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 are awaiting discover of 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?
Why Are Man Utd in Carabao Cup Second Round?
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.
Who Could Man Utd Play in the Second Round?
The Carabao Cup is now split into northern and southern sections in the early rounds, meaning Man Utd can only face one of the other 23 teams that make up the northern section. That includes any Premier League sides who are in the same geographical band of the draw.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Man Utd Are the Only 'Big Six' Club in the Carabao Cup Second Round.