Carabao Cup Fourth-Round Draw: Key Details and What to Expect

The Carabao Cup has slipped through its first major checkpoint. The field has been cut again, the early clutter cleared, and only 16 clubs remain with a clean sightline to the quarter-finals.

With the Premier League’s European contenders stepping in, the third round arrived in two parts, stretched across the week to accommodate their schedules. The fourth round will feel more familiar: one block of fixtures, one clear objective, and no hiding places.

Now comes the draw that will shape the next chapter.

When and where the fourth-round draw takes place

All eyes turn to Old Trafford on Wednesday 16 September.

The fourth-round draw will be held straight after the Round Three tie between Manchester United and Brighton, a game that kicks off at 8pm BST. Once that contest is done and dusted, sometime after 10pm BST, the attention will move from the pitch to the bowl of numbered balls that will dictate the next wave of storylines.

No regional split. No seeding. Just names, numbers, and the risk of a heavyweight collision.

How to watch it

Sky Sports will carry the draw live.

Pien Meulensteen leads the coverage, steering viewers through the aftermath of Manchester United vs Brighton and into the draw itself. Jamie Redknapp and Ashley Young will be alongside her, tasked with the simple but brutal job of pairing clubs together and, inevitably, ruining a few carefully laid plans.

One twist of the wrist, one ball in the wrong place, and a comfortable route can turn into a gauntlet.

Ball numbers and the waiting game

The finer detail arrives on Wednesday morning.

Ball numbers for all 16 remaining sides will be confirmed across the EFL’s channels that day, giving supporters a few hours to pore over permutations and dream up best- and worst-case scenarios before the draw is made.

Until then, it’s guesswork and superstition.

When the fourth round will be played

There will be no two-legged chess this time.

All fourth-round ties are scheduled as single-legged fixtures in the week commencing 26 October, sharpening the edge of every mistake and every decision. One night, one result, straight into the quarter-finals or straight out.

By the end of that week, the Carabao Cup will no longer feel like a sideshow. It will look and sound like a trophy that someone is suddenly close enough to touch.