Carabao Cup third-round draw details after major rule change: How to watch, potential opponents & fixture dates

Manchester United will discover their Carabao Cup third-round opposition on Wednesday evening after a major rule change was made to the draw system.

Manchester United won the 2022/23 Carabao Cup by defeating Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, earning Erik ten Hag his first trophy at Old Trafford.

However, in the 2023/24 season, United suffered a 3-0 loss to the same opponents, with Newcastle dominating at Old Trafford and eliminating Ten Hag’s side from the competition.

The Reds are back in the competition this term, and the full details of the third-round draw are below.

When is the 2024 Carabao Cup third-round draw?

The third round draw for the Carabao Cup is set to take place on Wednesday 28 August at around 22:15 BST, following the conclusion of Nottingham Forest’s round two clash against Newcastle.

The EFL have also confirmed that a pre-draw will be staged before the game kicks off. This will decide the positioning of the six clubs in Bowl One, and it will determine whether United are home or away.

How to watch the 2024 Carabao Cup third-round draw

The third-round draw will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event for those in the United Kingdom.

UtdDistrict will also be covering the draw live on their X account.

Carabao Cup 2024 rule change

This season, the third round of the competition will be spread over two game weeks to accommodate the revised European competition formats. United will have eight Europa League matches instead of the usual six.

The Reds will play their Carabao Cup third-round match in the week starting September 16, just before their Premier League game against Crystal Palace.

However, this scheduling means that United will not face any English teams that are participating in the Champions League, such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.

Potential opponents

Considering the previously mentioned rule, United will not be able to face up against some of the toughest Premier League teams in this draw but there are plenty of teams they could play against.

A list of the qualified teams can be read below.

AFC Wimbledon or Ipswich Town, Barrow AFC, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City or Southampton, Colchester United or Brentford, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fleetwood Town, Fulham, Leicester City, Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest or Newcastle United, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City, Swansea City or Wycombe Wanderers, Walsall, Watford, West Ham United or Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers or Burnley

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