Season 2026-27 · 2025-26

EFL Cup

76 ties

all times London time

Show kickoff times in Mark the time zone on each time Use 12-hour clock

Third round

Tuesday 8 September – Thursday 17 September

Who plays · The nine European qualifiers — Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Sunderland and Crystal Palace — enter against the 23 second-round winners: 32 clubs, 16 ties.

Draw · Not yet announced.

When · Split across two midweeks, the weeks of 7 and 14 September 2026, around the European fixture list.

How it works · The first national, single-pot draw; straight to penalties if level.

Tuesday 8 September

19:45 Leyton Orient v Bradford → 19:45 Crystal Palace v Middlesbrough → 19:45 Bournemouth v Lincoln City → 19:45 Sunderland v Hull City → 20:00 Millwall v Newcastle →

Wednesday 9 September

20:00 Chelsea v Leeds →

Tuesday 15 September

19:45 Peterborough v Barnsley → 19:45 West Ham v Fulham → 20:00 Ipswich v Arsenal → 20:00 Liverpool v Spurs → 20:00 Reading v Brentford →

Wednesday 16 September

19:45 Everton v Wolves → 19:45 Fleetwood Town v Sheffield United → 20:00 Coventry v Aston Villa → 20:00 Man United v Brighton →

Thursday 17 September

19:30 Man City v Norwich →