EFL Cup Final 2025/26
Betting tips, odds & predictions for the League Cup Final at Wembley
Written by: Phil Blackwell • Last updated: 21 March 2026
EFL Cup final betting, odds & free bet offers
⭐️ The 2026 Carabao Cup Final is on 22 March between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley. Get the latest odds and claim your free bets below.
This year’s League Cup Final pits Arsenal against Manchester City on Sunday 22 March in the first major domestic final of the English football season.
In this blockbuster clash between the two Premier League title contenders, Arsenal will be looking to win the League Cup for only the third time in their history, while Pep Guardiola’s City are chasing a ninth title in the competition and a fifth Carabao Cup under his management.
Below you’ll find our match preview, the head-to-head record between the clubs, analysis of recent form, offers from UK betting sites, plus our expert betting tips and predictions for the Wembley showpiece.
Arsenal
2 time winners
Man City
8 time winners
🏟️ Wembley Stadium, London · Capacity: 90,000
The stakes of this year’s final extend far beyond the trophy itself with Arsenal and City locked in another battle for the Premier League title.
A win for either team at Wembley ahead of a potentially decisive league meeting at the Emirates on 18th April provides a chance to land a psychological blow, as well as the first silverware of the season.
Both sides also face huge Champions League commitments in the days before the final. City take on Real Madrid in the Round of 16 on 11th and 17th March (second leg at the Etihad), while Arsenal face Bayer Leverkusen on the same dates (second leg at the Emirates).
Fatigue and squad rotation could play a significant role in team selection at Wembley just five days later.
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Place your bets with confidence for this year’s League Cup Final between Arsenal and Man City using our interactive table below.
Click any betting market name to skip directly to our full betting tip and then click through to see the latest odds.
Place your bets before it’s too late.
| Market | WFW Tip | Conf. |
|---|---|---|
| Match Result | Man City to Win | Strong |
| Both Teams to Score | Yes | Good |
| First Goalscorer | Erling Haaland | Value |
| Correct Score | Man City 2-1 | Value |
| To Lift the Trophy | Man City | Strong |
Arsenal’s route to Wembley was the most dramatic of the two teams, featuring a remarkable 8-7 penalty shootout win over Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals.
Kepa Arrizabalaga made the decisive save to send Arsenal on to a 4-2 on aggregate win against Chelsea in an all-London semi-final.
Man City’s path was more straightforward, cruising past Brentford at home and dismantling defending champions Newcastle 5-1 in the semis.
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| SF (2) | Chelsea H | W 1-0 |
| SF (1) | Chelsea A | W 3-2 |
| QF | Crystal Pal. H | W 1-1 (P) |
| R4 | Brighton H | W 2-0 |
| R3 | Port Vale A | W 2-0 |
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| SF (2) | Newcastle H | W 3-1 |
| SF (1) | Newcastle A | W 2-0 |
| QF | Brentford H | W 2-0 |
| R4 | Swansea A | W 3-1 |
| R3 | Huddersfield A | W 2-0 |
Arsenal and Manchester City have met over 200 times across all competitions, with the rivalry between the two clubs intensifying since City’s takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008.
Recent seasons have seen the teams competing against each other for the Premier League crown and the 2025/26 is proving no different.
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Comp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21/09/25 | ArsenalARS | 1-1 | Man CityMCI | PL |
| 02/02/25 | ArsenalARS | 5-1 | Man CityMCI | PL |
| 22/09/24 | Man CityMCI | 2-2 | ArsenalARS | PL |
| 31/03/24 | Man CityMCI | 0-0 | ArsenalARS | PL |
| 08/10/23 | ArsenalARS | 1-0 | Man CityMCI | PL |
Arsenal and Manchester City met in the 2018 League Cup Final where a dominant City won 3-0. City’s victory was the start of the Blues’ run of four consecutive Carabao Cup titles which ended in 2021.
Arsenal have won the League Cup half as many times as their north London rivals, Tottenham, picking up the trophy just twice.
The Gunners first beat Liverpool in 1987 before beating Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. In contrast, Manchester City have won the competition eight times.
Guardiola and City’s recent pedigree in League Cup Finals is unmatched. Arsenal’s EFL Cup final record, however, is dreadful with six defeats in eight appearances.
Nobody can accuse City of not taking the tournament seriously following their comprehensive defeat of Newcastle in the semi-final, and Erling Haaland will be itching to add a Carabao Cup to his impressive list of honours.
Given their impressive cup final credentials, we expect Manchester City to edge it and gain the mental advantage going into the final stretch of the Premier League season.
Here are the key markets for the 2026 Carabao Cup Final, with our top expert tips for your bets at WFW Bet.
Match result
💡 WFW tip: City to win inside 90 minutes (plus injury time) – Scroll up to see our correct score prediction.
💡 WFW tip: Both teams have scored in the last three games between the two clubs.
First goalscorer
💡 WFW tip: The Premier League’s top scorer grabbed the first goal in two of his last three games against Arsenal.
💡 WFW tip: The safer result option for a cup final which includes a win after extra time and penalties.
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Combining our best tips into a single bet with our 2026 Carabao Cup Final Bet Builder.
Increase your return with by betting on multiple outcomes to happen in one game. Click the button in the table below to load your League Cup Final Bet Builder into a bet slip automatically at WFW Bet.
We’ve deliberately kept our selections above conservative, choosing to combine high-probability events instead of chasing long odds.
However, if you want to be bolder and accept more risk, we suggest swapping out the Double Chance for a straight City win. Load this bet builder here.
The League Cup may change its sponsor every few years, but some trends remain consistent whether it’s called the Coca Cola Cup, Carling Cup or Carabao Cup.
We’ve analysed every final since 2015 to find the patterns to inform your bets. Here’s what we found.
Carabao Cup Final Tip
League Cup finals have averaged under two goals over the last decade, with six of the last 10 games producing fewer than three goals.
Trend: Under 2.5 goals
Carabao Cup Final Tip
In contrast to games between Arsenal and City, League Cup finals are often tight and defensive. Do you trust competition history over club records?
Trend: BTTS – NO
Carabao Cup Final Tip
The pre-match favourite has won seven of the last 10 League Cup Finals. Upsets are rarer than in the EFL Cup than the FA Cup.
Trend: Back the favourite
Carabao Cup Final Tip
Seven of the last 10 finals finished inside 90 minutes. Betting on a team to “lift the trophy” is simply hedging on a less likely outcome.
Trend: Match Result
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Cup final double
A conservative, data-backed double, supporting a low-scoring City win.
WFW TIP: City to lift the trophy + Under 2.5 goals
Cup final double
Count on goals in the second half with the Half Time/Full Time bet.
WFW TIP: HT/FT: Draw/Man City
Prefer to spot your own patterns? Here’s how the last five Carabao Cup Finals ended, along with notes about what made them unique.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Newcastle Utd | 2-1 | Liverpool | Newcastle’s first ever League Cup |
| 2024 | Liverpool | 1-0 | Chelsea | Liverpool’s record 10th title & Klopp’s final silverware at the club |
| 2023 | Manchester Utd | 2-0 | Newcastle Utd | United’s first trophy in six years |
| 2022 | Liverpool | 0-0 (P) | Chelsea | Record shootout (11-10) – 22 total penalties taken |
| 2021 | Manchester City | 1-0 | Tottenham | City’s fourth consecutive League Cup |
Four of the last five EFL Cup finals produced two goals or fewer, reinforcing the low-scoring trend that defines this competition’s showpiece.
The 2022 final went goalless for over 120 minutes before the longest penalty shootout in League Cup Final history.
The League Cup has been contested since 1960-61, making it the second-oldest active cup competition in English football.
The final has been held at Wembley Stadium since 1967 (with the exception of 2001-2007 during the Wembley rebuild), and in its earliest instances was held over two legs at the home stadiums of each finalist.
Newcastle United are the defending champions following their 2-1 victory over Liverpool in 2025. The trophy was the Magpies’ first ever League Cup and first domestic trophy since the FA Cup in 1955.
| Club | Wins | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 10 | 2023-24 |
| Manchester City | 8 | 2020-21 |
| Manchester United | 6 | 2022-23 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 2014-15 |
| Aston Villa | 5 | 1995-96 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 2007-08 |
| Nottingham Forest | 4 | 1989-90 |
| Leicester City | 3 | 1999-00 |
| Arsenal | 2 | 1992-93 |
The winners of this year’s Carabao Cup final earn a place in the 2026-27 UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round.
However, because both Arsenal and City are destined to qualify for the Champions League anyway, the Conference League benefit will likely be passed to the club finishing eighth in the Premier League.
But fear not, there are still plenty of accolades at stake beyond the trophy. Below are some of the most impressive League Cup final records of all time.
Liverpool & Man City (2)
Liverpool (1981-84) and Manchester City (2018-21) both won four consecutive League Cups, marking the longest winning streaks in the competition’s history.
Ian Rush (49)
Liverpool legend, Ian Rush, is the League Cup’s top scorer with 49 goals in the competition across his 20 years in English football. He lifted the trophy five times.
Ray Clemence (82)
Goalkeeper Ray Clemence holds the record for the most League Cup appearances, playing 82 games in the competition for Tottenham and Liverpool.
Arsenal (6)
Arsenal have lost more League Cup finals than any other club. This will be their ninth final appearance, having previously lost six and won only twice in 1987 and 1993.
Pep Guardiola, Alex Ferguson, José Mourinho, Brian Clough (4)
Four of English football’s most successful managers have won the League Cup on four separate occasions.
Bradford 0-5 Swansea
Swansea City beat Bradford City 5-0 in the 2013 final to pick up their first ever major trophy by the largest ever winning margin in League Cup final history.
The 2026 Carabao Cup Final will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, as well as free-to-air on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX. Coverage is expected to begin around 15:00 with kick-off at 16:30.
Although Wembley Stadium has a capacity of 90,000 people, each finalist has received an allocation of just 32,000 tickets for fans, with the remaining seats distributed to sponsors, neutrals and the EFL.
Got questions about the 2026 League Cup final? Here’s everything you need to know.
This year’s final kicks off at 16:30 on Sunday 22 March 2026, at Wembley Stadium in London.
Arsenal face Manchester City. Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, while City beat Newcastle 5-1 on aggregate.
You can bet on the Carabao Cup Final with any UKGC-licensed bookmaker. Our exclusive partner WFW Bet offers competitive odds and a generous welcome offer for new customers.
Newcastle United won the 2025 Carabao Cup Final, beating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley for their first ever League Cup triumph.
Yes, the two clubs met in the 2018 League Cup final. Manchester City won 3-0 at Wembley in the first of City’s four consecutive titles under Pep Guardiola.
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