Carabao Cup Billets

What the 2026/27 Carabao Cup involves

The Carabao Cup is England's League Cup, a knockout competition open to all 92 clubs in the Premier League and English Football League, with 60 clubs still involved at this stage of the 2026/27 season. Unlike the FA Cup, the competition is often used by bigger clubs to give fringe players and academy prospects a chance in the first team, which can make for open, unpredictable matches.

Every tie is settled over a single leg, with extra time and penalties used if the scores are level after 90 minutes in the later rounds. That format keeps the competition moving quickly through the season compared with two-legged cup formats used elsewhere in Europe.

Fourth round fixtures to look out for

The Fourth Round in late October 2026 pairs some notable ties. Manchester City host Brighton at the Etihad Stadium, while Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield in one of the standout fixtures of the round.

Elsewhere, Arsenal travel to Fleetwood Town, Aston Villa visit AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium, and Crystal Palace play away at Fulham's Craven Cottage. Sunderland host Brentford at the Stadium of Light, Everton face Newcastle United at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Bradford City take on Peterborough United at Valley Parade.

The mix of Premier League heavyweights and lower-league clubs still standing at the Fourth Round stage is typical of the Carabao Cup, where smaller sides can occasionally cause an upset against much bigger opposition.

How the rounds progress

The competition works through a sequence of numbered rounds before reaching the latter stages. Fans can follow the draw and fixtures through the First Round and Second Round, where lower-league clubs make up most of the entries, before Premier League sides typically join from the Third Round onward.

From the Fourth Round, the field narrows quickly through the quarter-finals and semi-finals, which are played over two legs, before the final decides the winner.

Grounds hosting Carabao Cup football

This stage of the competition takes in a mix of Premier League stadiums and smaller English grounds. Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, capacity 31,750, and the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, capacity 34,742, are among the larger venues, while Ashton Gate in Bristol holds 27,000.

Smaller grounds still involved include Prenton Park in Birkenhead, Valley Parade in Bradford, Oakwell in Barnsley and Adams Park in Wycombe, reflecting the range of clubs still competing at this point in the competition.

Choosing seats for Carabao Cup matches

Because Carabao Cup ties often pair Premier League clubs with lower-league opposition, ticket demand and stadium size can vary hugely from one fixture to the next, so it is worth checking capacity and availability for each specific match.

This page compares Carabao Cup ticket prices from StubHub, Viagogo, Hellotickets, Football Ticket Net, Gigsberg and SportsEvents365, making it easier to see how prices differ between partners for the same tie.

• Check whether a fixture is at the home ground of the smaller club, where capacity may be limited
• Compare prices across partners rather than settling on the first listing
• Confirm kick-off time, since some ties are moved for broadcast scheduling