FA Women's Cup Live Scores, Results & Statistics

FA Women’s Cup, officially the Women’s FA Challenge Cup and widely known as the Women’s FA Cup, is England’s premier domestic knockout competition for women’s football. Governed by The Football Association, it brings together clubs from across the English women’s football pyramid, from regional and grassroots sides to teams competing in the Women’s Super League. The tournament is designed to provide a national pathway, meaningful competition and the possibility of high-profile ties between clubs operating at very different levels of the game.

Identity and purpose

The competition is the women’s equivalent of the historic FA Cup and one of the most significant prizes in English club football. Its single-elimination structure gives every eligible club a route into a national tournament, while the staggered entry system protects the calendar for higher-level teams and allows lower-tier clubs to begin their campaigns earlier.

The FA Women’s Cup began in 1970, originally as the Mitre Challenge Trophy, under the Women’s Football Association. The Football Association assumed responsibility in 1993, and the competition has continued to develop alongside the professionalisation and expansion of the women’s game. In some records, the tournament is also listed as FA Womens Challenge Cup.

Eligibility and entry

Entry is open to first teams from recognised clubs competing at Step W5 of the Women’s Football Pyramid or higher, subject to the relevant competition, stadium and administrative requirements. This broad eligibility is central to the tournament’s character: regional and amateur clubs can compete for national recognition, while established professional sides enter later and face opponents who may already have progressed through several rounds.

Teams do not all enter at the same point. Lower-tier clubs begin in the qualifying phase, while clubs from higher divisions join in later rounds. Women’s Championship teams typically enter in the Third Round Proper, with Women’s Super League clubs generally entering in the Fourth Round Proper. The exact arrangements are set by the regulations for each edition, but the principle remains consistent: the higher a club’s position in the pyramid, the later its entry is likely to be.

Competition format

The FA Women’s Cup uses a pure knockout format. A club must win each tie to continue; there is no league table and no group stage. The tournament is commonly described as having four qualifying rounds, from the Preliminary Round through the Third Qualifying Round, followed by the competition proper: the First Round, Second Round, Third Round, Fourth Round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and Final.

Draws determine the ties in each round. In the earlier stages, fixtures may be organised on a regional North-South basis to limit travel and reduce costs for smaller clubs. The competition is not traditionally based on conventional seeding. Instead, the staggered entry of higher-tier teams gives the later rounds a changing composition and increases the possibility of encounters between clubs from different levels.

Match rules and progression

Matches normally consist of 90 minutes, played in two 45-minute halves. Where the score is level after regulation time, the tie proceeds to 30 minutes of extra time, divided into two 15-minute periods. If the teams remain level after extra time, the winner is decided by a penalty shootout. Replays were historically part of the cup’s identity, particularly in earlier rounds, but modern arrangements increasingly aim to settle ties on the day in order to reduce fixture congestion. Clubs and supporters should therefore consult the regulations for the relevant edition when a specific replay provision matters.

Player eligibility is also controlled by the competition rules. A player may represent only one club in the tournament during a single season, subject to the detailed provisions in force for that edition.

Calendar and the Final

The competition generally follows the English football season. Qualifying and early-round ties begin in early autumn, with Championship and WSL clubs entering during the winter stages. The quarter-finals and semi-finals normally take place in spring, before the season concludes with the Final, usually scheduled for a weekend in May.

The Final is traditionally associated with Wembley Stadium and provides the tournament’s national showpiece. Winning the trophy brings major sporting prestige, a place in the history of English women’s football and the recognition that comes from becoming national cup champions. Prize money distributed through the rounds is also particularly important to lower-league clubs, for whom a cup run can support travel, staffing and wider football operations.

For supporters, the appeal of the FA Women’s Cup lies in that combination of tradition and possibility. It is an elite national competition, but its early rounds preserve a route for clubs outside the professional spotlight. Every tie offers the chance of progression, a memorable upset or a meeting with one of the leading teams in the English game.