Carabao Cup Explained: Why Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd Skip the Second Round
Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal will not feature in this week’s second round of the 2026/27 Carabao Cup, with all three clubs instead set to enter the competition at the third-round stage due to their participation in European football this season.
The Carabao Cup’s entry structure exempts clubs competing in the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League from the tournament’s early rounds. This season, a total of nine Premier League clubs qualified for one of the three European competitions, and all nine, including Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal, have been kept out of the draw until the third round as a result. The remaining 11 Premier League clubs that did not secure European qualification instead enter at the second-round stage, alongside teams progressing from the competition’s earlier rounds.
Among the clubs featuring in this week’s second round are Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, two sides more accustomed in past seasons to entering the competition later due to continental commitments. Chelsea have been drawn against League One side Luton Town, managed by former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, in what will also mark new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso’s first competitive home match in charge of the club. Tottenham, meanwhile, face an all-London tie away at Charlton Athletic under new manager Roberto De Zerbi. Newcastle United are also involved at this stage after missing out on European qualification through their league finish, alongside a mix of other Premier League and EFL Championship sides.
The second-round fixtures are scheduled to be played during the week beginning August 24, shortly after the start of the new Premier League season. The draw for this round, held on August 10, was split into northern and southern sections, a format used throughout the competition’s early stages before the draw becomes fully open at the third round.
Manchester United’s absence from this stage will come as a relief to some supporters, given the club’s experience in last season’s competition, when the Red Devils suffered an embarrassing exit to fourth-tier Grimsby Town during the second round. Having qualified for European football this time around, United, along with Arsenal and Liverpool, will instead discover their third-round opponents once those fixtures are confirmed, alongside fellow European qualifiers Manchester City, Chelsea’s fellow top-flight sides Newcastle, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace.
Manchester City enter this season’s competition as holders, having defeated Arsenal in last season’s final at Wembley. As well as the prestige of lifting the trophy, the competition also carries the reward of a play-off spot in the following season’s UEFA Conference League for whichever club ultimately lifts the cup, provided they have not already secured qualification for Europe through another route. With City having already secured Champions League qualification through their league position, that Conference League benefit passed down to Brighton & Hove Albion, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season.
As the competition progresses, attention will turn to the third-round draw, when the Carabao Cup’s biggest names finally enter the fray and the tournament begins to take on a more recognisable shape ahead of the knockout rounds leading up to the Wembley final.
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