Preston North End in Carabao Cup first round draw: key dates, teams involved and tournament changes

Preston North End are set to learn their Carabao Cup first-round opponents on Tuesday.
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The first round stage is one of seven ties on route to the final at Wembley – so here’s everything you need to know about the opening round of matches:

When is the first round draw?

The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Tuesday, August 18, at 10am on Sky Sports News.

The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup is live on TVThe draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup is live on TV
The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup is live on TV

What teams are in the first round draw?

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Championship, League One and Two clubs enter the draw the first round stage.

Championship teams: Barnsley, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bournemouth, Brentford, Bristol City, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday, Stoke City, Swansea City, Watford, Wycombe Wanderers.

League One teams: Accrington Stanley, AFC Wimbledon, Blackpool, Bristol Rovers, Burton Albion, Charlton Athletic, Crewe Alexandra, Doncaster Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Gillingham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Lincoln City, MK Dons, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Peterborough United, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Rochdale, Shrewsbury Town, Sunderland, Swindon Town, Wigan Athletic.

League Two teams: Barrow, Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City, Cambridge United, Carlisle United, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Crawley Town, Exeter City, Forest Green Rovers, Grimsby Town, Harrogate Town, Leyton Orient, Mansfield Town, Morecambe, Newport County, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, Salford City, Scunthorpe United, Southend United, Stevenage, Tranmere Rovers, Walsall.

When will the first round ties take place?

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The first round ties are scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 5, a week before the Championship, League One and Two campaign kick-offs.

However, ties involving Championship clubs – and in some cases, League One and Two teams – will likely be re-arranged to avoid clashing with the international break.

What’s changed from last season’s competition?

Not a lot. As per last season, the 72 teams in the first round will be split into north and south sections to avoid excess travel.

The only difference is that a traditional two-legged semi-final will now become a one-off game.

There is no extra-time if tied after 90 minutes, meaning clubs will go straight to penalties again.