Manchester City’s bid to field England defender Marc Guéhi in the 2026 Carabao Cup final has been rejected by the English Football League (EFL), confirming that the centre-back will be ineligible for the Wembley clash against Arsenal on March 22, 2026.
City booked their place in the final after a commanding 5–1 aggregate victory over Newcastle United in the semi-finals. However, Guéhi’s availability quickly became a major talking point after he was unable to feature in the latter stages of the competition. The EFL has now made it clear that no exception will be granted, meaning the defender will miss the final despite being a fully registered Manchester City player.
The ruling is based on eligibility regulations introduced for the 2025/26 Carabao Cup season. Under the revised rules, a player is allowed to feature for two clubs in the same competition, provided the transfer to the second club is completed before the first leg of the semi-final. In this case, that deadline was January 13. While the regulation offered greater flexibility, it did not extend to players who joined after that cut-off point.
Guéhi completed his move from Crystal Palace to Manchester City on January 19, six days after City had already played the first leg of their semi-final tie against Newcastle. As a result, he failed to meet the eligibility deadline and is barred from participating in the remainder of the competition, including the final at Wembley.
The contrast with forward Antoine Semenyo has further fuelled debate around the decision. Semenyo was permitted to play for two clubs in the competition this season because his transfer was completed before the January 13 deadline, allowing him to remain eligible through to the final. Guéhi’s later transfer date, however, left him outside the scope of the rule change.
City manager Pep Guardiola voiced his frustration over the situation, describing the regulation as difficult to understand. He argued that it seemed illogical for a player who had been signed legitimately and was eligible for league matches to be barred from a major domestic final. Guardiola confirmed that the club had hoped to persuade the EFL to reconsider but admitted that changing the rules mid-season was unlikely.
Despite the appeal, the EFL stood firm, stressing that competition integrity required strict adherence to the established deadlines. Officials maintained that altering eligibility criteria after the fact would set an undesirable precedent and undermine the consistency of the tournament’s regulations.
The decision hands a potential advantage to Arsenal as preparations intensify for the Wembley showdown. With City unable to call upon their January defensive signing, Arsenal will look to capitalise as they chase silverware under Mikel Arteta, while City must rely on their existing defensive options.
Guéhi’s absence also highlights the ongoing tension between modern transfer dynamics and traditional competition rules. Signed as part of City’s January defensive reinforcements, the England international has already featured for his new club in the Premier League, making his exclusion from the Carabao Cup final all the more striking.
As things stand, Manchester City will head into one of the biggest domestic fixtures of the season without Guéhi, while the debate over mid-season eligibility rules continues among fans and pundits. For now, the EFL’s stance is final, and the defender will be forced to watch from the sidelines as City and Arsenal battle for the trophy at Wembley.