If West Ham beats Fiorentina in Prague, they will become the ninth English club to qualify for Europe next season, and the Carabao Cup format may need to be revised.
If West Ham win the Europa Conference League on Wednesday night, Leicester City’s early-season schedule could become even more hectic.
City’s new season kicks off with their first Championship match on the weekend of August 5-6, and they might be back in action a few days later if West Ham win in Prague.
Most seasons, the teams finishing 18th and 19th in the Premier League receive a bye into the Carabao Cup’s second round, joining the 13 top-flight sides not competing in Europe. Then, in the third round, the seven teams with European obligations compete.
However, if West Ham defeats Fiorentina, they will be guaranteed a spot in next season’s Europa League, giving England eight teams in European competitions. This could have an impact on the Carabao Cup format.
The last time eight teams played in Europe was in the 2015-16 season, when West Ham joined the normal seven after
To ensure West Ham could enter the League Cup in the third round yet keep the tournament balanced, the previous season’s 18th and 19th-placed Premier League sides, Burnley and Hull, both entered in the first round rather than the second.
While the EFL, the league’s organisers, have yet to confirm that proposal, they would need to adjust the competition in the coming season if West Ham were to enter in the third round.
City, who finished 18th in the Premier League, and Leeds, who finished 19th, would be the two teams who would lose their bye to the second round and would enter the competition in the first round, with games to be played the week beginning Monday, August 7.
Another option would be to play a preliminary round between Wrexham and Notts County, who were both promoted from the National League to League Two. City and Leeds may then enter the League Cup in round two, with West Ham still entering in round three.
The last time City competed in the first round of the League Cup was in 2013, when they defeated Wycombe 2-1 thanks to a 96th-minute Sean St Ledger goal. That was the first of four victories in the competition as they advanced to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by eventual winners Manchester City.
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