Arsenal's Carabao Cup Final Curse Haunts Mikel Arteta as History Threatens to Repeat

Arsenal have secured their place in the 2025–26 Carabao Cup final, giving the Gunners an opportunity to claim the opening piece of the legendary Quadruple that Mikel Arteta's team is pursuing.

Their advancement to the March 22 final at Wembley Stadium was achieved through a 4–2 aggregate victory against Chelsea in the semi-finals. The initial 90 minutes of the semi-final clash at Stamford Bridge in January delivered excitement. The same cannot be said for the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal and their supporters won't be concerned about that. They now stand on the brink of what could represent the club's first significant silverware in six years, following Arteta's FA Cup triumph in 2019–20.

Nevertheless, historical precedent works against Arsenal regarding this competition's final—across its various title changes throughout the decades.

Arsenal's Carabao Cup Final Results

Arsenal's Carabao Cup Final Results

Also called the EFL Cup or League Cup when not using sponsor names that have been present since the 1980s, Arsenal first appeared in the final during 1967–68, just years after the competition's creation. Before 2026, their latest final appearance occurred in 2017–18.

However, the Gunners have only claimed this distinctive three-handled trophy twice—and not once since the 1992–93 Coca-Cola Cup, best remembered for goalscorer Steve Morrow fracturing his arm during celebrations after scoring what became the winning goal against Sheffield Wednesday.

Arsenal's sole other victory came in 1986–87, during the Littlewood Challenge Cup era, defeating Liverpool courtesy of Charlie Nicholas's double strike. This means six final appearances have resulted in losses, incredibly against six different clubs each time.

On two occasions, the Gunners suffered humiliation: in 1968–69 when Swindon Town achieved an upset despite competing two divisions lower, and in 2010–11 when Birmingham City exploited a late defensive error between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczęsny to steal victory.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have each suffered five Carabao Cup final defeats, but no team equals Arsenal's unfortunate tournament record.

Most Appearances in Carabao Cup Finals—All Time

Most Appearances in Carabao Cup Finals—All Time

*excluding 2025–26, yet to be played