What is the EFL Cup?
The EFL Cup — also called the League Cup or the Carabao Cup after its sponsor — is a domestic knockout cup competition open to all 92 clubs in the English Football League. It runs alongside the Premier League season and is generally seen as a slightly lesser prize than the FA Cup, but still a major honour. The final is played at Wembley.
Want to know more? See our EFL Cup Explained page.
The 2025/26 Final: Man City 2-0 Arsenal
Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley on 22 March 2026 in a final that carried extra significance given the title race between the two clubs was still ongoing.
Both goals came from Nico O’Reilly — a 21-year-old City academy product who had broken into the first team this season and became one of the stories of the campaign. His two-goal performance at Wembley earned him the Man of the Match award and cemented his place as one of the most exciting young players in English football.
For Arsenal, it was another near-miss at Wembley — but they would go on to win the Premier League title a few weeks later, so the cup defeat stung less than it might have done.
