Wrexham Fixtures: Who Can the Red Dragons Face in 2026–27 Carabao Cup First Round?

It is set to be a busy week for Wrexham as the Red Dragons discover their opponents for next season.

Wrexham enjoyed a deep run in the Carabao Cup last season. | James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Wrexham will discover their opponents for the first round of the Carabao Cup on Thursday.

The Red Dragons reached the fourth round of the League Cup—known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons—last season, marking their best run in the competition since 1978.

Wrexham will also learn their fixture schedule for the upcoming Championship season earlier in the day as preparations begin for another push toward the Premier League.

Phil Parkinson’s side is not expected to prioritize a cup run next term, with its primary focus firmly on securing promotion to the Premier League. The Wrexham manager has already revealed that his team plans to use its Carabao Cup opener as an additional preseason fixture, regardless of the opponent.

With that in mind, here’s a look at every team Wrexham could face in the first round of the League Cup.

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How Does the Carabao Cup Draw Work?

The picking of the balls is always an intriguing occasion. | Alex Pantling/Getty Images

The first round of the Carabao Cup will feature 70 teams split into two regional sections to minimize travel during the opening weeks of the season.

Wrexham will be one of 34 teams in the northern section of the draw, while 36 teams will compete in the southern section. The competition remains regionalized through the first two rounds before becoming a nationwide draw from the third round onward.

The first round is open only to EFL clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two. The second regionalized round welcomes the 11 Premier League clubs not involved in European competition this season. The remaining nine Premier League clubs enter in the third round, joining the 23 winners from Round 2.

All matches prior to the semifinals are single-elimination ties. If scores are level after 90 minutes, the winner is decided by a penalty shootout.

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When Is the Carabao Cup First Round?

Nico O’Reilly’s brace downed Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

The first round of the Carabao Cup will be played over the weekend of Aug. 7–9, 2026.

That means Wrexham’s Carabao Cup match will be the club’s first competitive fixture of the new season, with the Championship campaign beginning the following weekend.

Wrexham have already announced plans to treat the first-round tie as a final preseason-style outing, fielding a rotated squad with an emphasis on building match fitness.

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When Is the Carabao Cup First-Round Draw?

Cardiff City eliminated Wrexham from the Carabao Cup last season. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup will take place at 4:30 p.m. BST (11:30 a.m. ET) on Thursday, June 25, 2026.

The draw will be conducted by Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, with former West Ham United midfielder Kevin Nolan and former Ipswich Town defender Luke Chambers drawing the balls.

It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports News in the United Kingdom and streamed free across social media platforms.

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Who Can Wrexham Face in the Carabao Cup?

Wrexham staged a remarkable comeback to win in the Carabao Cup first round last season. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

Wrexham will enter the northern section of the first-round draw as Ball No. 33 and can be drawn either home or away against any of the other teams in the regionalized section.

1 – Accrington Stanley
2 – Barnsley
3 – Blackburn Rovers
4 – Blackpool
5 – Bolton Wanderers
6 – Bradford City
7 – Burnley
8 – Burton Albion
9 – Chesterfield
10 – Crewe Alexandra
11 – Derby County
12 – Doncaster Rovers
13 – Fleetwood Town
14 – Grimsby Town
15 – Huddersfield Town
16 – Lincoln City
17 – Mansfield Town
18 – Middlesbrough
19 – Notts County
20 – Oldham Athletic
21 – Port Vale
22 – Preston North End
23 – Rotherham United
24 – Salford City
25 – Sheffield United
26 – Sheffield Wednesday
27 – Shrewsbury Town
28 – Stockport County
29 – Stoke City
30 – West Bromwich Albion
31 – Wigan Athletic
32 – Wolverhampton Wanderers
33 – Wrexham AFC
34 – Tranmere Rovers/Rochdale*

*Tranmere Rovers and Rochdale will meet in a preliminary-round match on Saturday, Aug. 1, to determine which club advances to the first round proper.

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