Open to all 92 clubs across the Football League, the EFL Cup (or Carabao Cup as it's known for sponsorship purposes) is one of the two major annual club knockout competitions in England.
First staged in 1960, the EFL Cup brings thrills, excitement and memorable moments to football fans in the UK and around the world.
However, because it includes clubs from all professional tiers in England, the use of VAR has been a contentious debate.
The Sporting News brings you all the details on whether the much-discussed refereeing technology is available for use in EFL Cup matches and in what situations it would be activated.
MORE: A full rundown of fixtures, results, and matchups for the 2024/25 Carabao Cup
Is VAR used in Carabao Cup?
VAR is only guaranteed for use in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium, while all other rounds are at the jurisdiction of the EFL.
While the decision to use VAR is up to EFL discretion on a situational basis, according to precedent, VAR will only be confirmed as active if all host venues in the particular round have VAR capabilities.
For example, in the 2023/24 EFL Cup semifinals, VAR was not in use because Championship club Middlesbrough, one of the four semifinal participants, did not have VAR capabilities in place at Riverside Stadium. Thus, for sporting purposes, VAR was scrapped for not only that match, but also the other semifinal that took place at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium, even though the latter venue was equipped.
Why is VAR only used in certain Carabao Cup matches?
Because the EFL Cup is a competition open to all 92 member clubs throughout the top four levels of English football, many of the participating clubs do not feature home grounds with VAR capabilities.
There is a significant cost involved with installing the cameras, communication devices, pitchside monitors, remote control capabilities, and central operation hub that come with the use of VAR.
According to The Yorkshire Post in 2021, it would have cost the Championship £12.26 million ($16.3m) to install VAR for use in the 2019/20 league season, on top of whatever it would cost to operate the system on a per-match basis.
Do FA Cup matches use VAR?
Unlike the EFL Cup, the FA Cup has made the decision to use VAR wherever possible.
While the EFL Cup has determined that if one ground cannot provide VAR coverage, it's fairer to scrap it across the entire round, the FA Cup believes that making use of VAR in one ground does not compromise the competitive balance and fairness of those matches without it.
“Video assistant referees provide match officials with additional support and should be utilised wherever possible," the FA said in February 2024 in response to come complaints regarding sporting balance. "However, only Premier League stadiums are currently licensed to use VAR due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required.”
Therefore, the FA Cup stipulates that VAR is to be used at all matches hosted by Premier League grounds, while it is not required at grounds hosted by lower league clubs.
Some lower league clubs that were recent Premier League members may have the capabilities, and thus could make use of VAR if the system were still active.