Key Points
- Early Stage: The 2026/27 Carabao Cup is currently ongoing and has an extended format because of the many English sides playing in European leagues, including a preliminary round stage.
- Broadcast Rights: Sky Sports, in the UK, holds exclusive broadcasting rights to the tournament and airs all games through the Sky Sports+ channel. ITV will also televise certain matches during the Carabao Cup.
- Overseas Viewing: Overseas viewing will largely be done through Paramount+, according to Cybernews.
- Shocking Results: Walsall managed to pull off an impressive shock when they beat Championship side Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate, with Aaron Pressley scoring the only goal of the game.
- Results from the Preliminary Round: Crawley Town won their match 2-0 against York City, while Rochdale beat Tranmere Rovers 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
- Top Matches to Watch: The top matches in the first round are set to be West Ham United vs. Portsmouth at London Stadium.
London (Extra London News) August 8, 2026 – The 2026/27 Carabao Cup has officially kicked off, marking the start of another English football season with a bumper opening round that promises to deliver both high-stakes competition and potential upsets. As clubs from the Championship, League One, and League Two descend into the opening phase of the tournament, fans are adjusting to a new broadcast landscape that guarantees unprecedented access to every fixture in the competition.
How to watch the Carabao Cup: UK and International broadcasting rights
As the competition enters its first full round of the season, supporters in the United Kingdom are set to benefit from a significant shift in coverage. According to the broadcasting schedule outlined by Live Football on TV, Sky Sports has cemented its position as the home of the Carabao Cup.
“Sky Sports show every match live, from the first round to the Carabao Cup final on TV,” the report notes. The vast majority of the first-round fixtures are being made available through the Sky Sports+ service, allowing fans to follow their specific clubs even when they are not featured on the main broadcast channels.
For those watching from outside the United Kingdom, the options remain streamlined. Cybernews reports that full coverage of the competition is hosted on Paramount+. While some domestic leagues offer free streaming for select matches, the publication clarifies that “no Round One fixture this weekend is on the free Golazo feed, so Paramount+ is required for the opening round.”
What happened in the preliminary round?
The 2026/27 tournament required an extra layer of competition before the first round could even begin. Because nine English clubs qualified for European competition last term, the tournament structure had to be adjusted to ensure the correct number of teams remained in the bracket for later stages.
As explained by the English Football League (EFL), this necessitated a preliminary round involving four clubs: Tranmere Rovers, Crawley Town, York City, and Rochdale. The results saw Crawley Town defeat York 2-0, while Rochdale secured a dramatic victory over Tranmere on penalties following a 2-2 stalemate. These winners successfully navigated the path into the first-round draw, where they joined the wider field of EFL clubs.
How did Walsall stun Bristol City?
The opening action of the first round has already provided the type of drama for which the “League Cup” is famous. Championship side Bristol City suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of League Two outfit Walsall.
Reporting for the Daily Echo, a contributor noted that Aaron Pressley’s 47th-minute strike was the deciding factor at Ashton Gate. “The League Two side took a 47th-minute lead when Reece Smith crossed low from the left and Pressley netted with a right-footed shot from eight yards,” the report detailed.
The match was a baptism of fire for new Bristol City boss Michael Skubala. According to the Daily Echo report, City’s new goalkeeper Sam Tickle kept his side in the hunt with a “remarkable series of saves” in the first half, but Jed Ward in the Walsall goal proved the hero for the visitors, making several crucial interventions in the second half to ensure the upset was completed.
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What is the context for the West Ham vs. Portsmouth tie?
Among the most highly anticipated fixtures of the first round is the clash between West Ham United and Portsmouth at the London Stadium. As the Hammers look to begin their 2026/27 campaign on a positive note, the club has emphasised the importance of this fixture in building momentum.
According to the official club website, whufc.com, manager Nuno Espírito Santo is keen to carry the form from an “unbeaten pre-season journey” into this competitive fixture. The report highlights that the match has generated significant local interest: “A lively atmosphere is expected, with ticket sales having already surpassed the competition’s first-round record attendance figure.”
For Portsmouth, the match represents an opportunity to test themselves against high-level opposition early in the season as they look to improve upon their 18th-place finish in the second tier from the previous year.
Full list of the first round fixtures
The scale of the opening weekend is vast, with the following matches confirmed for broadcast via Sky Sports+:
- Cambridge United v Barnet (13:00)
- QPR v Millwall (14:00)
- AFC Wimbledon v Newport County (15:00)
- Barnsley v Wigan Athletic (15:00)
- Bradford City v Rochdale (15:00)
- Bristol Rovers v Peterborough United (15:00)
- Bromley v Reading (15:00)
- Burnley v Notts County (15:00)
- Burton Albion v Blackburn Rovers (15:00)
- Cardiff City v Swindon Town (15:00)
- Crewe Alexandra v Accrington Stanley (15:00)
- Derby County v Lincoln City (15:00)
- Fleetwood Town v Chesterfield (15:00)
- Gillingham v Luton Town (15:00)
- Grimsby Town v Blackpool (15:00)
- Leicester City v Northampton Town (15:00)
- Leyton Orient v Oxford United (15:00)
- Norwich City v MK Dons (15:00)
- Preston North End v Huddersfield Town (15:00)
- Salford City v Shrewsbury Town (15:00)
- Sheffield Wednesday v Bolton Wanderers (15:00)
- Stockport County v Doncaster Rovers (15:00)
- Stoke City v Oldham Athletic (15:00)
- Swansea City v Birmingham City (15:00)
- Watford v Crawley Town (15:00)
- West Ham United v Portsmouth (15:00)
- Cheltenham Town v Charlton Athletic (17:30)
- Colchester United v Southampton (17:30)
- Rotherham United v West Brom (17:30)
The weekend’s action continues into Sunday with Mansfield Town versus Sheffield United, followed by a Monday night clash between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City. As the competition progresses, the inclusion of ITV for select ties ensures that even those without full subscription packages will have a window into the drama of the 2026/27 Carabao Cup.
