Carabao Cup Betting Guide: How To Bet & Prize Money (2026/27)

The Carabao Cup is a quick-fire route to silverware, but the money attached to it is modest: the winners receive £100,000, with runners-up on £50,000, and losing semi-finalists on £25,000. Manchester City are the current champions.

If you want to follow the competition’s odds, William Hill’s football betting markets let you bet on all of the outcomes across the tournament, from outright markets to match-by-match angles.

How do you bet on the EFL Cup?

EFL Cup betting works best when you treat the competition as a blend of rotation, motivation, and draw dynamics. Early rounds can be full of squad changes, especially when Premier League clubs are balancing league fixtures and European commitments, so team news matters more than reputation.

That is why outright prices can move quickly once line-ups land. The most common EFL Cup odds markets include the outright winner, match winner, both teams to score, correct score, and cup specials such as who reaches the next round.

In a competition that often throws up one-off ties and penalty shoot-outs, there is more room for variance than in a league race. Checking whether a club is likely to rotate heavily is often more useful than staring at last season’s badge count.

If you are betting across the competition, keep an eye on the draw path as well as the team itself. A side can look strong on paper and still get a brutal route to Wembley, while another can get a kinder run if the bigger names fall on the other side of the bracket. That is where the fun is – and where the market can change fast.

Who are the favourites to win the 2026/27 EFL Cup?

Liverpool are the most successful club in the competition’s history with 10 titles, and that record helps to keep them at the top of the current conversation at 2/1..

Manchester City are the current champions and one of the defining forces of the modern era, with four consecutive wins between 2018 and 2021. So, that’s why City are leading the EFL Cup odds as it stands at 6/4.

Other traditional contenders such as Chelsea also matter because the EFL Cup often rewards clubs with depth and the ability to handle rotation. The Cup is not always won by the side with the best starting XI; it is often won by the squad that can survive the midweek grind and still field a side good enough to avoid an upset.

Which teams have won the EFL Cup the most?

Liverpool lead the all-time list with 10 victories. Manchester City have won nine, followed by Manchester United on six, while Chelsea and Aston Villa are next on the historical list with five apiece. That gives the competition a familiar heavyweight feel, even though its format is built to produce shocks.

Most successful EFL Cup winners

• Liverpool – 10 Trophies (1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1994/95, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2011/12, 2021/22, 2023/24)
• Manchester City – 9 Trophies (1969/70, 1975/76, 2013/14, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2025/26)
• Manchester United – 6 Trophies (1991/92, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2016/17, 2022/23)
• Chelsea – 5 Trophies (1964/65, 1997/98, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2014/15)
• Aston Villa – 5 Trophies (1960/61, 1974/75, 1976/77, 1993/94, 1995/96)

The EFL Cup has also produced proper giant-killings, which is part of why it still lands with fans who like a bit of chaos. That unpredictability is useful for bettors too, because it means the competition can reward smart reads on motivation, not just raw quality.

How much EFL Cup prize money do teams get?

The EFL Cup prize money is small compared with other major English competitions, and that is part of its identity. The basic payments are straightforward: winners get £100,000, runners-up get £50,000, and the losing semi-finalists receive £25,000.

That means the trophy matters far more for prestige, European qualification, and momentum than for the money on the cheque. The money for winning the EFL Cup is still meaningful in football terms, but it is tiny next to the income top clubs can generate from league position, TV revenue, and European qualification.

Clubs can also pick up gate receipts and facility fees as the tournament moves on, which is why lower-league sides often value a strong run through the draw.

FAQs

When is the 2026/27 EFL Cup final?

The 2026/27 EFL Cup final will be held on Sunday 21 March at Wembley Stadium.

Who are the current EFL Cup champions?

Manchester City are the current champions of the EFL Cup.

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