Chelsea have discovered their route to the Carabao Cup final, with the Blues set to face either Arsenal or Crystal Palace in the semifinals of the 2025–26 competition.
On the other side of the draw, holders Newcastle United will battle Manchester City for a place at Wembley.
The semifinal match-ups were confirmed shortly after Newcastle sealed a dramatic quarterfinal victory over Fulham at St James’ Park. The Magpies needed a late moment of magic to progress, with academy graduate Lewis Miley firing home a stoppage-time winner to keep their title defence alive.
Chelsea were the first side to secure a semifinal ticket earlier in the week, edging past League One side Cardiff City with a 3–1 victory in south Wales. Despite dominating much of the contest, the Blues had to be patient before eventually pulling clear late in the game.
They were later joined by Manchester City, who brushed aside Brentford 2–0 on Wednesday night. A spectacular strike from Rayan Cherki set Pep Guardiola’s men on their way. City, who famously won the competition four consecutive times between the 2017–18 and 2020–21 seasons, are still chasing their first Carabao Cup triumph since that historic run ended.
Arsenal and Crystal Palace remain the only sides yet to complete their quarterfinal fixture, but both were included in the draw. Their tie, scheduled for the Emirates Stadium, was pushed back until next week due to fixture congestion.
In keeping with tradition, the Carabao Cup semifinals will be played over two legs, with the first matches taking place in January and the return fixtures set for February 2026.
2025–26 Carabao Cup Semifinal Draw
- Chelsea vs Arsenal / Crystal Palace
- Newcastle United vs Manchester City
2025–26 Carabao Cup Key Dates
- Preliminary round: August 4, 2025
- First round: August 11, 2025
- Second round: August 25, 2025
- Third round: September 15 & 22, 2025
- Fourth round: October 28, 2025
- Quarterfinals: December 15, 2025
- Semifinals: January 12 & February 2, 2026
- Final: March 22, 2026
With heavyweight clashes looming and Wembley in sight, the race for Carabao Cup glory is heating up nicely.
🏆 The draw for the #CarabaoCup Semi-Finals 👇 #EFL pic.twitter.com/rNBjkGRp8D
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) December 17, 2025