EFL Cup tickets and match breaks

Carabao Cup tickets: the easiest way into a sold-out English ground

The English League Cup is more than sixty years old. Founded in 1960 as the Football League Cup, it has carried a succession of sponsors' names and has been the Carabao Cup since 2017/18. All 92 professional clubs of the Premier League and the English Football League take part, which makes it the country's second most important cup competition after the FA Cup — and, unlike the FA Cup, it is closed to non-league sides.

For visitors travelling in from Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, Ireland or elsewhere in the UK, this is the most realistic route into a ground that is sold out for the entire league season. Premier League managers rotate their squads, ticket offices relax, and prices fall — same stadium, same pitch, same walk to the turnstile.

A real trophy, not a consolation

The winners qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League, and the final is played in front of around 85,000 people at Wembley. What the cup can mean was clear in 2025, when Newcastle United beat holders Liverpool 2-1 to win their first major trophy since 1955 — a wait of seventy years.

The round where anything happens

"Football is about dreaming," Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick said before a semi-final against Chelsea, "and things happen that really shouldn't be possible." The competition keeps proving him right. In 2013 third-tier Bradford City reached the Wembley final. And on 27 August 2025, Grimsby Town of League Two knocked out Manchester United on penalties, 12-11 after a 2-2 draw, at a windswept Blundell Park.

EFL Cup record holders

Aston Villa were the first winners in 1961. Liverpool hold the record with ten titles, ahead of Manchester City on eight and Manchester United on six, most recently in 2023. Twelve further clubs have won it exactly once — established names such as Leeds United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, but also outsiders including Luton Town and Oxford United.

How the competition works

The cup starts in August and is a straight knockout: one match per round, with extra time and penalties if the scores are level. Clubs involved in European competition enter later than the rest. Ties are played on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and the final traditionally falls on a Sunday in late winter at Wembley.

Tickets and hotels

• Tickets for cup ties at the clubs we cover, from the early rounds to the semi-finals
• Hotels in the host city, or in London for the final
• Tickets on their own or as a complete package with accommodation, groups welcome

Midweek kick-offs, late confirmation

Rounds are scheduled only a few weeks ahead and broadcasters move individual ties. A midweek fixture also means at least one overnight stay, often two. Book flights with some flexibility — we will tell you in the offer what is already fixed.

For league fixtures see our Premier League and Championship pages, and for the older of the two English cups our FA Cup page.

How to book

Tell us the tie, your travel dates and how many tickets you need — we will come back with a firm offer.