English Football League Cup Betting Odds
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Sat, 1 Aug 2026 | |||
| 15:00 | Tranmere 17/10 | Draw 27/10 | Rochdale 6/5 |
Mon, 3 Aug 2026 | |||
| 19:30 | York 23/40 | Draw 29/10 | Crawley Town 15/4 |
Fri, 7 Aug 2026 | |||
| 19:45 | Bristol City 39/100 | Draw 15/4 | Walsall 5/1 |
| 19:45 | Wolverhampton 303/1000 | Draw 9/2 | Port Vale 21/4 |
| 19:45 | Wycombe 21/20 | Draw 12/5 | Stevenage 21/10 |
| 20:00 | Middlesbrough 687/1000 | Draw 14/5 | Wrexham 3/1 |
Sat, 8 Aug 2026 | |||
| 13:00 | Cambridge Utd 793/1000 | Draw 13/5 | Barnet 11/4 |
| 14:00 | QPR 37/20 | Draw 5/2 | Millwall 11/10 |
| 15:00 | AFC Wimbledon 61/100 | Draw 11/4 | Newport County 7/2 |
| 15:00 | Barnsley 13/10 | Draw 23/10 | Wigan 7/4 |
| 15:00 | Bristol Rovers 13/10 | Draw 23/10 | Peterborough 17/10 |
| 15:00 | Bromley 6/5 | Draw 23/10 | Reading 37/20 |
| 15:00 | Burnley 9/20 | Draw 31/10 | Notts County 5/1 |
| 15:00 | Burton Albion 2/1 | Draw 9/4 | Blackburn 23/20 |
| 15:00 | Cardiff 39/100 | Draw 7/2 | Swindon 19/4 |
| 15:00 | Crewe 19/25 | Draw 13/5 | Accrington Stanley 14/5 |
| 15:00 | Derby 687/1000 | Draw 14/5 | Lincoln City 29/10 |
| 15:00 | Fleetwood Town 33/20 | Draw 12/5 | Chesterfield 53/40 |
| 15:00 | Gillingham 10/3 | Draw 27/10 | Luton 33/50 |
| 15:00 | Grimsby 7/5 | Draw 12/5 | Blackpool 29/20 |
| 15:00 | Leicester 7/20 | Draw 7/2 | Northampton 11/2 |
| 15:00 | Leyton Orient 63/40 | Draw 12/5 | Oxford Utd 13/10 |
| 15:00 | Norwich 493/1000 | Draw 3/1 | Milton Keynes Dons 17/4 |
| 15:00 | Preston 11/10 | Draw 5/2 | Huddersfield 2/1 |
| 15:00 | Salford City 14/25 | Draw 13/5 | Shrewsbury 17/4 |
| 15:00 | Sheff Wed 21/10 | Draw 13/5 | Bolton 24/25 |
| 15:00 | Stockport 687/1000 | Draw 13/5 | Doncaster 16/5 |
| 15:00 | Stoke 37/100 | Draw 15/4 | Oldham 19/4 |
| 15:00 | Swansea 37/20 | Draw 12/5 | Birmingham 11/10 |
| 15:00 | West Ham 9/20 | Draw 16/5 | Portsmouth 9/2 |
| 17:30 | Cheltenham 17/4 | Draw 29/10 | Charlton 493/1000 |
| 17:30 | Colchester 21/4 | Draw 15/4 | Southampton 167/500 |
| 17:30 | Rotherham 17/4 | Draw 7/2 | West Brom 9/20 |
Sun, 9 Aug 2026 | |||
| 16:00 | Mansfield 3/1 | Draw 5/2 | Sheff Utd 19/25 |
Mon, 10 Aug 2026 | |||
| 20:00 | Plymouth 531/1000 | Draw 31/10 | Exeter 15/4 |
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, or the League Cup, has been an annual competition in the English Football League since the 1960-61 season.
The League Cup was introduced as a response to dwindling crowds and the growth in popularity of European football. It took advantage of the recent introduction of floodlights to play fixtures on mid-week evenings during the winter, with a final taking place at Wembley Stadium in late February or early March.
The EFL cup was sponsored by Capital One for 4 years but was unsponsored for the 2016/17 season as the deal ended. Since the 2017/18 season, it has been sponsored by Carabao Energy Drinks.
Cup Structure
The EFL Cup is open to all 92 teams playing in the top 4 levels of the English Football League. It is divided into 7 rounds, all of which are played as single-leg games, apart from the semi-final, which is played over two legs, home and away. Since 1996-97 teams participating in European Competition have received an automatic bye to the third round, and any remaining Premier League teams enter in the second round.
The EFL is not considered as prestigious a cup as the FA Cup. Still, until the 2019/20 season, winners were awarded a place in the UEFA Europa League. Starting in 2020–21, the winners get a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League. If the cup winner has already qualified through other means at the end of the season, then this place is transferred to the highest-placed Premier League team that has not already qualified.
Prize money for the EFL Cup is low compared to other prestigious tournaments. Prize money for the final winner is £100,000, and the runner-up is £50,000.
Team Performance
As the EFL is considered lower status than the FA Cup, many clubs use it as an opportunity to offer big game experience to less experienced players. This means that the odds of a surprise upset by underdog teams are higher than you'd expect. Notable upsets include Manchester United being knocked out in 2006/07 and 2007/08 by Southend City and Coventry City, respectively. In the 2014/15 season, they were knocked out in the second round, losing 4-0 to third-tier team MK Dons. Grimsby Town was responsible for 2 giant killings, knocking out current cup holders Liverpool in 2001/02 and Tottenham Hotspur in 2005.
The lowest-ranked team to reach a League Cup Final was League Two team Bradford City in 2012/13. They knocked out Premier League teams Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa on their way to the final.
Historically, Liverpool is the best-performing club in the EFL, reaching the final 15 times and winning 10. They are followed by Manchester United with 10 final appearances and 6 wins and Chelsea with 10 final appearances and 5 wins. Manchester City have only made 9 appearances in the final but are second in the number of wins they have achieved, winning 8 of those appearances.
The current holders are Newcastle United after they defeated Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley.
Betting on the EFL
Betting on the EFL can be challenging as it's difficult to anticipate whether a club will be fielding their strongest side. Nevertheless, the English Football League Cup is a popular market among gamblers; knowing lower-division football well can offer an advantage.
In recent years, the winner of the EFL Cup has mostly been a big Premier League side, but upsets do happen, and there is money to be made betting on an outsider to progress. Popular bets at match level include individual match-winners, half-time/full-time scores, anytime goalscorers and total goals over/under.
How to Watch
Sky Sports are the official EFL broadcast partner and will show games throughout the entire competition, including both legs of the semi-finals and the final.
EFL Cup Key Dates - 2025/26 Season
Preliminary Round: w/c 4 August 2025
Round One: w/c 11 August 2025
Round Two: w/c 25 August 2025
Round Three: w/c 15 September and w/c 22 September 2025*
Round Four: w/c 27 October 2025
Round Five: w/c 15 December 2025
Semi-Final First Leg: w/c 12 January 2026
Semi-Final Second Leg: w/c 2 February 2026
Final: Sunday 22 March 2026
*Round Three will take place on the same basis as 2024/25, with split weeks for those Clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Further Information
Also See
- Dundee Utd v Rangers
- Falkirk v St Mirren
- Aberdeen v Hearts
- Tranmere v Rochdale
- More Match Odds...
