What is the Carabao Cup?
The Carabao Cup is a knockout tournament for all 92 clubs across England's top four divisions. Also called the League Cup, it finishes at Wembley.
Say you're stocking up for a party.
First the beer. That's the Premier League: thirty eight games, the main event, the thing everybody actually came for.
Then the whiskey. That's the FA Cup. Premium, storied, running since 1871, and open to hundreds of clubs across the country. The good stuff people are still discussing the next morning.
Then a bottle of wine. That's the Champions League, the sophisticated European one, expensive, and only the continent's best get an invitation.
And then, almost as an afterthought, you grab a strange craft cider with an odd label and a name you've never heard. Everybody's more interested in the beer, whiskey and wine.
That's the Carabao Cup. English soccer's fourth drink. The one nobody claims to care about right up until their team is playing in the final.
How it works
It's open to all 92 professional clubs across England's top four divisions, which means a Premier League side can be drawn against a club four leagues below them.
Straight knockout. Lose once and you're gone. It's been running since 1960, moves faster than the FA Cup, and usually finishes by early spring, well before the season ends.
Big clubs rotate their squads heavily in the early rounds, resting their best players and giving young ones a run out. This is where you'll see a 21 year old make their first start in front of a proper crowd.
Why it has so many names
It's had more names than most people have had hot dinners. Sponsors change and the competition gets renamed with them.
If you're ever unsure what to call it, “the League Cup” will always be understood. That's what it was for decades and what most people still fall back on.
One thing worth knowing: despite having “League” in its name, it has nothing to do with the actual league. Different competition, different format, separate trophy.
Why clubs pretend not to care
Every season the big clubs say it isn't a priority. Every season, the ones who reach the final are extremely keen to win it.
Part of that is the trophy itself. Part of it is that winning usually comes with a place in European competition the following season, which is worth considerably more than the cup.
And part of it is simpler. It's a one-off final at Wembley in front of ninety thousand people. Nobody who gets there is treating it as a warm-up.
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