Arsenal vs Man City - Carabao Cup final: Kick-off time, How to watch, H2H results and Predictions

The Carabao Cup is nearing its climax. Popularly known as the League Cup, or the English Football Cup, the exciting annual knockout competition is down to its last two teams. Arsenal and Manchester City will fight it out for this year’s championship.

The final battle is going to be even more intense, as Arsenal wouldn’t want a repeat of their 2018 hammering against the same rivals for the championship. This year’s showdown at Wembley is not to be missed, and we’re here to help you with that. We’ve compiled everything you need to know about the Carabao Cup final, right from the venue to predictions. Head right in!

Arsenal vs Man City - Kick-Off Time & Venue

The final of the Carabao Cup 2026 will be held at Wembley Stadium, home of the England national football team. The kick-off is scheduled for 12:30 PM local time on Sunday, 22 March 2026. Popular channels will start their pre-match discussions roughly 1 hour before kick-off.

How to Watch Arsenal vs Man City

Most popular TV channels and streaming services in the UK will broadcast the Carabao Cup showdown between Arsenal and Man City. It is, after all, the qualifier for the subsequent year’s Europa League. Here are all the ways you can experience the action if you can’t make it to Wembley on Sunday:

Streaming the final is going to use up a lot of data, especially if you plan to tune in to pre-match coverage. And you might end up running low on data towards the end of the month. Fortunately, Lyca Mobile UK has some budget-friendly PAYG SIM only deals options to help you experience the action without draining all your data.

Road to the Final

Arsenal

The Gunners’ path to the Carabao Cup final 2026 has been pretty rough. But thanks to some clinical performances from the likes of Kai Havertz, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Arteta’s side has found itself facing the team that humbled them in the 2018 final. Here are Arsenal’s victories that made them the finalists of the 2026 Carabao Cup.

Round Three: Port Vale 0 – 2 Arsenal (Eze 8', Trossard 86')

Round Four: Arsenal 2 (Nwaneri 57', Saka 76') – 0 Brighton & Hove Albion

Quarter Final: Arsenal 1 (Maxence Lacroix 80' OG) – 1 Crystal Palace (Marc Guéhi 90+5') (Arsenal won 8 -7 on penalties)

Semi-Final Leg 1: Chelsea 2 (Garnacho 57', Garnacho 83') – 3 Arsenal (White 7', Gyökeres 49', Zubimendi 71')

Semi-Final Leg 2: Arsenal 1 (Kai Havertz 90+7') – 0 Chelsea

Road to the Final

Manchester City

Compared to Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s side had a smoother journey. Stellar performances from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki ensured that Man City has a shot at their ninth Carabao Cup championship. Here are Man City’s performances in the Carabao Cup 2025 – 2026.

Round Three: Huddersfield Town 0 – 2 Manchester City (Foden 18', Moreira de Oliveira 74')

Round Four: Swansea City 1 (Baptista Franco 12') – 3 Manchester City (Doku 39', Marmoush 77', Cherki 90'+3')

Quarter-Final: Manchester City 2 (Cherki 32', Moreira de Oliveira 67') – 0 Brentford

Semi-Final Leg 1: Newcastle United 0 – 2 Manchester City (Antoine Semenyo 53', Rayan Cherki 90+9')

Semi-Final Leg 2: Manchester City 3 (Marmoush 7', Marmoush 29', Reijnders 32') – 1 Newcastle United (Elanga 62')

Arsenal vs. Man City: Head-to-Head (H2H) History & Results

The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester City isn’t a traditional one. It started after Manchester City’s takeover by a UAE-based private equity company, leading to increased spending on players, something that the then Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, was publicly against.

Things particularly flared up after Man City signed Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal’s second-highest goal scorer in the 2008/09 season) and Kolo Touré (Arsenal’s vice captain). Things have been pretty intense ever since, with Wenger’s continued criticism of City’s sponsorship and City signing important Arsenal players like Gaël Clichy and Samir Nasri.

Here is how the two teams have fared against each other -

Total Meetings: 214

Arsenal Wins: 101

Man City Wins: 65

Drawn: 48

Largest Man City Win: 5 – 0 (August 2021)

Largest Arsenal Win: 7 – 3 (October 1956)

Arsenal vs. Man City Score Prediction

Arsenal has had an extraordinary 2025-2026 Premier League season, leading the championship with 70 points. Man City is right behind them, with 61 points. This battle is expected to continue at Wembley as well. Experts favour a 2 – 1 Arsenal win.

But it isn’t going to be easy. Pep Guardiola’s men are going to go in extra hard, considering the fact that they’re trailing in the Premier League and were recently eliminated from a major European competition. Arsenal, on the other hand, are riding high on their promotion to the last 8 of the same competition.