Champions open at home, giants handed tricky away days
Seventy years without a domestic trophy felt like a lifetime in Newcastle. Six months after finally ending that wait, the holders will start their defence at St James’ Park against League One Bradford City. It’s a match-up that screams banana skin: a proud top-flight side juggling a packed autumn schedule and a third-tier opponent with nothing to lose. The noise will do some of the heavy lifting on Tyneside, but this competition doesn’t forgive slow starts.
Newcastle’s win over Liverpool at Wembley in March wasn’t just a cup final; it rewrote recent history. The Magpies became the 24th different club to lift the Carabao Cup, beating the competition’s most decorated team 2-1 and ending a seven-decade drought for a major domestic trophy. That result also shattered the sense that this tournament was closed shop. For years, Manchester City built a near-annual residency at Wembley. Now, the door looks ajar for more than just the usual suspects.
Liverpool get a home tie to begin their response, welcoming Championship side Southampton to Anfield. The Reds have 10 titles in this competition, and even when they rotate, the intent is obvious: win early, avoid extra miles on the legs, push deeper after Christmas. Southampton won’t mind the setting. A high-tempo side with a track record of blooding young players can turn these nights into auditions and ambushes.
Arsenal travel to Port Vale in one of those away days that Premier League managers dread: tight stadium, heavy grass if the rain comes, and a home crowd that senses a moment. Vale Park has the feel of a classic cup venue—no frills, just noise. Arsenal’s squad depth should tell, but that only matters if the tempo is right from the first whistle.
Chelsea also head into League One, visiting Lincoln City. Sincil Bank has staged its share of stormy cup nights, and Lincoln know how to make games sticky—set pieces, second balls, and a crowd living every tackle. Chelsea have the athletes to run through that, but only if they bring the discipline to go with it.
For Manchester City, this draw looks familiar: an away trip to a hungry lower-league opponent, this time Huddersfield Town. City have eight League Cups, four of them during the Guardiola era, built on ruthless squad management and a habit of killing ties early. But their recent years have also brought fuller calendars and heavier winter runs. If City rotate too hard, it’s a test of composure against a side that will turn every out ball into a sprint.
Tottenham getting Doncaster Rovers at home reads comfortable on paper. The risk is the rhythm. Post-international break, with European diaries kicking off, it’s easy to play in second gear for an hour and invite chaos. Spurs have been there before. Expect a strong bench, just in case.
All-Premier League clashes, a Grimsby shocker, and a derby that needs no selling
Two ties jump out because they eliminate top-flight teams right away. Brentford vs Aston Villa is a rerun of their recent league meeting, and that always breeds edge—fresh battles, small grudges, and coaches trying a wrinkle they saved for the next time around. Wolverhampton Wanderers against Everton brings a similar energy: a physical, territorial game where set pieces and transitions decide it.
Then there’s Grimsby Town. The League Two Mariners toppled Manchester United in a marathon shootout, the kind of upset that rewires a draw. Their prize is a third-round trip to Sheffield Wednesday, a club labelled “crisis-hit” for a reason—off-field noise, on-field stumbles, and a fanbase that has felt every bump. That mix can go one of two ways: a reset night for Wednesday or the perfect stage for another Grimsby punch-up.
In South London, Crystal Palace and Millwall don’t need marketing. This derby drips with local history and a memory neither set of fans has forgotten—the FA Cup tie last season that left Jean-Philippe Mateta with a serious head injury after a collision with then-Millwall keeper Liam Roberts. The football will matter, but so will the management of the night: early tackles, early decisions, and no lapse in concentration, on or off the ball.
Nottingham Forest’s trip to Swansea City feels like a stylistic contrast. Forest’s direct power up against Swansea’s urge to pass through pressure can swing on who controls the middle third. If Forest settle early, their set-piece threat becomes a problem; if Swansea settle, they will try to make it a possession game and stretch the halves.
Wrexham’s story keeps growing. Back in the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time in 44 years, they’ve drawn Reading. The money from a run like this matters, but so does the stage. Under global scrutiny in recent seasons, Wrexham have learned how to carry expectation without shrinking. Reading, rebuilding and raw in places, won’t mind being cast as the spoiler.
Here are the standout ties confirmed in the draw:
- Newcastle United vs Bradford City
- Liverpool vs Southampton
- Port Vale vs Arsenal
- Lincoln City vs Chelsea
- Huddersfield Town vs Manchester City
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Doncaster Rovers
- Sheffield Wednesday vs Grimsby Town
- Brentford vs Aston Villa
- Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Everton
- Crystal Palace vs Millwall
- Swansea City vs Nottingham Forest
- Wrexham vs Reading
Scheduling tells you what managers are thinking as much as their team sheets. Third-round ties are spread over two weeks—starting the weeks of September 15 and September 22—because stadium availability, policing requests, and European commitments all collide this time of year. That also means some clubs will prepare for their ties on short turnarounds after continental games, a detail lower-league opponents love to exploit.
There’s more at stake here than early-season bragging rights. For clubs outside the Premier League, a deep run can shift the budget and the mood. Gate receipts, TV picks, and bonus payments bring money that can fund a January signing or fix a training ground roof. For the bigger teams, this is about silverware and squad rhythm. A clean run to the quarter-finals gives managers leverage to keep rotation players invested; a stumble lights up the phone-ins and brings the familiar “priorities” debate.
The competitive balance of this cup is always a moving target. When City were sweeping up titles, they treated the early rounds like a laboratory—controlled minutes, clear assignments, and enough star power on the bench to put out fires. Newcastle’s triumph last season showed another path: commit to the competition, build momentum, and trust that a strong collective can beat a glamour squad on the day. That message won’t be lost on clubs like Villa, Tottenham, and Chelsea, all in range and all badly wanting a trip to Wembley.
And while the draw rarely gives us perfect symmetry, it did deliver tension in different forms. Premier League teams face tricky away grounds in consecutive weeks. Aspirant Championship sides get a measuring stick at Anfield. Ambitious League One clubs can test elite defences with direct, intense football that Premier League referees tend to let breathe a little more in cup play.
Coaches will make the key calls now: who plays through the middle of the week, which academy players get a start, and how much senior firepower to keep on the bench. The margins are often small—an early set piece, a goalkeeper having a night, a VAR call if the tie is at a Premier League ground. Either way, the decisions in September often echo in January when injuries and fatigue bite.
One constant remains at the finish line. The final will be played at Wembley Stadium on March 22, 2026, keeping the modern tradition intact. Since the national stadium reopened, this showpiece has developed its own aura—a late-winter event that can salvage a season, crown a project, or launch a young player’s career in 90 minutes. Ask Newcastle. They stepped into that noise last spring and came out with a banner and a new identity.
So here we are again: a draw that flatters nobody, promises a few ambushes, and offers lower-league clubs the kind of evenings they live for. The heavyweights know the drill—get through, keep the legs fresh, and don’t give the night oxygen. Everyone else sees the same thing: a path. Not a simple one, but a path all the same.