Middlesbrough and Wrexham meet in Carabao Cup first round

Middlesbrough will kick off their 2026-27 season with a Carabao Cup first-round tie against fellow Championship side Wrexham at the Riverside Stadium on Friday, August 7. The televised match represents the first competitive outing for both clubs, each of which harbors promotion ambitions for the league campaign ahead.

Head coach Kim Hellberg is expected to hand competitive debuts to several of Middlesbrough's summer signings. Striker Will Lankshear, a high-profile arrival from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial fee reported to be £10 million, and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter are in line to start. Additional new signings Max Arfsten and Kyle Joseph are likely to be involved from the bench. The squad has been reshaped following the departure of last season's Championship Player of the Year, Hayden Hackney, who joined Everton. Hellberg has expressed confidence that the current group, which also includes permanent signing Jeremy Sarmiento, has higher potential than the squad that narrowly missed promotion last season.

Wrexham, managed by Phil Parkinson, enters the match after a globe-trotting preseason that included a victory over Manchester United. The club narrowly missed the...