EFL: 2026-27 season starts on Saturday with Carabao Cup preliminary ties

The 2026-27 EFL season begins early for four teams this weekend with Carabao Cup preliminary round ties. Tranmere Rovers host Rochdale on Saturday, while York City welcome Crawley Town on Monday. Both Rochdale and York City are EFL returnees following their promotions last season, and the additional preliminary ties are required for the second successive campaign due to an uneven number of clubs.