The English Football League recorded a record attendance of 313,852 supporters across the opening round of Carabao Cup fixtures over the weekend. The decision to kick off the new campaign with League Cup matches rather than league games delivered the highest crowd numbers since the current competition format was introduced in the 2001-02 season.
Daily Mail Sport revealed last September that league bosses were considering the schedule change due to an increasingly pressurised calendar. League officials acted because an extended three-week international break in September reduced the available dates to play Carabao Cup matches before clubs enter European competition.
The total first round attendance of 313,852 people surpassed the previous record of just short of 250,000 set in the 2023-24 season. A crowd of 53,369 attended the London Stadium for West Ham United's fixture against Portsmouth, which included 9,000 away fans. However, the record would still have been broken without that fixture.
Crowd Averages and Club Growth
The average crowd for the opening round reached 8,967, up from around the 6,000 mark seen in the two previous seasons. Of the 15 sides that hosted first round fixtures last season and did so again this season, all but three recorded higher gates.
"It has been fantastic to see club football return with such strong support across the opening Carabao Cup fixtures, with supporters once again demonstrating in record numbers the passion, loyalty and commitment that sits at the heart of the EFL," said EFL chief executive Trevor Birch.
"As we look ahead to the start of the league season this weekend, there is a real sense of anticipation across our clubs and their supporters," Birch said. "The opening fixtures have provided an exciting early marker, and we now look forward to a season that will once again show why supporters can 'expect everything' from the EFL."
