The FA Cup is a men’s cup competition in England, with its formation recorded as 1871. Follow live scores, fixtures and results on this page, alongside standings and player and team statistics. The recorded season range runs from 2011 through 2025, giving visitors a clear way to review available competition data for each listed season.
Upcoming matches, FA Cup
1st Round Qualifying Replays
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- 1st Round Qualifying Replays
Jersey Bulls
Burgess Hill Town
Quarter-finals
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- Quarter-finalsRedcar TownNo H2HDarlington 1883
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- Quarter-finals
Aveley
Brentwood Town
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- Quarter-finals
Frome Town
Plymouth Parkway
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- Quarter-finals
Berkhamsted
Hendon
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- Quarter-finals
Bury
No H2HWorkington
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- Quarter-finals
Bedford Town
King's Lynn Town
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- Quarter-finals
Anstey Nomads
No H2HNewcastle Town
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- Quarter-finalsAFC Rushden & Diamonds
Peterborough Sports
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- Quarter-finals
Merthyr Town
Truro City
Latest played matches, FA Cup
1st Round Qualifying Replays
FA Cup Standings
FA Cup Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
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Top key passes
Top tackles
Top yellow cards
Top red cards
FA Cup teams participation since 2011
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| Manchester United | 15 |
| Newcastle | 15 |
| Bournemouth | 15 |
| Fulham | 15 |
| Huddersfield | 15 |
| Watford | 15 |
| Wolves | 15 |
| Liverpool | 15 |
| Southampton | 15 |
| Arsenal | 15 |
| Everton | 15 |
| Leicester | 15 |
| Tottenham | 15 |
| Chelsea | 15 |
| Brighton | 15 |
| Birmingham | 15 |
| Brentford | 15 |
| Millwall | 15 |
| Preston | 15 |
| West Brom | 15 |
| Sheffield Utd | 15 |
| Hull City | 15 |
| Nottingham Forest | 15 |
| Aston Villa | 15 |
| Bolton | 15 |
| Derby | 15 |
| Middlesbrough | 15 |
| Norwich | 15 |
| QPR | 15 |
| Rotherham | 15 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 15 |
| Stoke City | 15 |
| Swansea | 15 |
| Sunderland | 15 |
| Burton Albion | 15 |
| AFC Wimbledon | 15 |
| Bristol Rovers | 15 |
| Charlton | 15 |
| Fleetwood Town | 15 |
| Northampton | 15 |
| Oxford United | 15 |
| Rochdale | 15 |
| Scunthorpe | 15 |
| Southend | 15 |
| Walsall | 15 |
FA Cup top scorer teams
FA Cup About
FA Cup is England’s premier men’s domestic knockout competition, formally known as the Football Association Challenge Cup and organised by The Football Association. Founded in 1871, it is the oldest national football competition in the world and exists to bring eligible clubs from across the English football pyramid into a single contest for a major national trophy.
Origins and purpose of the FA Cup
The competition was created during the formative years of organised football, when clubs still followed varied rules and regional traditions. The Football Association established a national challenge tournament to help unify the game around common laws while giving member clubs a shared competitive objective. Its inclusive principle remains central: unlike a league, where clubs compete within a fixed division over a season, the FA Cup allows teams from different levels to meet in a direct knockout tie.
Although it is an English competition, eligible Welsh clubs playing within the English league system can also take part. That wider reach has helped give the tournament its distinctive identity. A semi-professional or non-League club may be drawn against a Premier League side, creating the possibility of a famous upset and a significant financial opportunity. This tradition of lower-ranked teams defeating more powerful opponents is commonly described as giant-killing, but the competition’s value is broader than its surprises. It offers clubs throughout the pyramid a route towards a national final and, ultimately, one of the most recognisable trophies in football.
The FA governs and administers the tournament, setting its entry requirements, competition rules and round dates. The final is traditionally staged at Wembley Stadium in London, although the venue has changed during periods when the stadium was unavailable, including its redevelopment years.
Who can enter and when clubs join
The entry field is designed around the structure of the English game. All 92 clubs in the Premier League and the English Football League’s three divisions receive automatic entry. Eligible non-League clubs can enter from levels five to nine, while level 10 clubs may serve as alternates. Non-League applicants must satisfy competition requirements, including participation in the FA Trophy or FA Vase and standards relating to stadium safety and facilities. Newly formed clubs are generally not eligible in their first season.
The competition follows an August-to-May calendar and uses staggered entry rather than asking every club to begin at the same point. The lowest-ranked entrants start in the extra preliminary and preliminary rounds, followed by further qualifying stages. Clubs from EFL League One and League Two join at the First Round Proper, while Championship and Premier League clubs enter at the Third Round Proper, normally held in early January. This arrangement allows the tournament to accommodate a large number of clubs while preserving the prospect of meetings between teams from widely separated levels.
Knockout format and draw
The FA Cup is a pure knockout competition. Its traditional structure comprises six qualifying rounds, six rounds proper, the semi-finals and the final. There is no league phase, group stage or seeded bracket. A random draw is made before each round, and the first club drawn is normally designated as the home team. Qualifying draws are regionalised to help reduce travel demands for smaller clubs; the later rounds are drawn nationally.
Every tie is contested over a single match. In the qualifying rounds, a level score leads to a replay at the other club’s ground rather than an immediate extra-time conclusion. From the First Round Proper onwards, replays were removed from the competition under the changes introduced for 2024–25, so a tied match must be settled on the day. The winning club advances and the defeated club leaves the tournament.
Extra time, penalties and match-day decisions
A match that is level after 90 minutes from the First Round Proper onwards proceeds to 30 minutes of extra time, played in two 15-minute periods. If the scores remain equal, a penalty shootout determines which team progresses. These rules make every later-round tie decisive on the scheduled occasion and eliminate the uncertainty that historically surrounded repeated replays.
The competition also follows the applicable substitution regulations for the current format: teams can name nine substitutes, use five during regulation time and make use of an additional sixth substitute if the match goes to extra time. Match officials, disciplinary procedures and other operational matters are governed by the rules of The FA and the regulations for the relevant season.
The road to Wembley and what is at stake
The tournament begins with qualifying football in August and builds through the autumn rounds before the professional clubs enter in greater numbers. The Third Round Proper provides the traditional January stage at which the Premier League and Championship teams join, while the later rounds progressively narrow the field to the semi-finals and the Wembley final in May.
Winning the FA Cup brings the trophy itself, but the sporting consequences extend beyond the final whistle. The champion earns qualification for the following season’s UEFA Europa League and a place in the FA Community Shield, the annual season-opening fixture involving the Premier League champion. For smaller clubs, advancement can also bring substantial prize money, broadcast exposure, ticket income and shared gate receipts, making a long run valuable both competitively and financially.
That combination of open access, random draws, phased entry and decisive knockout matches explains the competition’s enduring role in English football. Its history is rooted in the attempt to create a common national contest; its modern appeal comes from allowing clubs with very different resources to meet on the same pitch, with progression determined by results rather than league status.