Women's League Cup draw descends into chaos as 'furious' clubs demand answers over calamitous TikTok gaffes

The draw took place on Tuesday night and saw Chelsea paired with Liverpool and WSL table-toppers Manchester City up against West Ham. The other two ties will see Arsenal go to Crystal Palace and Manchester United take on Tottenham. The draw for the semi-finals of the tournament was also made, with the winners of the tie between West Ham and Man City to host either Liverpool or Chelsea. The other semi will feature the winners of the quarter-final between Crystal Palace vs Arsenal hosting either Man Utd or Spurs. The quarter-finals are due to be played between 19-21 December and the semis between 21-22 January 2026.

Although there are some eye-catching ties to look forward to in the next round of the competition, there has been plenty of anger about the way the draw was conducted. Clubs are said to have been left "furious" by Barry's behaviour as she conducted the draw live on WSL Football's TikTok page along with her partner, Portsmouth midfielder Ella Rutherford, per The Telegraph. At one point, Barry pulled a ball out of the bag, dropped it back in by accident, and then took it out again, saying: "Am I allowed to do that? I've done it now, it's too late. Oh I picked up the same ball." Barry also made a comments about "lesbians handling balls", and the chaotic nature of the live broadcast has led to concerns being raised over the "professionalism and legitimacy" of the draw, as reported by BBC Sport.

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Barry made a number of lewd comments throughout the draw and also said "What do we think about Tottenham?" at one point in reference to an anti-Spurs chant that has been sung by fans of rivals Arsenal. A representative from WSL Football has since been in touch with Tottenham to offer an apology and discuss their concerns, according to Sky Sports Football.

The decision to perform the draw live on TikTok was reportedly made in a bid to appeal to a move diverse and younger audience. However, the chaotic nature of the event has ended up creating controversy and raising concerns, meaning changes are likely to be made in the future. According to Sky Sports News, "learnings from the draw will be introduced in the future" in a bid to avoid similar issues arising. This is the second problem in a week to hit women's football. Monday's FA Cup third-round draw, which took place from Oxford United, also hit a major issue as the YouTube stream was broadcast without sound because of technical problems, meaning presenters and interviewees could not be heard.

There may also be changes coming to the League Cup for the 2026-27 season as part of a "radical revamp" that is being planned but must still be approved by the Football Association, according to The Telegraph. Clubs competing in the Champions League would be excluded, in a bid to manage player loan and welfare, while the format would also be changed. Women's Super League Football has proposed abandoning the current group stage and implementing a Swiss model, similar to the one currently used in the Champions League.