When do Leeds United enter the Carabao Cup? How Premier League relegation impacts entry & possible draw date

Leeds United are now preparing for life back in the Championship following relegation, but how will their new league status impact their cup participation?

The Whites haven’t had much luck in cup competitions over recent years, largely underperforming in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but they have had to concentrate on remaining in the Premier League over recent times - an exhausting task to say the least. Next season, their main priority will be to secure promotion back to the top flight, but it will be interesting to see how seriously they take the cup competitions.

Relegation means they will enter the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, with Leeds playing their first Carabao Cup clash within days of kicking off the new campaign. Here we round up everything you need to know about next season’s Carabao Cup, including Leeds’ participation.

When does the Carabao Cup start?

The new Carabao Cup campaign will kick off during the week commencing Monday, August 7. The first games during round one will likely take place on Tuesday (August 8).

When is the Carabao Cup draw?

This has not been confirmed by the EFL just yet, but the draw took place on EFL’s fixture release day last season, on June 23. This season’s fixture release day is on June 22, but we are yet to learn whether the draw will take place on the same day this time around.

When is the Carabao Cup final?

The 2023/24 Carabao Cup final is already booked for Sunday, February 25, 2024. The final, as always, will take place at Wembley Stadium.

When do Leeds United enter the competition?

Leeds will enter the Carabao Cup in the first round this season. Previously they would enter at the second round during their time in the Premier League.

The Carabao Cup first round sees every team from the Championship, League One and League Two enter, while the Premier League clubs join in round two, with the exception of the clubs who have qualified for Europe. The clubs competing in Europe are given an extra round off and join the competition in round three.

For the round one draw, there has been seeding and location restrictions in previous years, but barring a format changes, the draw should be done at random for this season. The EFL have moved away from seeding in recent times, while the location split was brought in to limit travel after coronavirus. This season should see normality resume.

Have Leeds ever won the League Cup?

Yes, they have. The Whites won the League Cup way back in 1968 thanks to Terry Cooper’s goal to defeat Arsenal in the final. United have only reached the final on one other occasion, and that was in 1996, when they suffered a heavy defeat to Aston Villa.

Last season, Leeds were eliminated by Wolves in the second round, and they haven’t gone beyond the fourth round since the 2016/17 season, when the Whites were eventually eliminated by Liverpool at Anfield.