Carabao Cup draw 2024/25: Date, ball numbers and competition rules as Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday learn details

Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday already have the draw details ahead of the new Carabao Cup campaign, which will kick-off early next season.

The Blades and Owls will have dreams of lifting silverware, but more realistically, the competition can be a great way for clubs outside the Premier League to top up their finances, given there is prize cash that is given out for each round. With the EFL having confirmed the details for the first round draw, here we round up all you need to know, including the ball numbers for United and Wednesday.

When is the Carabao Cup 2024/25 first round draw?

The EFL have confirmed: “The Round One draw of the Carabao Cup will take place live on Sky Sports News on Thursday 27 June at 11:30am. Sky Sports News presenter Dharmesh Sheth will host the draw that sees 70 Clubs across the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two divisions enter at this stage.

“Burnley, Luton Town and the 13 Premier League Clubs not participating in European competitions will enter the competition in Round Two, with the remaining seven Clubs joining the competition in Round Three. The Carabao Cup remains regionalised in the early rounds with the draw split into a southern and northern section until Round Three. “

Carabao Cup first round 2024/25 draw ball numbers

Southern Section

1. AFC Wimbledon

2. Birmingham City

3. Bristol City

4. Bristol Rovers

5. Bromley

6. Cambridge United

7. Cardiff City

8. Charlton Athletic

9. Cheltenham Town

10. Colchester United

11. Coventry City

12. Crawley Town

13. Exeter City

14. Gillingham

15. Leyton Orient

16. Millwall

17. Milton Keynes Dons

18. Newport County

19. Northampton Town

20. Norwich City

21. Oxford United

22. Peterborough United

23. Plymouth Argyle

24. Portsmouth

25. Queens Park Rangers

26. Reading

27. Stevenage

28. Swansea City

29. Swindon Town

30. Walsall

31. Watford

32. Wycombe Wanderers

Northern Section

1. Accrington Stanley

2. Barnsley

3. Barrow AFC

4. Blackburn Rovers

5. Blackpool

6. Bolton Wanderers

7. Bradford City

8. Burton Albion

9. Carlisle United

10. Chesterfield

11. Crewe Alexandra

12. Derby County

13. Doncaster Rovers

14. Fleetwood Town

15. Grimsby Town

16. Harrogate Town

17. Huddersfield Town

18. Hull City

19. Leeds United

20. Lincoln City

21. Mansfield Town

22. Middlesbrough

23. Morecambe

24. Notts County

25. Port Vale

26. Preston North End

27. Rotherham United

28. Salford City

29. Sheffield United

30. Sheffield Wednesday

31. Shrewsbury Town

32. Stockport County

33. Stoke City

34. Sunderland AFC

35. Tranmere Rovers

36. West Bromwich Albion

37. Wigan Athletic

38. Wrexham

What is the format of the Carabao Cup?

All Carabao Cup fixtures will be single-legged with the exception of the semi-final stage, which will see competing teams play home and away across two legs. In the case of a level scoreline in rounds one to five, the fixtures will go straight to a penalty shootout to determine a winner. Extra time will only be used in the semi-finals and final.

In terms of the draw, only rounds one and two are split into regions, with an open field coming into play from round three. Round one includes all EFL clubs apart from the Premier League teams and the two best-placed relegated Premier League teams - Luton Town and Burnley, while round two will see all Premier League teams enter with the exception of those competing in Europe. The clubs involved in European football will be the last teams to enter, and they will join from round three.

The exact schedule has not been confirmed yet, but the first round will take place around the middle of August.

Who has the Carabao Cup television rights?

All fixtures selected for television broadcast will be on Sky Sports, while ITV will broadcast highlights shows throughout the course of the competition. Individual highlights packages will also be provided on the Sky Sports website and on the YouTube channels of the respective clubs and the EFL.