Away we go at Loftus Road.

It's a toasty one in west London this afternoon with temperatures up at 27°C.

A nice touch before this one kicks off with two floral reefs laid by representatives of both clubs in memory of Kenny Jackett before a round of applause.

Jackett, who died in June, managed Millwall for six years between 2007 and 2013.

Image source, Shutterstock

Are you happy to see the return of the competitive club season in England?

Does it feel a bit odd to have a cup game before the league campaign starts?

Do you think your team can put together a run in the EFL Cup?

As always, we want to hear your thoughts. You can join the conversation by tapping on the yellow Get Involved button on the left of this page if you are on desktop or tablet - or at the top if you are on a mobile device.

Image source, Opta

QPR boss Julien Stephan hands 21-year-old Manchester City loanee goalkeeper Pierce Charles his first competitive start for the club.

There is also a Hoops debut for left-back Boy Kemper, who has signed from Dutch side NAC Breda this summer.

Rumarn Burrell and Richard Kone - last season's top goalscorers in the Championship for QPR with 10 - both start.

And for Millwall, Alex Neil names new midfield signing Jenson Metcalfe in the starting XI.

Seven of the Lions players who featured in the Championship play-off semi-final defeat to Hull City in their final game of last season start today, so it is relatively strong from both sides.

Image source, Opta

Image source, Getty Images

How about a London derby to get the juices flowing in the first game of the competitive season for these two sides?

QPR finished in mid-table in the Championship last season, while Millwall came within touching distance of the Premier League, missing out on automatic promotion by just a point to Ipswich Town before losing to eventual play-off winners Hull City in the semi-final.

The Hoops famously won the first one-legged final in this competition in 1967 - their only domestic cup success in their history - and were beaten finalists by Oxford United in 1986.

But since then, QPR have only gone as far as the quarter-final once (in 1989), and have progressed past the third round just twice in the past 29 years.

Millwall's best effort in the EFL Cup is the quarter-final, achieved three times - in 1973-74, 1976-77 and 1994-95. The Lions have only gone as far as the fourth round once in the 31 years since.

Our first EFL Cup game of the day is already under way and it's 0-0 at half-time between Cambridge United and Barnet.

Image source, Getty Images

The competitive season began on Thursday night with League Two side Walsall booking their place in the EFL Cup second round by stunning Championship Bristol City at Ashton Gate with a 1-0 victory.

And last night, Wolves beat Port Vale 3-0, while Stevenage won 2-1 at Wycombe Wanderers and Middlesbrough edged 1-0 past Wrexham in an all-Championship encounter to progress.

Premier League clubs, including the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham, will enter the competition in round two.

The teams that have qualified for the Champions League or Europa League come in at the third-round stage.

Image source, PA Media

Here are the 29 games taking place in the EFL Cup first round today:

• Cambridge United 0-0 Barnet (kicked off at 13:00 BST)
• QPR v Millwall (14:00)
• AFC Wimbledon v Newport County
• Barnsley v Wigan Athletic
• Bradford City v Rochdale
• Bristol Rovers v Peterborough United
• Bromley v Reading
• Burnley v Notts County
• Burton Albion v Blackburn Rovers
• Cardiff City v Swindon Town
• Crewe Alexandra v Accrington Stanley
• Derby County v Lincoln City
• Fleetwood Town v Chesterfield
• Gillingham v Luton Town
• Grimsby Town v Blackpool
• Leicester City v Northampton Town
• Leyton Orient v Oxford United
• Norwich City v MK Dons
• Preston North End v Huddersfield Town
• Salford City v Shrewsbury Town
• Sheffield Wednesday v Bolton Wanderers
• Stockport County v Doncaster Rovers
• Stoke City v Oldham Athletic
• Swansea City v Birmingham City
• Watford v Crawley Town
• West Ham United v Portsmouth
• Cheltenham Town v Charlton Athletic (17:30)
• Colchester United v Southampton (17:30)
• Rotherham United v West Bromwich Albion (17:30)

Image source, Shutterstock

Good afternoon, everyone!

Well, doesn't it feel nice to have club football back? It only seems like two minutes ago that last season ended.

The 2026-27 competitive campaign is under way in England and we've got a bumper day of EFL Cup action ahead of us, with 29 games in the first round.

Four teams have already booked their spot in round two (more on that shortly) and we have more decent match-ups to look forward to today, including Preston's clash with Huddersfield Town, which is being played at Goodison Park (more on that later too).

Without further ado, let's get stuck into some proper football again...