West Ham United could discover their Carabao Cup fourth-round opponents less than 24 hours after facing Fulham at London Stadium.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side host Fulham in the third round on Tuesday 15 September at 7.45pm, with the fixture confirmed by both the EFL’s competition schedule and West Ham’s official ticket information.
Victory would put the Hammers into the last 16 and leave supporters waiting for the fourth-round draw on Wednesday night.
When is the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw?
The fourth-round draw is scheduled for Wednesday 16 September.
It will take place live on Sky Sports after the conclusion of Manchester United’s third-round meeting with Brighton at Old Trafford.
Bradford City have confirmed the draw will be hosted by Pien Meulensteen, with Jamie Redknapp and Ashley Young conducting it.
The Manchester United fixture kicks off at 8pm, meaning the draw is expected later in the evening once that match has finished.
West Ham will only be involved if they overcome Fulham 24 hours earlier.
When will Carabao Cup fourth-round matches be played?
Fourth-round ties are scheduled for the week commencing Monday 26 October.
The EFL’s official 2026/27 competition dates also confirm that the fifth round will follow in the week commencing 14 December, before the semi-finals begin in January.
That potentially creates an interesting scheduling issue for West Ham.
Nuno’s side are currently due to host Southampton in the Championship on Saturday 24 October before welcoming West Bromwich Albion on Saturday 31 October, meaning any fourth-round tie would fall between those two league fixtures. West Ham’s official home-match schedule confirms both Championship dates.
Who has already reached the fourth round?
Several teams have already booked their places after the first batch of third-round ties.
Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Bradford City, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Chelsea are among the clubs already through.
The remaining third-round schedule continues next week, including:
- West Ham vs Fulham
- Liverpool vs Tottenham
- Ipswich vs Arsenal
- Reading vs Brentford
- Manchester United vs Brighton
- Coventry vs Aston Villa
- Manchester City vs Norwich
The full fixture list is available through the EFL’s Carabao Cup competition hub.
Because Manchester City against Norwich is not played until Thursday 17 September, the fourth-round draw can include a Manchester City/Norwich placeholder rather than waiting for every third-round tie to finish.
What West Ham need to reach round four
There is only one requirement for West Ham: beat Fulham.
Supporters unable to attend can find all the broadcast details in our West Ham vs Fulham TV channel and live-stream guide.
The tie comes during a demanding period for Nuno, with West Ham travelling to Millwall in the Championship four days later.
Our permanent West Ham fixtures and results page tracks the full schedule, while supporters can also check the West Ham vs Fulham ticket information before Tuesday night.
West Ham cannot start thinking about the last 16 just yet.
But if Nuno’s side progress on Tuesday, they will not have to wait long to discover what comes next.
