Carabao Cup second-round draw sees Chelsea face Luton, Tottenham host Charlton

By Megan Sinclair — 10 August 2026 — 3 min read

Carabao Cup Second Round Fixtures Announced

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup has been completed, setting up several intriguing encounters. Among the notable fixtures, five-time winners Chelsea are set to host League One side Luton at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Tottenham will welcome Championship team Charlton.

In another significant match-up, four-time winners Nottingham Forest will play Leeds in the only all-Premier League tie of this round. Newcastle are scheduled to face West Brom, a team from the second tier, and Fulham will compete against AFC Wimbledon at Craven Cottage. Brentford will have an away fixture against Birmingham City, while Ipswich will take on League One Leicester.

West Ham, who advanced after defeating Portsmouth in the first round, will travel to fellow Championship club Southampton. David Moyes is set to return to Deepdale as Everton visit Preston North End, the club where he began his managerial career. All second-round matches are scheduled to be played in the midweek of the week commencing Monday, 24 August.

Wolves to Travel to Sheffield Wednesday

Wolves have been drawn to play away against Sheffield Wednesday in the second round of the Carabao Cup. This fixture will take place at Hillsborough during the week commencing 24 August. Wolves secured their spot in this round with a victory over Port Vale, while Sheffield Wednesday advanced by defeating Bolton Wanderers by a score of 1-0.

The last time these two clubs met in this competition was in August 2018, also in the second round, where Wolves emerged victorious. Details regarding the exact date and ticket information for this upcoming cup tie are expected to be confirmed in due course.

Fixture Congestion for London Clubs

The draw has created potential fixture complications for both Fulham and Chelsea, particularly due to their Premier League commitments. Sky Sports selected the Fulham v Chelsea Premier League match for live broadcast on Monday, 24 August. As neither team is involved in European competitions, they both enter the Carabao Cup in the second round, potentially leading to two matches in the same midweek period.

Typically, EFL Cup ties would be moved to Thursday to allow for 72 hours of rest, which could then impact the subsequent Premier League weekend schedule. Fulham’s match at Sunderland was already moved to Sunday, and Chelsea’s game against Brighton was also chosen by Sky for Sunday broadcast.

A further issue has arisen because both Fulham and Chelsea were drawn to play their Carabao Cup ties at home. Regulations usually prevent two teams from playing home matches on the same day, which may require concessions from the police or creative scheduling solutions from the EFL. This situation could also have a ripple effect on eight EFL clubs with short notice.

The opponents for Fulham and Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Wimbledon and Luton respectively, have League One fixtures scheduled for the Saturday following their cup ties. If either or both Carabao Cup matches are moved to Thursday, their Saturday League One games would typically be rescheduled to Sunday. This could further impact a full programme of League One games the following Tuesday, potentially leading to four additional matches being moved to Wednesday. This scenario could force teams to play two games within 48 hours or cause disruption for supporters who have made travel arrangements.

The League One matches potentially affected include Wimbledon v Wigan and Mansfield v Luton on Saturday, 29 August, and Burton v Wimbledon, Wigan v MK Dons, Luton v Stockport, and Reading v Mansfield on Tuesday, 1 September.

Source: bbc.co.uk