Overview
- All 70 first-round ties have been drawn and scheduled to take place across Thursday 6 August to Monday 10 August, with Bristol City v Walsall moved to Thursday 6 August as the season opener.
- Broadcasters have confirmed coverage for key fixtures, including Middlesbrough v Wrexham on Friday and West Ham v Portsmouth on Saturday, with talkSPORT, ITV/ITVX and Sky Sports carrying games.
- Crawley Town secured the final preliminary win with a 2-0 victory over York City and will travel to Championship side Watford in round one.
- The competition format is unchanged: the 11 Premier League clubs not in Europe enter in Round Two in the midweek beginning 24 August, while the nine clubs competing in European tournaments join in Round Three in September.
- The weekend move was agreed after club consultation to ease early fixture congestion, give lower-league sides an early competitive chance, and accommodate a preliminary round that was required because nine Premier League teams qualified for European competition.