Carabao Cup adds extra preliminary round | OneFootball

The EFL have announced an additional preliminary round due to the nine Premier League clubs set to compete in European competition next season.

The competition format will change for the 2025/26 season with the two newly promoted teams into the Football League and the two sides who finished 21st and 22nd in League Two facing off to reach the first round.

The games will be played in for the week commencing August 4th and will see Accrington Stanley facing newly-promoted Oldham Athletic while the other promoted side Barnet will take on Newport County with both games divided between north and south.

This is the first time the EFL have had to reformat the competition with a similar change having been required back in the 2011/12 season due to then-Championship side Birmingham City participating in the Europa League and Fulham earning a qualification spot due to the Fair Play league.

Once the preliminary round is done, the first round will begin with the week commencing August 11th and the final will take place on Sunday 22nd March.