Tottenham Hotspur will find out their second-round Carabao Cup opponent later this evening, and there is no guarantee they will get an easy draw.
Having failed to qualify for Europe, Spurs will go into the second round of the Carabao Cup, which is not something the club have been used to over the past two decades.
The Lilywhites are one of 11 Premier League clubs that will enter the draw in the second round, while the nine clubs who have qualified from the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League will enter the competition in the third round.
With the second round of the League Cup set to be played on the week commencing Monday, 24 August 2026, it will be Spurs’ second fixture of the 2026-27 season.
Tottenham can start Carabao Cup campaign with London derby against Chelsea
Chelsea are also among the 11 Premier League clubs involved in this evening’s draw, having finished in 10th place last term.
The rules dictate that it is very much possible that the two London rivals could be drawn against each other in the second round.
Unlike the third round draw, which is seeded, there is no rule preventing the bigger teams from facing each other in the second round of the competition.
In fact, with the draw being split into north and south sections, and with the London teams being part of the south section, the chances of Tottenham drawing Chelsea are heightened.
Which teams could Spurs draw in the League Cup?
Apart from Chelsea, the other top-flight teams Tottenham can be drawn against in the second round are Brentford, Coventry City, Fulham, and Ipswich Town.
There is also a possibility of a London derby with West Ham, with the Hammers, Birmingham City, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Millwall, Norwich City, Southampton, and Watford being the Championship sides in Spurs’ section of the draw.
10 other teams from League One and League Two could also come up as the Lilywhites’ opponents in the next round.