When is the Carabao Cup third-round draw and how will it work?

The Carabao Cup third-round draw will take place on Wednesday night, with the EFL introducing a special format to navigate the fixture congestion caused by European competition.

The draw will feature 32 clubs, but eight Premier League sides competing in the Champions League or Europa League will be subject to additional conditions.

A pre-draw will determine whether those clubs play their third-round ties at home or away, before the main draw takes place after Preston North End’s meeting with Everton.

The third round will also be played across two weeks to accommodate the European schedule.

Here is everything you need to know about the Carabao Cup third-round draw, including when it takes place, how it will work and when the fixtures will be played.

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When is the Carabao Cup third-round draw?

The main draw will take place after Preston’s second-round tie against Everton on Wednesday, August 26.

The match at Deepdale kicks off at 8pm, with the draw expected to begin at around 10.15pm once the game has finished.

The draw will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

There will also be a pre-draw at around 7.20pm, which will determine the home or away status of the eight Premier League clubs competing in the Champions League or Europa League.

Why is there a pre-draw?

The EFL has been forced to introduce additional draw conditions because the Carabao Cup third round will be played across the weeks beginning September 7 and September 14.

Those dates overlap with the opening matchweeks of the Champions League and Europa League, creating potential fixture clashes for Premier League clubs competing in those tournaments.

Eight clubs are therefore subject to the special draw arrangements: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Sunderland.

How will the Carabao Cup third-round draw work?

The draw will feature 32 clubs – the 23 winners from the second round plus the nine Premier League clubs entering at this stage.

The eight Champions League and Europa League clubs will effectively form the first pot for the main draw, with their home or away status already determined.

Each of those eight clubs will then be drawn against one of the remaining clubs.

Once those eight ties have been decided, the remaining 16 clubs will be drawn against each other as normal.

The format also means the eight Premier League clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League cannot face each other in the third round.

The reason is straightforward: their European fixtures fall across the same two weeks as the Carabao Cup ties.

Keeping them apart allows the EFL to place each domestic fixture into whichever of the two weeks works around the relevant European commitment.

Unlike the opening two rounds, the third-round draw will also not be regionalised into northern and southern sections.

When will the Carabao Cup third-round games be played?

The third-round fixtures will be played across two weeks, beginning September 7 and September 14.

The split has been introduced to accommodate the European schedules of the Premier League clubs involved, with the Champions League and Europa League taking place across the same period.

When will the Carabao Cup draw ball numbers be announced?

The EFL has confirmed that the ball numbers will be announced on the morning of Wednesday, August 26, ahead of the evening draw.

READ MORE: Carabao Cup second round draw: Luton Town and Charlton handed Premier League ties