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EFL reveal revised Carabao Cup format after NINE Premier League sides reach Europe
Jun 03 2026 14:23 · By Daniel Marsh/Senior Sports Reporter · 32 Reads
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Four teams from League Two will participate in a preliminary round of the Carabao Cup due to the number of Premier League clubs who have qualified for Europe.
Crystal Palace became the ninth English team to guarantee themselves European football next season when they beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final, joining Arsenal , Manchester City , Manchester United , Aston Villa , Liverpool , Bournemouth , Sunderland and Brighton .
The knock-on effect of that success will be felt by teams lower down the pyramid, though, when it comes to the Carabao Cup.
BBC Sport have confirmed the impact it will have on teams in the early stages of the tournament, which is the first domestic cup competition of the season - and it could include some logistical headaches .
York City and Rochdale, the two promoted teams from the National League, plus Crawley Town and Tranmere Rovers will face off to determine which two teams from the fourth tier will make it to the first round proper.
The first two rounds of the Carabao Cup are regionalised, pitting teams from the north and south against other clubs from their area. The winner of the match in Round One involving Crawley Town will move into the southern section, though, despite the fact that the other three teams would usually be pooled into the northern half of the draw.
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The draw will then be adjusted before Round Two with the most southerly team in the northern section of the draw swapping if needed to recalibrate things.
70 teams will enter Round One, with 35 going through to Round Two. They will be joined by the 11 Premier League clubs who have no European commitments.
The Premier League teams competing in European competitions will enter the tournament in Round Three, as usual. 32 teams need to be present at that stage.
The draw for the provisional round fixtures will take place at 4pm on Wednesday June 3.
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.