The Complete History of Carabao Cup Winners: A Season-by-Season Journey

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The English League Cup, known today as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, has provided decades of high-octane knockout football. From its early two-legged finals to the modern-day Wembley spectacles, here is the complete season-by-season breakdown of the champions:

Carabao Cup Winners: The Formative Years (1960s)

1960-61: Aston Villa (The inaugural winners, defeating Rotherham United over two legs)
1961-62: Norwich City
1962-63: Birmingham City
1963-64: Leicester City
1964-65: Chelsea (Their first League Cup title)
1965-66: West Bromwich Albion
1966-67: Queens Park Rangers (The first single-match final at Wembley)
1967-68: Leeds United
1968-69: Swindon Town (A famous giant-killing victory over Arsenal)
1969-70: Manchester City

The Era of Regional Giants (1970s)

1970-71: Tottenham Hotspur
1971-72: Stoke City
1972-73: Tottenham Hotspur
1973-74: Wolverhampton Wanderers
1974-75: Aston Villa
1975-76: Manchester City
1976-77: Aston Villa
1977-78: Nottingham Forest (The start of Brian Clough's cup dominance)
1978-79: Nottingham Forest
1979-80: Wolverhampton Wanderers

The Liverpool Dynasty and the Rise of London (1980s)

1980-81: Liverpool (The beginning of an unprecedented four-year streak)
1981-82: Liverpool
1982-83: Liverpool
1983-84: Liverpool
1984-85: Norwich City
1985-86: Oxford United
1986-87: Arsenal (Mikel Arteta's side will look to replicate this success in 2026)
1987-88: Luton Town
1988-89: Nottingham Forest
1989-90: Nottingham Forest

The Premier League Inception & Modernization (1990s)

• 1990-91: Sheffield Wednesday
• 1991-92: Manchester United (Their first League Cup title)
• 1992-93: Arsenal
• 1993-94: Aston Villa
• 1994-95: Liverpool
• 1995-96: Aston Villa
• 1996-97: Leicester City
• 1997-98: Chelsea
• 1998-99: Tottenham Hotspur
• 1999-2000: Leicester City

The New Millennium (2000s)

• 2000-01: Liverpool
• 2001-02: Blackburn Rovers
• 2002-03: Liverpool
• 2003-04: Middlesbrough (Their first major trophy)
• 2004-05: Chelsea
• 2005-06: Manchester United
• 2006-07: Chelsea
• 2007-08: Tottenham Hotspur
• 2008-09: Manchester United
• 2009-10: Manchester United

EFL Cup: The Manchester City Era (2010s)

• 2010-11: Birmingham City (A shock win against Arsenal)
• 2011-12: Liverpool
• 2012-13: Swansea City
• 2013-14: Manchester City
• 2014-15: Chelsea
• 2015-16: Manchester City
• 2016-17: Manchester United
• 2017-18: Manchester City (The first of four consecutive titles under Pep Guardiola)
• 2018-19: Manchester City
• 2019-20: Manchester City

Carabao Cup: The Current Decade (2020s)

• 2020-21: Manchester City
• 2021-22: Liverpool
• 2022-23: Manchester United
• 2023-24: Liverpool
• 2024-25: Newcastle United
• 2025-26: Manchester City

While City have the historical pedigree in domestic finals, Arsenal's current form and hunger to break their League Cup curse (having not won since 1993) give them a slight edge.