Clubs all around the country will begin their road to Wembley today when they learn their fate in the first-round of the Carabao Cup. The draw for the first round of the 2025/26 season takes place on Thursday June 26 as the English Football League teams prepare for the new campaign. Only 70 of the 72 EFL clubs will enter the first round following two preliminary matches, a first in the tournament. The round was introduced to accommodate the increased number of Premier League clubs with European commitments, decreasing the amount of top-flight teams to enter the competition in the second round. Accrington Stanley will face Oldham Athletic while Barnet take on Newport County. The two winners will advance and join the rest of the EFL into the hat for the first-round. Manchester United will enter the competition in the second round while Manchester City will start their journey to Wembley in the third round. Here, The Manchester Evening News brings you everything you need to know about today’s draw; The proceedings for the draw will start at 4.30pm on Thursday June 26. It follows the release of the fixture list across the Championship, League One and League Two. The draw will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports News for supporters to tune in and follow. Sky subscribers can tune in online via the SkyGo app or on Now TV. It will also be free to watch on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel. The ball numbers for the first round of the Carabao Cup have not yet been confirmed. This section will be updated with the full list of ball numbers when revealed. The first round fixtures will be played on the week commencing August 11 with the two preliminary rounds taking place the week before. Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .