It is called the Carabao Cup because the League Cup’s current title sponsor is Carabao, a Thai energy drink brand that bought the naming rights to the competition.

What the Carabao Cup Actually Is

  • The Carabao Cup is the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup), a knockout competition for the 92 clubs in the Premier League and the three divisions of the English Football League.
  • The official competition is still the same League Cup created in 1960; only the sponsored name changes over time.

Why “Carabao” Specifically?

  • Carabao is an energy drink company from Thailand that became the title sponsor of the EFL Cup from the 2017–18 season, giving the tournament its current commercial name.
  • Like many modern football sponsorships, the deal is mainly about brand exposure: Carabao uses the cup’s TV coverage and global audience to promote its drink in Europe and worldwide.

Previous Names of the Competition

Over time, the League Cup has been named after whichever brand was paying for the title sponsorship, which is why older fans often call it different things.

Some notable past names include:

  • Milk Cup (Milk Marketing Board)
  • Littlewoods Cup
  • Rumbelows Cup
  • Coca-Cola Cup
  • Worthington Cup
  • Carling Cup
  • Capital One Cup

Why Fans Still Say “League Cup”

  • Many supporters still prefer to call it the League Cup, because “Carabao Cup” is clearly a sponsored label and changes whenever a new brand buys the rights.
  • This mirrors how some people say “FA Cup, sponsored by X” rather than using the sponsor as the main name, as a way of keeping the traditional identity of the competition.

Quick forum-style take

“Why is it called the Carabao Cup?”
Because that’s the current sponsor slapped on the old League Cup – the football is the same, only the logo on the front changes every few years.

TL;DR: It is called the Carabao Cup because Carabao, a Thai energy drink, pays to be the title sponsor of the long‑running English League Cup, which has changed names whenever a new sponsor comes in.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.