Overview

• The draw begins at approximately 6:30pm BST on Monday 13 October ahead of Worthing vs Forest Green Rovers coverage.
• Viewers can watch on TNT Sports 1, stream on discovery+, or follow free on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
• Forty first-round fixtures will be created from an open, unseeded draw that assigns numbered balls to clubs.
• League One and League Two sides join at this stage, with Premier League and Championship teams entering in the third round on 10 January 2026.
• Replays have been removed from the first round proper onward, though qualifying rounds still use them.