The Carabao Cup has slipped into its familiar early-season rhythm. The field has been trimmed again, the early hopefuls cut away, and now only 16 clubs remain with a clear prize in sight: a place in the quarter-finals and a tangible foothold in the first domestic trophy of the campaign.
This is the point where the competition starts to bite. The Premier League’s European contenders have entered the fray, the schedule has settled, and the draw could throw up the kind of heavyweight clashes that reshape a season before winter has even settled in.
When and where the fourth-round draw happens
All eyes turn to Old Trafford on Wednesday 16 September. The Round Three tie between Manchester United and Brighton, kicking off at 8pm BST, will set the stage. Once that contest is done and dusted, the draw for the fourth round follows.
Expect it some time after 10pm BST, once the final whistle, the post-match reaction and the usual swirl of analysis have cleared enough space for the next chapter to be written.
There is no safety net and no gentle easing into the latter stages. No regionalisation, no pre-draw shielding. Any of the 16 survivors can be paired with anyone else. A lower-league side can land a trip to a Premier League fortress; two giants can be thrown together with no warning. The stakes sharpen with every ball pulled.
How to watch the draw
Sky Sports will carry the draw live as part of their coverage. Presenter Pien Meulensteen leads the broadcast, with Jamie Redknapp and Ashley Young tasked with dipping into the bowl and deciding who faces whom.
It’s a familiar ritual, but the tension never really dulls. One twist of the wrist can hand a manager a nightmare away day or a golden route to the last eight.
Ball numbers and key dates
The ball numbers themselves will be confirmed on Wednesday morning across the EFL’s channels, setting up the usual day of speculation and plotting as fans work out their dream and nightmare scenarios.
Once the draw is done, attention turns quickly to the calendar. All Round Four ties are scheduled for the week commencing 26 October and, as ever in this competition, they will be settled over a single leg.
No replays. No second chances. Ninety minutes to keep a trophy bid alive, or watch it vanish before the season has even reached full stride.
