How to watch the Carabao Cup online, on TV and abroad

The EFL Cup, or Carabao Cup as it is currently known, has reached the semi-final stage. This means there are just four clubs left in the competition, including two who have never won the competition before – Newcastle and Southampton.

They meet in the semi-finals, while five-time winners Manchester United take on Nottingham Forest, who have won it four times.

With its final taking place in February, the Carabao Cup represents the first opportunity for English clubs to win a major trophy in the 2022-23 season. With all four semi-final matches being shown in the US and UK, here’s how to watch live.

Which Carabao Cup semi-finals are on TV?

There are big matches to look forward to in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Here are the next ties:

Tue 24 Jan

• Southampton v Newcastle – KO 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm GMT – ESPN+/Sky Sports

Wed 25 Jan

• Nottingham Forest v Man Utd – KO 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm GMT – ESPN+/Sky Sports

Tue 31 Jan

• Newcastle v Southampton – KO 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm GMT – ESPN+/Sky Sports

wed 1 feb

• Man Utd v Nottingham Forest – KO 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm GMT – ESPN+/Sky Sports

The winners of each encounter will meet in the final at Wembley Stadium on February 26, 2023.

How to watch the Carabao Cup in the United States

In the United States, the FA Cup is exclusive to ESPN. This means you’ll have to pay for full access, although some matches are also shown on the free ESPN channel.

But unlike the UK, a subscription means you can watch every game live. It costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, but many other live sports are included in the price. ESPN+ is also the place to watch many American football, hockey, golf and basketball games, as well as many top European football leagues.

You can sign up now through ESPN’s website.

How to watch the Carabao Cup in the UK

Sky Sports has exclusive rights to the Carabao Cup in the UK, so you’ll need to pay a fee to watch the match. Sky Sports is showing two games live from the first round to the quarter-finals, but the semi-finals and the final are shown.

Existing Sky Q customers with a Sky Sports package can also watch games on TV or online via Sky Go.

If you’re already a Sky TV subscriber, the cheapest package currently costs an extra £18 per month, or you can get all Sky Sports channels for an extra £24 per month. However, you will need to pay at least £44 per month for 18 months if you are a new customer. See the full range of subscriptions on Sky’s website.

But if you don’t want to commit to a Sky Sports subscription, the Sky-owned Now (formerly Now TV) streaming service is a great alternative. It’s available on a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, and game consoles.

A day pass offers round-the-clock access for £11.98, but the £33.99 monthly pass is the better option for most people. That includes a seven-day free trial of Now Boost, which adds Full HD 1080p quality, removes ads, and lets you stream on 3 devices at once (rather than the usual). After that it’s an extra £5 per month.

You can register through the Now website.

How to watch the Carabao Cup outside the US or UK

If you’re not based in the US or UK, it’s worth checking which broadcaster is showing the FA Cup in your country. Signing up there will be the easiest way to watch live.

But if you’re just on vacation or traveling abroad, a VPN is your best bet. This allows you to connect to encrypted servers and appear in another country, with a new IP address that cannot be traced back to you. This also makes it a good option to protect your privacy.

We use NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial. It tops our best VPN roundup, but there are plenty of great alternatives out there. Just make sure the one you choose can unblock Sky Sports, Now, BT Sport or Amazon Prime Video.

To get started, simply open the NordVPN app and connect to any server in the UK. You can do this by selecting it on a map or by simply clicking on the British flag under the “Quick connect” button. Once connected, simply start watching as you normally would.

Want more football? Here’s how to watch the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League live.