When is the Carabao Cup final 2026? Schedule for Arsenal vs Man City showdown at Wembley

As is customary each year, the Carabao Cup is the first major domestic competition to conclude. The final usually takes place in February or March, followed by the FA Cup in May, just before the season ends. Last year, Newcastle United won the Carabao Cup to claim their first domestic title in 70 years. However, they will not be able to defend the title after being eliminated in the semi-finals. Here, Soccerway UK listed the details for the Carabao Cup 2026 final. 

When and where will the Carabao Cup final 2026 take place?

The 2026 Carabao Cup final will take place at 4:30 pm (UK time) on Sunday, March 22, 2026, one week later than last year’s final.

The match will be held at Wembley Stadium in London, England, the same venue that has hosted the final since 1967.

Who will play in the Carabao Cup final 2026?

The 2026 Carabao Cup final will be contested between Arsenal and Manchester City. In the semi-finals, Arsenal overcame Chelsea with a 4-2 aggregate victory over two legs. In the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal won 3-2. Ben White opened the scoring in the seventh minute, before Viktor Gyökeres doubled the lead four minutes into the second half. Chelsea responded through Alejandro Garnacho in the 57th minute, but Martín Zubimendi restored Arsenal’s two-goal advantage in the 71st minute. Garnacho then completed his brace to keep Chelsea’s hopes alive.

In the second leg, Chelsea needed a win and fielded a strong lineup, pushing hard for an early goal. However, neither side scored during the 90 minutes. Just as the match appeared to be heading for a goalless draw, Kai Havertz scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time on a counter-attack against his former club, securing a 1-0 win and sending Arsenal into the final.

On the other side of the draw, Manchester City faced Newcastle and progressed with a 5-1 aggregate win. In the first leg, new signings Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki helped City to a 2-0 away victory. In the second leg, they completed the job with a comfortable 3-1 win, with two goals from Omar Marmoush and one from Tijani Reijnders, eliminating the defending champions and booking their place in the final.

The final is seen as a rematch between the two sides, who also met in the 2018 final, when Manchester City defeated Arsenal 3–0. Arsenal are also chasing their first domestic trophy in six years, since winning the FA Cup in 2020, which was Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge.

What is the Carabao Cup?

In English football, clubs compete in three main domestic competitions each season. The first is the league system, which includes the Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two. The second is the FA Cup, often described as the national cup, similar to Spain’s Copa del Rey or France’s Coupe de France, and open to teams from all levels of English football.

The third competition is the Carabao Cup, which is organized by the English Football League (EFL). Originally known as the EFL Cup, it was renamed the Carabao Cup from the 2017/18 season due to sponsorship. The tournament is open to all 92 clubs across the top four tiers of English football, including the Premier League and the three EFL divisions.

Who won the Carabao Cup recently? Who has won the most Carabao Cup trophies?

Last season, Newcastle were crowned champions after defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the final. Dan Burn gave Newcastle the lead late in the first half, before Alexander Isak doubled the advantage with a clinical finish. Liverpool scored a late consolation goal through Federico Chiesa in second-half stoppage time.

Overall, Liverpool remain the most successful club in Carabao Cup history with 10 titles, including two wins in the past five seasons. They lifted the trophy in the 2021/22 and 2023/24 seasons after defeating Chelsea in both finals. Manchester City follow with eight titles, while Manchester United have six, and Chelsea and Aston Villa have five each.

Results of the last five Carabao Cup tournaments:

2024/25: Newcastle (Winner), Liverpool (Runner-up) - Final result: 2-1

2023/24: Liverpool (Winner), Chelsea (Runner-up) - Final result: 1-0

2022/23: Man Utd (Winner), Newcastle (Runner-up) - Final result: 2-0

2021/22: Liverpool (Winner), Chelsea (Runner-up) - Final result: 0-0 (Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties)

2020/21: Man City (Winner), Tottenham (Runner-up) - Final result: 1-0

soccerwayuk.com has covered the key details of the Carabao Cup final 2026, including the venue, kick-off time, and the two teams involved. For more results and interesting facts about English football, explore our related content here.