The Carabao Cup fourth round takes centre stage midweek, with the 16 teams remaining looking to continue their quest to conquer the first major trophy of the season in English football.
The fourth round will be the final stage of the competition played in 2025, with action resuming with the quarter-finals in Jan. 2026.
Although the Carabao Cup has been the source of silverware for Premier League behemoths almost exclusively for the better part of the century, five non-Premier League sides remain in contention.
The involvement of League One and League Two teams in the Carabao Cup has a direct impact on how the competition is refereed, specifically, on VAR.
Is VAR Used in Carabao Cup Fourth Round?
No match during the fourth round of the 2025-26 Carabao Cup will have access to VAR, regardless if the game is played between two Premier League sides in stadiums that use VAR frequently.
The English Football League decided that VAR will only be active in the Carabao Cup if every single stadium that will host a match during a round has access to the technology.
All Premier League stadiums are equipped with VAR, but with Championship sides Wrexham and Swansea City, League One side Wycombe Wanderers and League Two side Grimsby Town all hosting fourth round matches, VAR won’t be available.
It’s a measure that guarantees the same criteria of refereeing will be enforced across all games during a round, maintaining an equal playing field for all teams involved.
Will VAR be Introduced Later in 2025-26 Carabao Cup?
Yes, VAR is guaranteed to be available in the Carabao Cup final, at the very least.
However, VAR could potentially be introduced earlier, in the semi-finals of the competition, as was the case a season ago when the final four teams all came from the Premier League.
Two seasons ago, Championship side Middlesbrough made it to the semi-finals, resulting in VAR only being available in the final.
This season, the semi-finals are the first potential round where VAR could be introduced. With Wrexham and Cardiff City facing-off in the fourth round, it’s guaranteed that there’ll be EFL representation in this term’s quarter-finals, meaning VAR won’t be available during the upcoming round either.
Carabao Cup Fourth Round Fixtures
- Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- Grimsby Town vs. Brentford
- Swansea City vs. Manchester City
- Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- Wrexham vs. Cardiff City
- Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace
- Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Chelsea
- Wycombe Wanderers vs. Fulham
Premier League Teams Eliminated From the 2025–26 Carabao Cup
- West Ham United (Lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in second round)
- Bournemouth (Lost to Brentford in second round)
- Leeds United (Lost to Sheffield Wednesday in second round)
- Manchester United (Lost to Grimsby Town in second round)
- Sunderland (Lost to Huddersfield in second round)
- Burnley (Lost to Cardiff City in third round)
- Everton (Lost to Wolves in third round)
- Nottingham Forest (Lost to Swansea in third round)
- Aston Villa (Lost to Brentford in third round)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Is There VAR in 2025-26 Carabao Cup Fourth Round?.
