The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and officially known as the Carabao Cup as a result of a sponsorship deal with Carabao, is an annual knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Organised by the English Football League (EFL), it is open to any club within the top four levels of the English football league system (92 clubs in total) comprising the top-level Premier League, and the three divisions of the English Football League's own league competition (Championship, League One and League Two).
First held in 1960–61 as the Football League Cup, it is one of two major domestic knockout trophies in English football, alongside the FA Cup, and one of the three top-tier domestic football competitions in England, alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. It concludes in late February, long before the other two major competitions, both of which end in May. It was introduced by the league as a response to the increasing popularity of European football, and also as a means of challenging the Football Association's position of power by giving the League an additional asset in negotiations. It also took advantage of the roll-out of floodlights, allowing fixtures to be played as midweek evening games. With the renaming of the Football League as the English Football League in 2016, the tournament was rebranded as the EFL Cup from the 2016–17 season onwards.
The tournament is played over seven rounds, with single-leg ties throughout, except for the semi-finals, which have home and away legs. The final is held at Wembley Stadium, the only leg in the competition played at a neutral venue and on a weekend (Sunday). The first two rounds are split into North and South sections, and a system of byes based on league level ensures higher-ranked teams enter in later rounds and defers the entry of teams still involved in Europe.
Winners not only receive the EFL Cup (of which there have been three designs, the current one also being the original), but also qualify for European football. From 1966–67 until 1971–72 the winners received a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, from 1972–73 until the 2019–20 season in the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) and since the 2020–21 season in the UEFA Conference League. Should the winner also qualify for Europe through other means at the end of the season, this place is transferred to the highest-placed Premier League team that has not already qualified for European competition. The most successful club in the competition is Liverpool, with 10 titles. The current champions are Manchester City, who defeated Arsenal in the 2026 final to claim their ninth title. Swansea City are the only Welsh team to win the title, doing so in the 2012–13 season.
Status Although the League Cup is one of the four domestic trophies attainable by English league teams, it is regarded as of lower prestige than the league title or the FA Cup. League Cup winners receive £100,000 prize money (awarded by the Football League) with the runners-up receiving £50,000, considered relatively insignificant to top-flight teams, compared to the £2 million prize money of the FA Cup, which is in turn eclipsed by the Premier League's television money (awarded on final league position) and consequent participation in the Champions League.
Some clubs have repeatedly fielded a weaker side in the competition, making the opportunity for giant-killing of the larger clubs more likely. Many teams in the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester United in particular, have used the competition to give young players valuable big-game experience – but, if they subsequently reach the latter stages, they then field their strongest possible team.
When Carling opted out of renewing its sponsorship of the League Cup in 2011, one of the reasons for ending sponsorship cited by the company was the lack of prestige the Cup attracted, both from fans and from larger clubs.
However, in 2010, in response to Arsène Wenger's claim that a League Cup win would not end his trophy drought, Alex Ferguson described the trophy as worth winning. After a period of decline when the competition's future was regularly questioned, recent years have seen a revival in respect for the trophy, as the larger Premier League clubs have come to dominate the competition again, and the development nature of the competition has begun to be viewed as a positive for the clubs involved. Premier League giants Manchester City (7), Manchester United (5), Liverpool (5) and Chelsea (3) among them won 20 editions of the tournament between 2001 and 2026.
History + Winners Year Winner 1961Aston Villa (1) 1962Norwich City (1) 1963Birmingham City (1) 1964Leicester City (1) 1965Chelsea (1) 1966West Bromwich Albion (1) 1967Queens Park Rangers (1) 1968Leeds United (1) 1969Swindon Town (1) 1970Manchester City (1) 1971Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1972Stoke City (1) 1973Tottenham Hotspur 1974Wolves (1) 1975Aston Villa 1976Manchester City 1977Aston Villa 1978Nottingham Forest (1) 1979Nottingham Forest 1980Wolves 1981Liverpool (1) 1982Liverpool 1983Liverpool 1984Liverpool 1985Norwich City 1986Oxford United (1) 1987Arsenal (1) 1988Luton Town (1) 1989Nottingham Forest 1990Nottingham Forest 1991Sheffield Wednesday (1) 1992Manchester United (1) 1993Arsenal 1994Aston Villa 1995Liverpool 1996Aston Villa 1997Leicester City 1998Chelsea 1999Tottenham Hotspur 2000Leicester City 2001Liverpool 2002Blackburn Rovers (1) 2003Liverpool 2004Middlesbrough (1) 2005Chelsea 2006Manchester United 2007Chelsea 2008Tottenham Hotspur 2009Manchester United 2010Manchester United 2011Birmingham City 2012Liverpool 2013Swansea City (1) 2014Manchester City 2015Chelsea 2016Manchester City 2017Manchester United 2018Manchester City 2019Manchester City 2020Manchester City 2021Manchester City 2022Liverpool 2023Manchester United 2024Liverpool 2025Newcastle United (1) 2026Manchester City The original idea for a League Cup came from Stanley Rous, who saw the competition as a consolation for clubs who had already been knocked out of the FA Cup. However, it was not Rous who came to implement it, but Football League Secretary Alan Hardaker. Hardaker initially proposed the competition as a way for the clubs to make up for lost revenue due to a reduction in matches played, for when the league was to be reorganised. The reorganisation of the league was not immediately forthcoming; however, the cup competition was introduced regardless.
The trophy was paid for personally by Football League President Joe Richards, who was proud of the competition, and he had his own name engraved on it. Richards described the competition's formation as an "interim step" on the way to the league's re-organisation. Richards' priority was the reorganisation of the leagues, "perhaps by cutting down the number of clubs in each division, as has already been suggested, and even given more consideration to the system of four up and four down".
Hardaker felt that the Football League needed to adapt to the times, as the English game was losing prestige. He felt that the Football League ought to take the lead in revitalising football in the nation: "It must be obvious to all of you that the time has come to do something, and it is up to the Football League to give the lead. I hope the Press will not immediately assume that the League is going to fall out with the F.A. or anybody else... the time have come for our voice to be heard in every problem which affects the professional game."
The League Cup competition was established at a time when match-day attendances were dwindling. The league had lost a million spectators compared to the previous season. It was established at a time when tensions between the Football League and The Football Association were high. The biggest disagreement was about how revenue was shared among the clubs.
During the late 1950s, the majority of senior English clubs equipped their grounds with floodlights. This opened up the opportunity to exploit weekday evenings throughout the winter. The League Cup was introduced in the 1960–61 season specifically as a mid-week floodlit tournament to replace the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup.
The League Cup was criticised by the better-endowed clubs. The Times correspondent at the time felt that the League Cup was a step in the wrong direction; the European Cup had been formed five years prior to the League Cup and the correspondent felt the League Cup's introduction was adding to existing problems. The Times published on 30 May 1960: "Where a drastic reduction is required in an attempt to raise quality, no doubt quantity and a further spread of mediocrity will be the dose. Where men like Count Bernabeu with his wider horizons, think in terms of a European League for the future in which a lead could surely now be given jointly by our leaders, the Football League propose next season to implement their useless Football League Cup to be played in midweek. It gets the players, the clubs and the public nowhere."
Aston Villa were the inaugural winners in 1960–61, defeating Rotherham United 3–2 in the final over two legs. Football in England was considered to be of a low quality, compared to what was being played on the continent, as relatively unfashionable clubs Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers were England's representatives in Europe that year, having lifted the major honours ahead of much bigger clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United. Richards referred to the appetite for European football as 'continental fever'. He was keen for the league to re-establish itself: 'We must be prepared to put the interests of the League and the game before individual clubs.' Sixteen clubs opposed the competition's creation, while thirty-one approved it. The average attendance across the League Cup was 10,556, just higher than the average gate in the Third Division. The total attendance of the Football League competition had fallen by 4 million from the previous season. Richards is reputed to have told Hardaker that he foresaw 'the League Cup final being held at Wembley, but that it wouldn't be during his lifetime'. The first League Cup final to be held at Wembley was Third Division Queens Park Rangers' win over First Division West Bromwich Albion on 4 March 1967. Richards died in 1968.
The first League Cup was won in 1960–61 by Aston Villa who, at the time, held the overall record for major trophies won in England. The next three finals, however, saw the trophy won by clubs that had never previously won a major trophy. One of them, Norwich City, had yet to even play in the First Division, while their opponents Rochdale had played no higher than the Third Division.
The introduction of the League Cup gave the Football League more negotiating power with the FA and UEFA. Hardaker threatened UEFA with a boycott of the UEFA Cup, unless UEFA gave the League Cup winner European qualification. As a result of the negotiating tactics, UEFA provided the League Cup winner with a place in the European competitions, provided the team was in the first division. Tottenham Hotspur were the first team to qualify for Europe by virtue of winning the competition. Although Leeds United had won the competition before Tottenham, Leeds qualified for Europe based on league position. The winners of the 1966–67 and 1968–69 editions, Queen's Park Rangers and Swindon Town did not participate in Europe, as they were not in the First Division.