About English Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and officially known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Organised by the English Football League (EFL), it is open to any club within the top four levels of the English football league system (92 clubs in total) comprising the top-level Premier League, and the three divisions of the English Football League's own league competition (Championship, League One and League Two).
Cup History
First held in 1960–61 as the Football League Cup, it is one of two major domestic knockout trophies in English football, alongside the FA Cup, and one of the three top-tier domestic football competitions in England, alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. It concludes in late February, long before the other two major competitions, both of which end in May. It was introduced by the league as a response to the increasing popularity of European football, and to exert power over the FA.It also took advantage of the roll-out of floodlights, allowing fixtures to be played as midweek evening games. With the renaming of the Football League as the English Football League in 2016, the tournament was rebranded as the EFL Cup from the 2016–17 season onwards.
Cup Rules
The tournament is played over seven rounds, with single-leg ties throughout, except for the semi-finals, which have home and away legs. The final is held at Wembley Stadium, the only leg in the competition played at a neutral venue and on a weekend (Sunday). The first two rounds are split into North and South sections, and a system of byes based on league level ensures higher-ranked teams enter in later rounds and defers the entry of teams still involved in Europe. Winners not only receive the EFL Cup (of which there have been three designs, the current one also being the original), but also qualify for European football. From 1966–67 until 1971–72 the winners received a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, from 1972–1973 until the 2019–20 season in the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) and since the 2020–21 season in the UEFA Conference League. Should the winner also qualify for Europe through other means at the end of the season, this place is transferred to the highest-placed Premier League team that has not already qualified for European competition. The most successful club in the competition is Liverpool, with 10 titles. The current champions are Newcastle United, who defeated Liverpool in the 2025 final to claim their first title.
