Fixtures, results, draws & TV information

The world’s oldest cup competitors is again for one more season, with the primary spherical correct getting underway as we head into autumn.

Final yr’s closing noticed Crystal Palace safe their first main honour by upsetting Manchester Metropolis, as Eberechi Eze’s first-half strike proved to be the winner on a magical day for the Eagles.

The FA Cup first spherical sees EFL golf equipment from League One and League Two enter the competitors, all with hopes of a profitable run into the latter levels and offering a memorable journey for his or her supporters.

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They’re joined by 32 non-league golf equipment at this explicit hurdle, together with the likes of final yr’s giant-killers Tamworth and eighth-tier Maldon & Tiptree, who’ve each been handed League One opposition within the first spherical.

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FA Cup format & historical past

The success and longevity of the FA Cup lies inside its simplicity. The knockout format has produced some magical moments through the years, with the competitors turning into recognized for producing loads of David and Goliath tales.

Regardless of this, the larger golf equipment have gained the vast majority of titles, with Arsenal (14), Manchester United (13), Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur (all 8) probably the most frequent winners.

There was the odd shock winner, maybe most notably Wimbledon in 1988 and Wigan Athletic in 2013 in additional trendy instances.

In the meantime, no crew outdoors of the highest flight of English soccer has gained the trophy since West Ham United did so in 1980.

Traditionally, drawn matches had been adopted by replays, although these had been scrapped by the Soccer Affiliation from the primary spherical onwards in 2024 in a bid to ease fixture congestion.

Relatively understandably, golf equipment from decrease down the soccer pyramid vehemently opposed the choice, which was seen as an settlement that went over the heads of golf equipment from the EFL and under.

ClubFA Cup titlesLast FA Cup winArsenal142020Man Utd132024Chelsea82018Liverpool82022Spurs81991Aston Villa71957Man City72023Blackburn61928Newcastle61955

FA Cup fixture dates

The weekends for FA Cup fixtures within the 2025/26 season have been set, although precise fixture dates are topic to alter as TV alternatives are made.

This season’s third spherical takes place within the second week of January, whereas this yr’s closing takes place per week earlier than the top of the Premier League season, which is adopted by the Champions League closing per week later.

Attracts sometimes happen on the identical weekends because the earlier spherical, usually tied in with tv protection.

RoundFixture dateFirst Round1st November 2025Second Round6th December 2025Third Round10th January 2026Fourth Round14th February 2026Fifth Round7th March 2026Quarter-final4th April 2026Semi-final25th April 2026Final16th Could 2026

FA Cup first spherical draw

Luton City – a Premier League membership 18 months in the past – will host the opening match of the primary spherical once they tackle Forest Inexperienced Rovers at Kenilworth Highway.

There are three all-League One ties to stay up for, together with high-flying Cardiff Metropolis’s journey to struggling Peterborough United and Bolton Wanderers’ conflict with Huddersfield City.

Elsewhere, there will probably be no less than eight non-league golf equipment within the second spherical, with ties together with an Essex derby between Chelmsford Metropolis and Braintree City, and the one all-fifth-tier fixture as Wealdstone host Southend United.

DateFixtureKick-off31st OctLuton v Forest Green7.30pm1st NovChelmsford v Braintree12pm1st NovAFC Wimbledon v Gateshead3pm1st NovBarnsley v York3pm1st NovBlackpool v Scunthorpe3pm1st NovBolton v Huddersfield3pm1st NovBoreham Wooden v Crawley3pm1st NovBromley v Bristol Rovers3pm1st NovBurton v St Albans3pm1st NovBuxton v Chatham3pm1st NovCambridge v Chester3pm1st NovCheltenham v Bradford3pm1st NovColchester v MK Dons3pm1st NovCrewe v Doncaster3pm1st NovFC Halifax v Exeter3pm1st NovFleetwood v Barnet3pm1st NovGrimsby v Ebbsfleet3pm1st NovMacclesfield v Totton3pm1st NovMansfield v Harrogate3pm1st NovNewport v Gillingham3pm1st NovOldham v Northampton3pm1st NovPeterborough v Cardiff3pm1st NovReading v Carlisle3pm1st NovRotherham v Swindon3pm1st NovSalford v Lincoln3pm1st NovSlough City v Altrincham3pm1st NovSpennymoor v Barrow3pm1st NovStevenage v Chesterfield3pm1st NovSutton v Telford3pm1st NovTranmere v Stockport3pm1st NovWealdstone v Southend3pm1st NovWeston-super-mare v Aldershot3pm1st NovWigan v Hemel Hempstead3pm1st NovWycombe v Plymouth3pm1st NovBrackley v Notts County5.30pm2nd NovSouth Shields v Shrewsbury12pm2nd NovEastleigh v Walsall2.15pm2nd NovPort Vale v Maldon & Tiptree3pm2nd NovGainsborough v Accrington5.15pm3rd NovTamworth v Leyton Orient7.30pm

FA Cup prize cash

The FA will hand out just below £23.5m in prize cash to groups collaborating within the FA Cup this season. How a lot every crew will get is set by how far they go, with prize cash rising by every spherical.

Groups that make it by means of to the third spherical will probably be £127,250 higher off – much more if in addition they got here by means of qualifying.

There are additionally charges for dropping groups up till the third spherical, with each membership within the first spherical assured to obtain £15,800.

A Premier League or Championship crew going all the way in which will pocket a cool £4.14m, whereas successful the semi-final alone is sort of as profitable as a aspect advancing by means of every of the 12 previous rounds.

RoundPayments per teamTeamsTotal givenExtra Prel. Spherical W£1,125223£250,875Extra Prel. Spherical L£375223£83,625Prel. Spherical W£1,444136£196,384Prel. Spherical L£481136£65,416Qual. R1 W£2,250112£252,000Qual. R1 L£750112£84,000Qual. R2 W£3,37580£270,000Qual. R2 L£1,12580£90,000Qual. R3 W£5,62540£225,000Qual. R3 L£1,87540£75,000Qual. R4 W£9,37532£300,000Qual. R4 L£3,12532£100,000First Spherical winners£47,75040£1,910,000First Spherical losers£15,80040£632,000Second Spherical winners£79,50020£1,590,000Second Spherical losers£21,20020£424,000Third Spherical winners£121,50032£3,888,000Third Spherical losers£26,50032£848,000Fourth Spherical winners£127,00016£2,032,000Fifth Spherical winners£238,5008£1,908,000Quarter-final winners£477,0004£1,908,000Semi-final winners£1,060,0002£2,120,000Semi-final losers£530,0002£1,060,000Runners-up£1,060,0001£1,060,000FA Cup winners£2,120,0001£2,120,000

Supply: The FA

Methods to watch the FA Cup on UK TV

Alex Scott presenting FA Cup coverage for BBC Sport.

This yr’s tv protection sees rights break up between the BBC and TNT Sports activities. The latter has the vast majority of the protection, together with all non-3pm Saturday matches from the third spherical onwards.

TNT Sports activities may also share broadcasting duties for all matches chosen for BBC broadcast.

The BBC has rights to 2 matches per spherical up till the quarter-finals, whereas it’s going to present one semi-final and the ultimate.

Stephan Georgiou

Administrator

Graduated in Sport Journalism (BA) with first-class honours from the College of Brighton and has since had bylines in The Instances, sports activities enterprise publication SportsPro, Soccer FanCast and The Gooner fanzine.

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