results, are:

• Bradford City (League One)
• Fleetwood Town (League Two)
• Manchester City or Brighton (Premier League)
• Bournemouth or Aston Villa (Premier League)
• Fulham or Crystal Palace (Premier League)
• Sunderland or Brentford (Premier League)
• Liverpool or Chelsea (Premier League)
• Everton or Newcastle (Premier League)

PL stands for Premier League, L1 for League One, and L2 for League Two.

Schedule for Remaining Rounds

A significant break will occur between the fourth round and the quarterfinal matches, which are slated for the week beginning December 14, 2026. Below is the schedule for the rest of the competition; note that draw dates might shift due to fixture changes.

• Quarterfinals Draw: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
• Quarterfinal Matches: Week of December 14, 2026
• Semifinal Draw (Provisional): Wednesday, December 16, 2026
• Semifinal Matches (Two Legs): Weeks of January 11 and February 1, 2027
• Final: March 21, 2027