The Carabao Cup will adopt a new seeding mechanism next season to mitigate the fixture congestion caused by the expanded Champions League format.
Under this system, Champions League qualifiers will not face Europa League teams in the early rounds, ensuring that big clubs are kept apart initially.
The English Football League (EFL) announced that third round EFL Cup fixtures will now be spread over two weeks. This scheduling change aims to ease the congestion resulting from overlapping European competitions.
The fifth round schedule remains flexible, pending further clarity on potential conflicts with European matches. The introduction of the Conference League, whose group stages start later, adds another layer of complexity to the scheduling.
In recent years, fixture congestion has led clubs to consider fielding their younger squads in the Carabao Cup. This issue was highlighted five years ago when Liverpool’s semi-final in the Club World Cup clashed with their EFL Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa, forcing them to field their youngest-ever starting line-up under under-23 boss Neil Critchley.
The criteria for the new seeding system have yet to be detailed. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola previously expressed concerns over the crowded fixture list, particularly in weeks with overlapping domestic and European commitments.
“Next season, when we play in the Champions League, hopefully we will qualify, it is the same week as the Carabao Cup,” Guardiola said. “How are we going to play? Will we play the EDS [development squad] in the Carabao Cup?”
This fixture congestion is exacerbated by the ongoing debate over the scrapping of FA Cup replays and the Premier League clubs’ failure to finalize a new £900 million football support system. Consequently, the EFL has retained the two-legged semi-finals in the Carabao Cup, further straining the football calendar.
