Why Man Utd Are the Only ‘Big Six’ Club in the Carabao Cup Second Round

The Red Devils have won the Carabao Cup six times, most recently lifting the trophy in 2023.

Manchester United will compete in the second round of the 2025–26 Carabao Cup. / IMAGO / Every Second Media

Manchester United find themselves in the unfamiliar position of needing to qualify for the third round of this year’s Carabao Cup.

The Red Devils, who have won the competition on six occasions and most recently in 2023, enter the 2025–26 edition of England’s secondary cup competition in the second round for the first time in over a decade.

Ruben Amorim’s side have discovered their first opponents in this season’s Carabao Cup, with the Portuguese head coach likely viewing the competition as his best route to a first piece of silverware in the Man Utd dugout.

But why are the Red Devils competing in the second round this term?

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Why Are Man Utd in Carabao Cup Second Round?

Man Utd’s underwhelming performances last season have forced them into an extra Carabao Cup fixture. / IMAGO/Icon Sportswire

Man Utd will compete in the second round of the Carabao Cup this season after they missed out on European qualification last term. Premier League sides competing on the continent enter the tournament at the third round stage, but the top flight clubs who don’t feature in Europe are forced to play second round fixtures.

Man Utd’s 15th-place Premier League finish and inability to win the Europa League final last season means they are out of European competition for the first time since 2014–15, and they will learn their second round Carabao Cup opponents following the draw on Wednesday, August 13.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are all competing in the Champions League and will join the Carabao Cup at the third round, as will Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace—the former two featuring in the Europa League and the latter in the Conference League.

The Red Devils have bad memories of their last second round fixture, stumbling to one of their worst ever defeats in the EFL Cup. Louis van Gaal’s side were thumped 4–0 by MK Dons, who were competing in League One at the time.

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Who Are Man Utd Playing in the Second Round?

Man Utd take on League Two Grimsby Town in the second round. / Andrew Vaughan/Getty Images

The Carabao Cup is split into northern and southern sections in the early rounds, with Man Utd part of the former draw for the second round.

The Red Devils were paired against Grimsby Town of League Two, and will visit Blundell Park on Wednesday night. Grimsby have started the domestic season unbeaten, and are preparing for their first tussle with the grand Man Utd since 1948, when the town’s once-notorious fishing industry was approaching its peak.

The two clubs were formed in the same year (1878), and met regularly in the top tier before and during the inter-war years.

While upsets of this magnitude are rare and only dwindling in frequency, Grimsby do have history of stunning the aristocracy. In 2001, the Mariners beat Liverpool at Anfield in a League Cup tie when they were plying their trade in the second tier. Four years later, Martin Jol’s Tottenham Hotspur were defeated at Blundell Park.

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