The Carabao Cup explained
The trophy nobody cares about (until they're in the final)
👋 Welcome…
..to The Tap-Inn. Where you can tap in to the world of soccer with me, your first-gen Irish Tap-Inn bartender, Joe.
It’s Monday, mateys. We’ve a tasty one for you today.
🐶 Your dog’s birthday and the trophy nobody cares about
🇮🇪 What your Irish ancestors want you to do this Thursday
📖 The men who invented soccer 138 years ago today
Let’s tap in.
🥃 TOP SHELF
Things I wasn’t doing at 21 years old, exhibit A:
The League Cup explained
Your dog's birthday party is this Sunday.
Your two best buddies are coming — Mikel and Pep — so you head to the liquor store for some supplies.
First you grab some beers, 38 of them to be precise — that's the Premier League. It’s the main event and the thing everyone's really there for.
Then you grab the whiskey. That's the FA Cup — premium, storied, been around since 1871, and 747 different clubs in England gets a crack at it. It’s the good stuff people are still talking about the morning after.
Then a bottle of wine. That's the Champions League — the sophisticated European one. It’s expensive and only the continent's best clubs get an invite.
And then, almost as an afterthought, you grab a strange English craft cider you've never heard of. Odd label. Unusual name. Everyone at the party is more concerned with the beer, whiskey and wine.
“Let me guess… that’s the Carabao Cup?”
Bingo. Arsenal fans will say this trophy wasn’t a priority when the season started and City fans will say the same. Nobody at all seems to openly say they care about it — right up until they find themselves in the final.
That's the thing about the Carabao Cup. It's English soccer's fourth drink — the one everybody pretends doesn't matter, right up until their team is playing for it at Wembley (England’s national stadium).
“How does the competition work though?”
The Carabao Cup is open to all 92 professional clubs in England's top four divisions. It's been running since 1960, moves faster than the FA Cup, and typically wraps up by March.
Teams rotate their squads, rest their stars, and quietly try to win it while pretending they're not that bothered.
“What does everyone actually call it?”
It’s had more names over the years than I’ve had hot dinners, but if ever in doubt of what to call it, the “League Cup” will see you safe.
The current Thai-based Carabao sponsorship runs until 2029. And no, despite having “league” in it’s name, it actually has nothing to do with the actual league itself. Obviously.
Sunday in summary: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City
Arsenal went into Sunday's final at Wembley chasing something called a quadruple — winning all four available trophies in a single season: the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League. No English club has ever done it, but before Sunday Arsenal were still in with a chance.
Arsenal dominated the first half but couldn't score, before a 21-year-old Nico O'Reilly bagged two in four second-half minutes to crush the Gunners’ quadruple dream. Full match highlights on CBS Sports Golazo’s YouTube channel here.
The bigger question is what this does to Arsenal player’s heads. I wrote a few weeks back about if they’re going to choke and throw away whatever chances they have at silverware this season (again) — and Sunday did nothing to quiet those doubts.
Arsenal and City meet again in the league on April 19. Pep Guardiola will have his team believing. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will need to prove Sunday was a blip, not a pattern.
⏰ TLDR: England has two cups — the FA Cup (open to 747 different teams across England) and the Carabao Cup (professional teams in top 4 divisions only). Manchester City just beat Arsenal 2-0 in Sunday’s 2026 final.
And yes, my dog’s birthday was fantastic, thanks for asking.
🗞️ THIS WEEK IN SOCCER
Messi and Co in NYC on Sunday
Premier League roundup
While Arsenal and City saved themselves for a cup final, the rest of the league continued on as normal. The three results that mattered the most:
Brighton 2-1 Liverpool — Liverpool’s title hopes are long gone, but now even European qualification is looking iffy.
Everton 3-0 Chelsea — Three goals, no reply. Grim viewing for the Blues and their under-fire manager with the most unfortunate nickname, LinkedIn Liam.
Tottenham 0-3 Nottingham Forest — A relegation six-pointer that Spurs badly needed. Instead Forest ran them over. Spurs in serious trouble.
Wrexham roll on
Wrexham came from behind to beat Sheffield United 2-1 on Saturday. The Red Dragons sit seventh in the Championship, level on points with sixth. Top six means playoffs. Playoffs mean a shot at the Premier League. The Hollywood dream is very much alive.
Messi tracker
Miami trailed NYCFC 2-1 before Messi stepped up — drilling a free kick into the net to level it, then setting up the 74th-minute winner. Final score 3-2. His 901st career goal. Completely normal. Full highlights here.
📝 TRIVIA ON TAP
Cup Kings
City's win on Sunday was their 9th Carabao Cup. How many does the all-time record holder Liverpool have?
A) 10
B) 13
C) 14
D) 19
Keep scrolling for the answer. 👇
🌎 WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN: 80 DAYS
Scenes from Ireland’s last World Cup in 2002
Around the world in…
Yep, just eighty days to go.
We know the names of 42 of 48 World Cup teams who will be playing in Canada, USA and Mexico next summer, with the other six still to play for this week.
For all of you readers who were telling people about how your, “great-great-grandfather was actually Irish” on Tuesday last week, you can put your money where your mouth is by supporting the Rep of Ireland men’s national team on Thursday.
They play Czechia (yes, that is a real country) and a win would see them one game away from World Cup qualification.
Get yourself in the mood with the FAI’s rousing promo video here.
USMNT update
Meanwhile the USMNT don't have to worry about any of that, automatically qualified as tournament hosts. 27 players reported to Atlanta today for the last training camp before the tournament. They’ve two friendlies this week: Belgium on March 28, Portugal on March 31.
I’ll be previewing both for you on Friday.
Also on tap…
🔥 QUICKFIRE
Looking dapper, fellas
Phrase: “Mickey Mouse cup”
Origin: English fans and pundits coined the term in the 80s and 90s to mock the League Cup, where clubs routinely fielded weakened sides.
Definition: A dismissive nickname for the Carabao Cup, implying it's the least prestigious of English soccer's major trophies.
Usage: "Enjoy your Mickey Mouse Cup, bud." — Arsenal fans to City fans after the game on Sunday.
On this day
: On this day 138 years ago, eight club representatives squeezed into a hotel in London and agreed to form the world's first professional league — the Football League. The brainchild of a Scottish draper from Birmingham, of all people.
Before that meeting, clubs just arranged their own fixtures. No standings, no fixed schedule, no guarantee your opponent even showed up. The Football League changed all of that, giving the game structure, regularity, and genuine stakes. Preston North End (pictured above) won the first ever league title.
No meeting in 1888, no title race in 2026. Cheers to you, William, and your random English mustachioed mates.
Last call
The man who scored both goals in the cup final — Nico O’Reilly — grew up just a few miles from their home stadium (The Etihad), has 0161 tattooed on his arm (his local ZIP code), and turned US legal drinking age just the day before the final.
Local lad turned local legend.
📝 TRIVIA ANSWER
A) 10
City's win on Sunday was their ninth EFL Cup, making them the most decorated club in the competition's history. Just one behind Liverpool's all-time record of ten.
🍺 Next round’s on me
Thanks for stopping by at The Tap-Inn.
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You read that correctly.
I’ll be behind the bar every week, Monday and Friday, serving up soccer. Sláinte.
— Joe