The league cup will continue to be called the Carabao Cup for another three seasons while the company will begin the rollout of its latest product launch.
The English Football League (EFL) announced today (16 March) that Carabao will continue to be the title sponsor of the League Cup for another three years.
Announced ahead of the 2026 Carabao Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester City on 22 March, the two-year sponsorship extension will run through to 2028/29 and will see the company hold rights to the Carabao Cup for 12 years since first partnering with the EFL in 2016.
Carabao will subsequently be the longest-serving making partner of the League Cup, ahead of the likes of previous naming rights holders such as Carling and Capital One.
Since 2016, there have been four different winners of the Carabao Cup. Manchester United won in 2017, which was then followed by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City winning it four consecutive times from 2018 to 2021. Liverpool have also won it twice in 2022 and 2024, and Newcastle won it last year, breaking the club’s 70-year wait for silverware.
The EFL revealed during the Carabao Cup era, there has been a 20% increase in attendances across the competition and has accumulated more than one billion global viewers since 2016.
Trevor Birch, CEO at the EFL, said: “We’re delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with Carabao, taking their title sponsorship of the League Cup to 12 seasons – the longest in the competition’s history. The Carabao Cup occupies a special place in our game, bringing people together and creating moments that live long in the memory.
“Carabao have been an outstanding partner throughout, and this renewal underlines a shared commitment to help the competition continue to flourish. Together, we want to keep celebrating what makes the Carabao Cup special – exciting, competitive football alongside the opportunity it creates for all 92 clubs, and their supporters, across the English football pyramid.”
Carabao Lager set for UK launch
Carabao confirmed it will begin rolling out Carabao Lager in the UK with branding signage across stadiums for selected fixtures. Samples of Carabao Lager will also be available to fans outside selected stadiums.
Carabao will also continue to stage trophy tours of the Carabao Cup at fan events in its home market of Thailand, as well as Vietnam and China.
Sathien Sathientham, Group CEO of Carabao, added: “As proud sponsor of the Carabao Cup since 2017, Carabao is honoured to continue its long-standing partnership with the EFL. We are extremely delighted to have extended our sponsorship agreement through to the 2028/29 season.
“This continued partnership reflects our deep commitment to the competition, to the EFL, and to football fans around the world. Being part of the competition’s journey for so many years is something we are incredibly proud of, and we look forward to supporting its growth and success for many seasons to come.”
With Carabao Cup games being televised in up to 177 countries, according to the EFL, the company’s brand has surged in recent years by leveraging the popularity of the competition and the competing football clubs.
The company posted just under £235m in revenue in 2016 but after a period of expansion, as well as obtaining the title rights for the League Cup, this revenue has increased to £442m in 2024.
