Carabao Cup 2025: Preview, Predictions, Tips & Latest Odds
The Carabao Cup 2025 early rounds are underway already for this season, as teams from across the English leagues compete for the chance to win silverware and a place in Europe.
Whether you are new to football betting or the Carabao Cup or just looking for a reminder of how the competition works, we have put together this preview. Keep reading to find out more about how it works, upcoming changes for the new season, the schedule, and more!
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By LiveScore Desk, Editorial team for sports, betting and casino What is the Carabao Cup?
Also known as the EFL Cup, the Carabao Cup is an annual knockout competition in which clubs from the top four English leagues compete.
It is one of two major domestic trophies in English football, alongside the FA Cup. It runs from August until March and includes teams from the Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two.
How does it work?
The Carabao Cup is played over seven rounds, with single-leg ties until the semi-finals. The first two rounds are split into North and South, gradually adding the higher-ranked teams as the competition progresses.
The winners receive not only some silverware but also a place in the Conference League to play European football the following season.
The Preliminary Round will feature the two sides promoted from the National League and the two clubs who finished 21st and 22nd in League Two.
Round One will see all of the EFL clubs - other than the two eliminated in the preliminary round, get their campaigns underway.
The 11 Premier League sides not in Europe will then enter at the Second Round stage.
The nine sides that have qualified for Europe will follow and come in at Round Three.
Changes to the 2025/26 Carabao Cup
This season's EFL Cup will feature a new Preliminary Round, starting on the 4th of August, that involves the two newest Football League teams, Barnet and Oldham Athletic, against the lowest finishers from last season, Accrington Stanley and Newport County. This is because nine clubs in the Premier League qualified to play in Europe.
Popular EFL Cup Betting Markets
Match Winner
One of the most popular and simple ways to bet on the EFL Cup is simply to place your bets on any of the sides that you think will win come the end of a match. With so many games taking place, especially across the opening rounds of the competition, there are lots of opportunities to place match winner bets.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS)
A really simple way to place bets on any of the Carabao Cup matches is by getting involved with BTTS bets. This involves placing your bets on whether or not you think that both sides playing each other will score. It does not matter what player scores, at what point of the match, or how many goals each side scores, as long as both teams score at least one goal each, if you have bet on ‘Yes’ for BTTS, this should be a success.
In-Play
A great way to get involved with betting on the Carabao Cup is by placing live in-play bets. This is a great way for bettors to really get involved with the action, following it live as it happens and reacting to changes in the game. It opens up bettors to limited-time odds and betting markets and provides an interactive betting experience.
Outright Markets
Another popular betting market for the EFL Cup is outright markets. These involve placing money and bets on markets such as who will win the competition overall, who will be the top goalscorer, who will be the runners-up, who will keep the most clean sheets, and more!
How to Bet on the Carabao Cup: Step-by-Step Guide
It has never been easier to get involved with football betting on the Carabao Cup. We have provided a quick step-by-step guide below to help you get started.
Head to the bookmaker of your choice and create an account on the website or app.
Begin the registration process by entering all of the required details.
Create your login details for the platform, including setting up a username and password.
Be sure to complete any account verifications that may be in place.
Sign in to your account and head to the deposit section.
Make a deposit into your account.
Go ahead and explore the available Carabao Cup betting markets.
Add your selections to your bet slip.
Confirm and place your bet.
Wait for your bet to settle to see if you have won!
Carabao Cup 2025/26 Schedule
Preliminary Round (NEW) - w/c 4 August 2025
Round One - w/c 11th August 2025
Round Two - w/c 25th August 2025
*Round Three - w/c 15th September 2025
Round Three - w/c 22nd September 2025
Round Four - w/c 27th October 2025
Round Five - w/c 15th December 2025
Semi-Final (First Leg) - w/c 12th January 2026
Semi-Final (Second Leg) - w/c 2nd February 2026
Final - 22nd March 2026
*Round three split between the week commencing the 15th of September and the 22nd of September 2025 to accommodate the clubs that are participating in the Champions League and the Europa League.
EFL Cup Previous Winners
2025 - Newcastle United
2024 - Liverpool
2023 - Manchester United
2022 - Liverpool
2021 - Manchester City
2020 - Manchester City
2019 - Manchester City
2018 - Manchester City
2017 - Manchester United
2016 - Manchester City
2015 - Chelsea
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FAQs - Carabao Cup 2025 Preview and Predictions
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