Leicester City will host Northampton Town while West Ham United welcome Portsmouth to the London Stadium in the opening round of the Carabao Cup. Thursday's draw paired League One and Championship sides in regionalised fixtures scheduled for August 9-11, with all matches broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Several intriguing derby clashes emerged from the Southern section. Millwall travels to face QPR in a London derby, while Plymouth hosts Exeter in a Devon showdown. Championship sides Swansea and Birmingham meet in what promises to be a competitive tie between two historic clubs.

The Northern section features Middlesbrough against Wrexham and Wolves hosting Port Vale. A preliminary round sees York City versus Crawley Town and Tranmere Rovers against Rochdale, with winners advancing to face Watford and Bradford respectively. Premier League clubs not competing in European competition enter at the second round stage.

The competition structure keeps teams regionally separated until the third round, when nine European participants including Arsenal and Manchester City join. This format gives lower league clubs genuine opportunities for cup runs while maintaining competitive balance across the tournament.