Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United
Carabao Cup second round, Molineux, Tuesday 26 August 2025, 7.30pm BST
West Ham United’s annual quest to win the Carabao Cup for the first time in the competition’s history begins at Molineux on Tuesday evening.
There and then, the Hammers take on hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers in an all-Premier League second-round tie.
The Irons and Wolves are two of eleven Premier League clubs taking part at this stage of the Carabao Cup - the competition for clubs from the top four divisions of English football, the Premier League and EFL, that was introduced to provide midweek floodlit football in the 1960/61 season.
West Ham have reached the final twice, losing to West Bromwich Albion over two legs in 1966 and Liverpool in a replay in 1981. Wolves have won the competition twice previously in their history, beating Manchester City and Nottingham Forest in Wembley finals in 1974 and 1980 respectively.
The Hammers rank seventh in the competition’s all-time list with 122 wins from their 233 ties played, while Wolves are down in 41st with 72 wins from 160 ties played.
Last season, Wolves reached the third round before being eliminated at Brighton & Hove Albion, while West Ham did likewise before being beaten at Liverpool.
While the two clubs have never met in the League/EFL Cup previously, they have done so in the FA Cup on three previous occasions, in 1910, 2004 and 2016, with West Ham winning all three.
How To Follow…
Tuesday’s 7.30pm BST kick-off will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports+.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have a match report, highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website, app and social media.
Tickets…
Our allocation of 3,010 tickets for this fixture sold out to Bondholders, Away Scheme Members and Season Ticket Holders with 5+ Loyalty Points. Supporters travelling to Molineux should note that all tickets will be issued in an NFC Digital format for this fixture.
Travel…
Driving to Molineux is fairly simple, but parking in the vicinity of the ground is less so, with most of the nearby car parks restricted to players, officials and permit holders on matchdays.
If you do want to drive, head up the M1 and then take the M6 to junction 10. From there take the A454 via Willenhall to Wolverhampton Ring Road.
At the first roundabout, take the fourth exit (A449 to Stafford), go straight on at the next two sets of traffic lights, then filter right at the third set of lights into Waterloo Road. Molineux appears on the right.
Car parks are available in Birch Street (WV1 4JW), Redhill Street (WV1 1NR) and Whitmore Hill (WV1 4RU). To book a parking pass contact the Ticket Office on 0371 222 1877.
Trains leave London regularly for Wolverhampton, with direct services from Euston leaving at 13.38, 14.38, 15.36 and 16.38, arriving just under two hours later. Alternatively, you can change at Birmingham New Street, with slower overall journey time. From Wolverhampton station, it’s only a ten-minute walk to Molineux.
After the game, there is one direct train back to London at 22.45, arriving into Euston at 01.17.
We Are West Ham. United...
West Ham United has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Equality, equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the Club and we are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcome to attend our fixtures in a safe environment.
Any form of discriminatory behaviour or chanting is unacceptable; it has no place in football and has serious criminal consequences. West Ham United will take the strongest possible action against any individual found to be engaging in such behaviour, including potential lifetime bans and referral to the police.
The Club can also face disciplinary action if any of its supporters are found to have engaged in this behaviour, which is not representative of the West Ham United fanbase and will not be tolerated by the Club.
West Ham United provides a number of support mechanisms on matchday to ensure that supporters can report any incidents discreetly and in confidence. To report any incidents during Tuesday's match, either follow Wolverhampton Wanderers’ reporting procedures at Molineux or contact West Ham United at [email protected]. Please provide as much information as possible, including the stand, row, seat number, description of the offender and incident.
We believe that the overwhelming majority of West Ham United supporters share these values and will work with us to continue to protect the Club’s status as an equity leader in the Premier League, a position recognised and acknowledged through our award and continuous retention of the Advanced level Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard - the League’s highest accolade attainable in this area. Anyone attending matches who does not share these values, does not share the diverse and inclusive values that West Ham United and our community stand for.
Please view our Supporter Conduct Charter for more information.
Team News…
Young midfielder George Earthy returned to training last week, but wasn't involved in Friday night's clash against Chelsea. Brazilian teenager Luis Guilherme was also missing from that game, having picked up an injury in training earlier this month, while Crysencio Summerville remains on the sidelines.
For Wolves, Leon Chiwome and Ki-Jana Hoever are out through injury, and Toti Gomes is suspended after being sent-off against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
Opposition…
It is now nine years since Wolverhampton Wanderers were bought by Chinese investment group Fosun.
After being relegated from the Premier League in 2012, and dropped into League One the following year, Wolves returned to the second tier in 2014.
They missed out on the Play-Offs by a single place in 2014/15, then finished the 2015/16 season in 14th place in the Championship, with supporters increasingly unhappy at the direction the club appeared to be travelling in.
Fosun’s arrival did not initially lead to an improvement in on-field results, with Wolves employing three managers in their first season in charge - Kenny Jackett, Italian Walter Zenga and Scot Paul Lambert - on their way to a 15th-place Championship finish.
However, the appointment of Portuguese Nuno Espírito Santo in May 2017, combined with Fosun’s close relationship with Nuno’s compatriot, agent Jorge Mendes, saw Wolves’ fortunes rapidly improve thereafter.
Mendes used his influence and contacts to bring in a succession of Portuguese players to Molineux - Ivan Cavaleiro and Hélder Costa had arrived in July 2016, followed by Rúben Neves, Rúben Vinagre and Diogo Jota the following summer.
All five played starring roles as Wolves won the Championship title in 2017/18, before their fellow countrymen Rui Patrício and João Moutinho, Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez and Spanish pair Adama Traoré and Jonny were signed to help the club finish seventh in the Premier League the following season.
The 2019/20 season brought a second successive seventh-place finish and a run to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals under the unflappable Nuno.
That level of achievement was always likely to be difficult to maintain, especially after Nuno’s departure to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2021, and Wolves have settled for mid-table and bottom-half finishes in the last five seasons under four different managers.
Yet another Portuguese, Bruno Lage, took Wolves to tenth in 2021/22. Spaniard Julen Lopetegui replaced him in November 2022 and led the Old Gold to safety, before departing in August 2023.
Former West Ham United midfielder Gary O’Neil then guided Wolves to 14th and the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2023/24, but the West Midlands side struggled for consistency throughout the early part of 2024/25, and the 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town in December signalled the end of O’Neil’s reign.
The Old Gold moved quickly to bring in Vítor Pereira, who inherited a team 19th in the table with just two league wins all season and seemingly in dire peril of being relegated.
However, Pereira, who has won league titles with Porto, Olympiacos and Shanghai SIPG, inspired a turnaround as Wolves won six Premier League games in a row between mid-March and late-April - including a home win over West Ham United - to climb safely clear of the bottom three and ultimately finish 16th.
Previous Meetings…
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the Carabao Cup anywhere, which is some going considering the two have played nearly 400 ties between them since the competition’s inception in 1960/61.
In 37 previous competitive visits to Molineux in all competitions, West Ham United have won 12, drawn seven and lost 18.
Looking back through the history books, our biggest-ever win at Wolves’ home of 136 years was a 5-1 FA Cup second-round victory in our first-ever meeting with Wolves on 5 February 1910.
Our best league win at Molineux was a 4-1 Second Division success on 16 December 1922.
We have beaten Wolves 5-0 twice in the top-flight, on both occasions at the Boleyn Ground in the First Division, on 20 August 1960 and 7 September 1964.
Match Officials…
Referee: Darren England
Assistant Referees: Scott Ledger and Akil Howson
Fourth Official: Josh Smith
Darren England will referee Tuesday’s tie.
The Leeds Beckett University graduate’s refereeing journey began in 2012 when he joined Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) as a FIFA and Premier League assistant referee.
Three years later, the 39-year-old was named on the National League list of officials ahead of the 2015/16 season, meaning he officiated in the Football League, before he was promoted to the PGMOL’s Select Group 2 prior to 2017/18.
Then, in August 2020, England - who was fourth official in May’s FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City - became part of the PGMOL’s Select Group 1, ahead of being added to the FIFA list of International Match Officials in 2022.
England’s first occasion refereeing West Ham United saw the Hammers, then managed by David Moyes, run out 4-1 winners away at Watford in December 2021.
More recently, England oversaw our pre-season victory over French Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille at London Stadium at the start of August.
Scott Ledger and Akil Howson will serve as the assistant referees in the West Midlands.
A vastly experienced assistant, Ledger has run the line in 319 Premier League matches dating back to the 2014/15 season, including 24 involving West Ham. The first was a 2-1 defeat by Arsenal at the Boleyn Ground in December 2014, and the most recent was the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool in April 2025.
Howson, meanwhile, is experienced in the EFL, having worked at 264 Championship matches.
Moreover, three of his 51 outings in the top division were West Ham matches in 2024/25, against Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, while he also ran the line at London Stadium in our Carabao Cup second-round win over AFC Bournemouth last season.
Josh Smith will be the fourth official. Born in Peterborough, Smith, who is one of the younger referees currently working in the Premier League and EFL, made his top-flight debut at the end of the 2022/23 season when he took charge of a game between Fulham and Crystal Palace, and took charge of West Ham’s 3-1 Premier League defeat at Leicester City in 2024/25.
VAR will not be in use during this Carabao Cup clash.
