Premier League Clubs Dominate League Cup With No Lower-Division Upsets

By the Editorial Team · Monday, September 21, 2026

Premier League clubs have won every match against lower-division opponents so far in this season’s League Cup, continuing a trend not seen since the late 19th century. This sustained dominance underscores the growing competitive gap between top-tier and lower-league teams, with only a few remaining lower-division sides left to challenge Premier League clubs.

Premier League clubs have maintained a commanding hold over this season’s League Cup, continuing a trend of top-flight dominance that has seen no lower-division side eliminate a Premier League team so far. Following 16 fixtures between Premier League and English Football League (EFL) opponents, all victories have gone to the top-tier sides, leaving only a few remaining opportunities for lower-division clubs to cause an upset.

The current campaign is on course to become the first edition of either the FA Cup or the League Cup since the 1896-97 season without a single instance of a Premier League team being defeated by an opponent from a lower division. Historically, such an outcome is exceptionally rare; the only comparable occurrences date back over a century, specifically the FA Cup seasons of 1895-96 and 1896-97, when top-flight clubs won every one of their ties against lower-tier opponents—11 and 12 respectively.

Presently, lower-division clubs still in contention include League Two’s Fleetwood Town, who are set to face Arsenal, and Bradford City or League One’s Peterborough United, who are also scheduled to meet a Premier League side. These matches represent the last chances for non-Premier League teams to break the trend.

The broader context of Premier League dominance is underscored by the absence of any lower-division teams reaching the final stages of major domestic cup competitions in England. There have been no lower-division finalists in either the FA Cup or League Cup in the last 27 finals, nearly twice the length of any previous such run on record.

This ongoing pattern highlights the increasing gulf in competitive balance between Premier League clubs and teams from the lower leagues, which has become a defining characteristic of English football’s domestic cup competitions in recent years.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.