Starting next season, the Carabao Cup will implement seedings to keep major clubs apart, aiming to alleviate fixture congestion amidst changes to the Champions League.
The Champions League has replaced its traditional group stage, where 32 teams were divided into eight groups, with a single 36-team league phase. In this new format, each team will play eight matches, adding two more matchdays in the first half of the season.
English clubs participating in European competitions receive a bye to the third round of the Carabao Cup. However, next season’s third round on September 17-18 coincides with the first matchday of the Champions League.
To mitigate fixture congestion, the third round of the Carabao Cup was already planned to be split over two weeks, with additional games on September 24-25. The Europa League’s new league phase starts on September 26, overlapping with the second week of the Carabao Cup’s third round.
The Daily Telegraph reports that ranked seedings will prevent Champions League qualifiers from being drawn against Europa League teams.
The Conference League’s league stage begins on October 3, avoiding a clash with the Carabao Cup third round. However, further measures might be needed for the Carabao Cup’s fifth round to prevent a fixture clash with the Conference League’s sixth matchday.
A notable instance of fixture congestion occurred when Liverpool had to field an Under-23 squad for a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa in December 2019, while their first team played in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Fixture congestion is a legitimate concern, especially for clubs competing in Europe. However, some clubs have faced criticism for scheduling and participating in non-essential exhibition matches. For instance, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur traveled to Australia for a post-season friendly in Melbourne right after the Premier League campaign ended earlier this month.