FA Cup vs Carabao Cup: What Is the Difference?

FA Cup vs Carabao Cup: The Football Association Challenge Cup and Carabao Cup (or EFL) are the two biggest competitions that take place in England each season, bringing teams from all around the nation against one another for the chance to play beneath the famous Wembley Stadium arch.

These two competitions may be recognizable to you already, but what exactly sets them apart from one another? Our goal for today is to provide an answer to that query.

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Comparison chart: Carabao Cup vs FA Cup difference

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EFL vs FA Cup: Compare Players and Participation

The FA Cup is the most established competition in England and features more English football teams (736). The EFL (formerly known as the League Cup) debuted 89 years later and features just 92 teams from the Premier League and the EFL.

FA Cup

The FA Cup has 124 teams each season, excluding those eliminated in the earlier qualifying rounds. This means that any club from the tenth division up to the Premier League can participate, making upsets frequent in the game.

645 non-league teams compete in the preliminary qualifying stages in an effort to get to the so-called “First Round Proper.” Only 32 of these teams advance to this level of competition each year, therefore for any of these clubs, it is a significant accomplishment.

The competition consists of twelve rounds in which one club is pitted against another at random. The procedure is then repeated until the Final, which is contested at Wembley Stadium following the conclusion of the league season when one side plays the other for a spot in the subsequent round.

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EFL Cup

The Carabao Cup is not open to clubs in the lowest league, unlike the FA Cup. Only clubs that compete in the English Football League pyramid are eligible to enter the EFL, hence a total of 92 clubs participate in the competition each year. You can no longer participate in the Carabao if you are demoted from the EFL.

Before the EFL Final, which is played at Wembley Stadium and often takes place in the middle of the domestic season, there are a total of seven rounds.

Instead of a replay like in The Football Association Challenge Cup, matches are settled after 90 minutes through overtime or penalties. Due to the fact that EFL games take place throughout the week, clubs that participate in the UEFA Champions League may experience fixture overload in the early going of the season.

EFL Cup vs FA Cup Viewership

The last season’s FA Cup final between Leicester City and Chelsea was broadcast live on the BBC to 9.1 million viewers, up from 8.2 million last season. That made the game the most-watched soccer game of the season in the UK. It was also the most-viewed match of the season for the public service broadcaster, the BBC.

The Carabao Cup drew a bit fewer viewers. The final game attracted more than 1.2 million viewers on Facebook, compared with 984,000 last year. The game was also seen by 4.9 million people on YouTube. The broadcaster’s coverage of the game was accompanied by a clip of a young fan lifting the EFL, which was viewed by over one million people.

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FA Cup vs Carabao Cup Revenue

After defeating Shrewsbury Town, Cardiff City, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, and a challenging test against Manchester City in the semi-final at Wembley, Liverpool had already earned 1.6 million pounds before the final. Liverpool increased that amount by 1.8 million pounds after defeating Chelsea to win the Football Association Challenge Cup. Overall, Liverpool will receive 3.4 million pounds in FA Cup prize money for the season of 2021–2022.

The Reds would have earned 6 million pounds in matchday income during their cup run in addition to the prizes. Additionally, they will receive about 650,000 pounds in television fees. Liverpool will therefore have received about 10 million pounds for winning the FA in 2021–2022.

Besides, Liverpool’s Carabao Cup prize money isn’t even enough to pay their top earner’s salaries for a week. The Mirror stated that Liverpool will only receive 100,000 pounds in total prize money. Only 200,000 pounds total will be awarded in the tournament, and that amount will be divided among the four semifinalists.

Many people will be shocked by the relatively embarrassing prize money offered for the Carabao Cup, but it also explains why you aren’t going to see major names until the very last games of the competition.

Final Thought

The EFL Cup and the FA Cup are two tournaments that take place during the English football season. Between the two competitions, there are a few minor variations, particularly in terms of the clubs that they each feature.

Even though these 2 competitions exist, The Football Association Challenge Cup can be regarded as the more prestigious award. This may be because the FA has a long history and offers bigger awards for winners.

Hope that with this article, you will have more information about the comparison between 2 tournaments. Don’t forget to follow us on Sporting difference and get more information with us!