When is the Carabao Cup second-round draw? Start time, ball numbers and how to watch

The Carabao Cup will welcome Chelsea, Tottenham and other Premier League teams into the competition in the second round after the competition kicks off over the weekend. The Blues are the headline act entering the fold after their failure to qualify for Europe last term, with Xabi Alonso hoping to set the tone in his bid for debut-season silverware . After only just avoiding relegation in 2025/26, London rivals Spurs are also in the draw. Before the draw, 68 EFL sides will seek to come through the first round unscathed - though it isn’t the maiden Carabao Cup outing of the season for all, with Rochdale and Crawley Town already having to go through a preliminary round to reach this opening stage. Featured ties of the first round, taking place from Thursday to Monday, include West Ham’s meeting with Portsmouth, a Devon derby between Plymouth and Exeter, while a battle of Championship promotion-chasers will go down at the Riverside Stadium when Middlesbrough host Wrexham. The second round will remain regionalised with the draw split into southern and northern sections. Here’s everything you need to know about the Carabao Cup second-round draw: When is the Carabao Cup second-round draw? The Carabao Cup second-round draw is expected to take place on Monday 10 August live on Sky Sports Main Event, during the broadcast of Plymouth vs Exeter - the last game of the first round. The exact time of the draw has not been confirmed but if it follows suit of last year’s draw, it will take place during the build-up of the match at around 7:20pm. Which Premier League sides enter the competition? There are eight top-flight teams entering the Carabao Cup in the second round: Brentford Chelsea Fulham Newcastle Everton Leeds Nottingham Forest Tottenham What is the first-round draw? Northern section Middlesbrough vs Wrexham Rotherham vs West Brom Barnsley vs Wigan Mansfield vs Sheffield United Stockport vs Doncaster Rovers Sheffield Wednesday vs Bolton Fleetwood vs Chesterfield Crewe vs Accrington Stoke vs Oldham Wolves vs Port Vale Burnley vs Notts County Derby vs Lincoln Bradford vs Rochdale Burton vs Blackburn Salford vs Shrewsbury Grimsby vs Blackpool Preston vs Huddersfield Southern section QPR vs Millwall Cheltenham vs Charlton Gillingham vs Luton Town Cardiff vs Swindon Bristol City vs Walsall Plymouth vs Exeter City Bristol Rovers vs Peterborough Watford vs Crawley Cambridge vs Barnet Norwich vs MK Dons Colchester vs Southampton Leyton Orient vs Oxford Wycombe vs Stevenage Bromley vs Reading Swansea City vs Birmingham West Ham vs Portsmouth AFC Wimbledon vs Newport Leicester vs Northampton What are the ball numbers? Ball numbers have not been confirmed and will be revealed in due course. When are the Carabao Cup fixtures being played? The round dates for the Carabao Cup have been confirmed as the following: Round One: Weekend of 7-9 August 2026 Round Two: w/c 24 August 2026 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