The Carabao Cup second round draw is set to take place today, Wednesday, August 13, 2025, as anticipation builds to discover the next stage matchups. The draw will be held live at Birmingham City's St Andrews stadium, during the pre-match build-up for their first-round game against Sheffield United. Football fans can tune in to Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM BST to watch the draw live. For those without a Sky Sports subscription, the draw will also be broadcast for free on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel. Mark Chapman will be the Sky Sports presenter hosting the draw.
This stage marks the entry of 11 Premier League teams who are not participating in any European competitions this season. These teams include Manchester United, along with newly promoted sides Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley, as well as Wolves, West Ham, Everton, Fulham, Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton. The remaining nine Premier League teams involved in European competitions – Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest – will enter the competition in the third round.
Manchester United's inclusion in the second round is notable, as they have not participated in this stage of the competition for over a decade. Their 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season, coupled with their defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur, means they will not be competing in Europe this year. Under the management of Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils are aiming to secure their first trophy, making the Carabao Cup a significant target.
The draw will maintain a regionalized format, dividing teams into Northern and Southern sections until the third round. This split ensures that teams are drawn against geographically closer opponents in the early stages.
Here are the teams and their ball numbers for the draw:
Northern Section
Southern Section
The second-round matches are scheduled to take place during the week commencing August 25. However, Manchester United's game may be moved to Wednesday, August 27, due to their Premier League fixture against Fulham on Sunday, August 24, and another against Burnley the following Saturday.
Notably, the Carabao Cup is open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League. The winner of the competition will qualify for the play-off round of the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League. Newcastle United are the defending champions, having defeated Liverpool in the previous season's final.
