League Two side Fleetwood Town will host Premier League champions Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup following a draw announced by the EFL. Matches for the round take place during the week commencing October 26, 2026, alongside other fixtures including Liverpool against Chelsea and Everton versus Newcastle.
Carabao Cup Fourth-Round Draw Sets Up Lower-League Test for Arsenal
The path to the Carabao Cup latter stages has taken shape following a draw conducted after the completion of third-round fixtures. Premier League champions Arsenal learned they will travel away to face League Two side Fleetwood Town in the fourth round. The Lancashire club secured their place in the last 16 for the first time in their history after defeating Sheffield United 1-0 on Wednesday night.
Arsenal advanced to this stage after beating Ipswich Town 4-2 on Tuesday. Mikel Arteta’s squad faces an away trip against lower-league opposition that fought past competition to reach the fourth round.
All-Premier League Clashes and Notable Matchups
While Fleetwood takes on elite English opposition, the rest of the draw features several high-profile fixtures. Liverpool will host Chelsea in the standout tie of the fourth round. The fixture marks a return to Anfield for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso following his appointment at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea reached this round after beating Leeds 6-3 last week, while the Reds got past Tottenham 3-1 on Tuesday. The meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea forms part of a heavy slate of top-flight matchups across the board. Other fixtures include Everton welcoming Newcastle United, Sunderland at home to Brentford, Fulham hosting Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage, and Bournemouth at home to Aston Villa.
Full Carabao Cup Fourth-Round Fixture List
The complete sequence of ties was made public following the EFL’s release of ball numbers and draw details. The official EFL release stated: ‘The Round Four draw of the Carabao Cup will take place live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of the Round Three tie between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday 16 September. Sky Sports presenter Pien Meulensteen will host the draw, alongside former Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp and ex-Manchester United and England defender Ashley Young.’
Fleetwood Town v Arsenal
Manchester City/Norwich v Brighton
Everton v Newcastle
Sunderland v Brentford
Liverpool v Chelsea
Bradford v Peterborough
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Lower-League Representation and Remaining Ties
The structure of the fourth round was influenced by the fact that the eight Premier League clubs involved in the Champions League and Europa League couldn’t play one of the other seven, which helped ensure there will be very few teams from the lower leagues in the fourth round. So far there are nine Premier League clubs that have qualified, alongside Peterborough and Bradford, both from League One.
League One sides Bradford and Peterborough will play for a place in the quarter-finals after they defeated Leyton Orient and Barnsley respectively in the third round. Bradford advanced past Leyton Orient 3-1, while Peterborough overcame Barnsley 7-6 on penalties following a 3-3 draw.
Tournament Schedule and Upcoming Matches
All fourth-round matches will take place during the week commencing October 26, 2026. This is the complete list of the remaining Carabao Cup dates when matches will be played after the third round:
Round Four: w/c 26 October 2026
Round Five: w/c 14 December 2026
Semi-Final First Leg: w/c 11 January 2027
Semi-Final Second Leg: w/c 1 February 2027
Final: Sunday 21 March 2027
Holders Manchester City will welcome Brighton to Etihad Stadium if they beat Norwich in Thursday’s remaining tie.