26 August 2026

Liverpool have been drawn against Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Defending champions Manchester City will host Championship outfit Norwich City, while last season’s runners-up Arsenal are away to newly promoted Ipswich Town.

Manchester United will play Brighton & Hove Albion, while Chelsea, provided they overcome Luton Town in Thursday’s second-round fixture, will entertain Leeds United.

The third round brings in the nine Premier League clubs involved in European competition this season — Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton and Crystal Palace — who join the 23 winners from round two.

To help with scheduling, the eight clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League cannot be paired against one another in the third round. That restriction does not apply to Brighton, who are seeking to feature in this season’s Conference League.

Third-round matches will be played over two weeks in early to mid-September in order to avoid clashing with the opening weeks of the league phases in the Champions League and Europa League.