Carabao Cup Winners List: All You Need to Know About History of English Cup Champions

The English Football League Cup popularly called the EFL Cup, and the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons. It is the second most prestigious domestic silverware in English football after the FA Cup trophy. The annual English competition’s introductory season was held in 1960/61, and Aston Villa lifted the first-ever title, beating Rotherham United in a two-legged final. Subsequently, the Villains became the inaugural champions.

The competition has witnessed over 20 different winners throughout its history since its inception in 1960. From underdogs to English heavyweights — the EFL Cup has seen it all. The 2024/25 final fixture is on the horizon as Liverpool gears up to defend their title against Newcastle United at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

In the previous edition of the Carabao Cup, Jurgen Klopp led the Reds to claim the trophy, getting better of Chelsea in the Final before passing his legacy to Arne Slot. The Dutchman has lived up to the expectation, taking the Premier League side to the final again this year to defend their crown and extend their record, maintaining their position as the most successful team in the League Cup’s history.

That being said, let’s take a look at all the previous Carabao Cup (EFL Cup) champions and clubs with the most triumphs.

Carabao Cup Format

Leagues Cup is organized by the English Football League, the competition is open for all the 92 English and Welsh clubs that are part of the English football pyramid across four levels of leagues. All the teams from the Premier League, the EFL Championship, League One and League Two compete for the silverware. The competition provides clubs from lower division leagues an opportunity to lock horns against superior teams from the top tier league.

The domestic championship is played across seven rounds in a straight knock-out format, apart from the Semi-final fixtures which are played in a home and away leg format. Whereas, the final is organised in the English capital at Wembley, similar to the FA Cup final. Also to be noted that Premier League clubs enter in the competition from the second and third round onwards, depending on their European contention.

Clubs with the Most Carabao Cup Titles

Since the 1960/61 season, many clubs have enjoyed the privilege of raising the prestigious trophy in the English capital. Unsurprisingly, the first division (EPL) sides are leading the charts of Carabao Cup winners as the most successful teams. The domestic Cup’s format and competitiveness bring out the best of every team that wants to make their mark and earn a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League, like Chelsea last year. Here are the clubs with the most Carabao Cup titles.

Liverpool (10 wins)

The Merseyside giants, Liverpool, sit at the pinnacle of the Carabao Cup winners list, boasting a record 10 trophies to their name, throughout history. They are the current champions and have the chance in their hands to extend their advantage over Man City.

The Reds tasted their maiden EFL Cup glory in 1981 and went on to claim the trophy successively for four years (1981.1982.1983.1984). They were the first side to achieve this feat before Pep Guardiola’s City matched the record.

Man City (8 wins)

The Premier League Champions, Manchester City, are the second most successful side only behind Liverpool with two fewer championships in their rich trophy cabinet — 8 trophies. The Citizens’ success streak arrived in 2014, after 38 years since their last League Cup triumph back in 1976.

The Sky Blues leveled Liverpool’s record from 2018 to 2021, adding four consecutive Carabao Cups to their locker room under the guidance of former Barcelona boss Guardiola. They even surpassed their city rivals Man United on the list.

Man United (6 wins)

The Red Devils have been crowned the domestic competition winners on five occasions, including the most recent success in the EFL Cup 2023. Erik Ten Hag managed Man United to defeat Newcastle United with a 2-0 margin to secure their fifth League Cup silverware.

During Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy-laden era, the club displayed their dominance winning four Carabao Cup successes starting in 1992 following a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. Despite the current performance of the club, they remain in third position when it comes to EFL Cup glory.

Aston Villa (5 wins)

Aston Villa have a great historic record in this tournament with 5 titles in their collection, the West Midlands side enjoyed superb conquest before the 20th-century era. However, they have been unlucky to mark any significant impact since then.

Notably, the Birmingham-based club has come quite close to grabbing the iconic trophy on two occasions, reaching the finals in the 2009/10 and 2019/20 campaigns but their hopes were shattered at the hands of Man United and Man City respectively.

Chelsea (5 wins)

The Blues from West London have secured their place in this list of clubs with the most Carabao Cup success, they have outshone their London rivals Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal with as many trophies as Aston Villa.

In 1965, Chelsea secured their first triumph after prevailing a 3-2 win against Leicester City, followed by the second title in 1998 following a thrilling extra-time victory. The London club added three more Carabao Cup silverware to their collection during the reign of former club owner Roman Abramovich.

Carabao Cup Winners by Year